The New York Times recently published a story about Goldman Sachs’ PR problem surrounding employees’ huge salaries. The economy is in a bad shape, and this is at least partly due to Wall Street; ordinary people are struggling while the average Goldman Sachs employee is getting a $700,000 paycheck.  The company would like to change its perception, preferably without making salaries much lower.

Though Wall Street has been in the news recently, what many think are excessive CEO salaries have been a target of negative popular sentiment for a much longer time. Some have argued that the public gives a much easier pass to entertainers and sportsmen making similar types of salaries.

Do Wall Street and CEO salaries make you angry? Do you think your anger is justified? Would you support rules regulating or capping compensation in private companies?

Zeljka consumption, politics economy, sports

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has recently proposed that the current way of measuring economic output be replaced with one that includes measures of national happiness. According to the article, he complained that “Behind the cult of figures, behind all these statistical and accounting structures, there is also the cult of the market that is always right”.

Zogby International has a long standing interest in groups of people, such as Secular Spiritualists, who think that happiness rather than material abundance is what really matters. However, pursuing happiness and measuring it can be two different things. Some commentators have already observed that the very idea of measuring happiness defeats Sarkozy’s alleged goal of moving beyond “the cult of figures”.

What is your view of this new approach to measuring GDP? Do you think that happiness can be adequately measured? Would you support such change in the USA?

Zeljka consumption, economics, global issues, international international, zogby

For decades, the U.S. has moved away from being a nation that manufactured products to one that buys things that are made somewhere else.  Given that model, our economy is very dependent on consumption through retail sales to spur growth and profit.
Surveys we have conducted at Zogby International continue to show American society moving away from that model. We are experiencing a paradigm shift that rejects the necessity of owning the next great new thing, and instead embraces satisfaction through relationships, leisure activities, volunteerism, self-expression and spiritual fulfillment. The latest evidence of this came in a series of questions we asked to more than 40,000 U.S. adults in a July interactive survey.

Read all of John Zogby’s article on how Americans are choosing to live with less at Forbes.com.

Paul consumption, culture, economics charity, consumption, economy, international, John Zogby, leisure, race, zogby

by Rebecca Wittman

Well, not quite, but they appear to more concerned with humane issues than their elders. In two areas Zogby has polled – circuses and farm animals – New Globals appear ready to consider animals as beings worthy of empathy and consideration.

On Using Animals in Circuses

A majority of New Globals are opposed to using exotic animals like elephants, tigers, and bears in circuses, in fact, they are nearly one and a half times as likely as any other age group to feel that way – 51% under 30 opposed vs. an average of 38% over 30 who are opposed. And it isn’t just exotic animals they object to, they are also more likely than those over 30 to object to using domesticated animals like horses, cats, and dogs as circus acts (49% New Globals object vs. an average of 27% over 30 who object).

And when weighing two arguments about the treatment of animals used in circus acts, one postulating humane treatment (care by trained professionals who understand the animals’ needs and reinforcing natural behaviors as acts) and one postulating inhumane treatment (cramped cages, chaining, forced to perform unnatural behaviors), agreement with the notion that animals in circuses are treated inhumanely decreases with age, with New Globals (56%) most likely to agree that animals are treated inhumanely, while those over 65 are  the least likely to agree (36%).

On Treatment of Farm Animals

In a 2005 PETA poll, Zogby spoke with 300 15 to 23 year olds and discovered that humane issues were as likely or more likely to generate a move to vegetarianism than were personal or health issues.

So, New Globals may be the turning point in realizing better treatment for animals and an understanding that they deserve respect as individuals with intrinsic value outside their usefulness to humans. Here’s hoping so!

ZogbyFeaturedContributor consumption, culture, first globals, future animals, health, video, work, zogby

In a recent article about dollar stores and the recession,  the New York Times reports that dollar stores seem to be thriving. According to the Times,  “the nation’s dollar stores, those once-dowdy chains that lured shoppers by selling some or all of their merchandise for $1, are suddenly hot. They are busily opening new stores, outfitting existing stores with refrigerators and freezers, and sprucing up their aisles with better lighting, fresh paint and new signs.”  The article goes on to note that Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree have all opened new stores and have plans to open more stores in the next year.  In addition, these dollar stores are now offering more grocery items (some stores even have frozen food sections) and household necessities in an attempt to attract new customers and poach business from traditional grocery stores and larger retailers.

Shoppers interviewed in the article mention both the low prices and the appeals of a smaller store – less crowded, easier to find what they want, better customer service – as reasons for shopping at the dollar store.

Has the current economy impacted where you shop? Do you find yourself shopping for any items at a dollar store? Why or why not?

Katy consumption, culture, economics, lifestyles, shopping consumption, economy, recession, shopping

The new Yankee Stadium is making news, but not for the reasons team management wants. In addition to building a stadium that, after a few games, seems to be allowing too many home runs, empty seats in prime viewing locations are painfully obvious.

According to the Associated Press:  “At the new Yankee Stadium, the best seats in the house have turned out to be the emptiest. The most expensive spots in America’s costliest ballpark have become an embarrassment packing a financial sting to the proud New York Yankees, as the Legends Suite section in the infield has been filled only once in the six games since the $1.5 billion stadium opened last week.

“On most days, the seats that cost $500-$2,500 as part of season tickets and go up to $2,625 for individual games haven’t been close to full. And as TV cameras pick up the patchy attendance with every pitch, it serves as a little tweak to the nation’s richest baseball franchise.”

You can take a look at single ticket prices anywhere in the stadium. Most infield seats in the lower level cost from $375 to $275. Seats behind the outfield fences in the lower level run from $100 to $75. You can get a bleacher seat behind the centerfield bullpen for $14.

Contrast those prices with other New York City attractions. Top prices on Broadway are $136.  The best seats at the Metropolitan Opera cost $550. Jazz clubs with top name artists are normally $35 plus a $10 minimum.

A Zogby Interactive poll done on Feb. 23-24 found 70% saying have cut back on entertainment, recreation and eating out at restaurants.  We reported then that: “The slashing of entertainment budgets isn’t just taking place in poorer households – around 70% of those in all household income brackets, including those with more than $100,000 in household income, said they have reduced their spending on entertainment and at restaurants in the past year. Younger adults are most likely to say they have cut back – 76% of those age 18-29 are spending less on entertainment, compared to 55% of those age 65 and older who say the same.”

Are the Yankees, and perhaps other pro teams, out-pricing the market for seats at games?  Would you pay those prices to watch a ballgame?

Paul consumption, culture, economics, lifestyles entertainment, recreation, zogby

Would you rather America get richer, even if that implies large inequalities? Or would you rather America be more equal, even if that results in less total wealth?

When faced with a choice between the statements “the American economy must keep growing” and “existing wealth must be distributed more equally,”  a majority of Americans of all ages tend to choose growth over equal distribution. There are no substantive age differences on this question, with First Globals preferring growth in more than a 2:1 ratio.

Why do you think First Globals favor growth — because they think growth inherently makes people more equal or because they think that wealth is more important than equality? Do you prefer economic growth or equality and why?

Zeljka consumption, economics, future economy, first globals

The New York Daily News, MSNBC, and Wall Street Journal (subscription required to view full article) all recently reported that Blockbuster’s recent regulatory filing with the SEC raises “serious doubt” about the company’s ability to survive. The Daily News article reports that the survival of Blockbuster hinges partially on their ability to secure a $250 million loan, while MSNBC notes that “even if the loan is funded, the company said it ‘may not have sufficient liquidity to finance the ongoing obligations of our business, which raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern’.”

While Blockbuster remains the largest movie rental chain in America, the success of Netflix (DVD rental through mail) and Redbox (DVD rental through kiosk) has apparently cut into Blockbuster’s profits in recent years.  Discussing the former pervasiveness of the chain,  an article on Salon by Mike Madden notes that “there wasn’t a suburban strip mall or a gentrified city neighborhood in America that didn’t wind up with a Blockbuster outlet.”  But this pervasiveness did not lead all consumers to embrace Blockbuster; in 2005, Blockbuster settled a lawsuit related to their late fee policy. Salon writer Mike Madden harbors no nostalgia for the chain:

“Walking into a Blockbuster, even in its glory days, meant you hadn’t     managed to come up with anything more exciting to do that night than rent some mainstream Hollywood crap you somehow missed in the theaters. “Make it a Blockbuster night” may have been its marketing slogan, but somehow the vibe in the place made it feel like nothing more than a clever way to say “Admit defeat, loser.” Every one of the stores was, and still is, exactly the same: all electric blue and canary yellow, with dizzyingly bright walls, trailers for months-old action flicks playing loudly on overhead TV screens and a few surly employees behind the counter. In a pathetic attempt to be an all-in-one supplier of an entire night’s entertainment, the stores throw some popcorn, candy and soda for sale near the checkout line.”

Some of Zogby’s data suggests that the current recession is leading to an increase in low-cost forms of entertainment (such as DVD rentals) at the expense of  higher-cost forms of entertainment. In a February 2009 interactive poll , 58% of those surveyed agreed that they planned on staying home more instead of going out for entertainment because of the current economic conditions.   But  to judge from their recent financial problems, Blockbuster is not benefiting from people’s preferences for lower-cost entertainment. Why might this be? And have your entertainment plans (dvd rental or otherwise) changed recently?

Katy consumption, culture, economics, lifestyles, media, recreation economy, entertainment, lifestyle, race, recession, zogby

Recently, the idea that the Earth has become over-populated has been enjoying a revival in in some corners of the environmental community. The basic concern is that, as the number of people grows, they are depleting natural resources and damaging the environment.

On the other hand, over years, some economists have argued that, as the number of people grows they are, as a group, becoming wealthier. More people means, more specialization, and, through trade, more total wealth. In addition, humans constantly turn previously worthless resources into valuable ones, and once they become valuable, humans discover increasingly efficient ways to use them. So, rather than depleting resources, humans are, in effect, creating resources.

In one of our Interactive surveys, we asked our respondents whether they find the statement “The more people there are, the more wealth there is” or “The more people there are, the less wealth there is” closer to their own view. Overall, 32% agreed with the former, and 46% with the later, with about 22% undecided. There were no significant generational differences.

Which of these views comes closer to your own understanding of the consequences of a growing population?

Zeljka consumption, economics, environment, future environment

In an an article at Forbes.com, John Zogby looks at how  Americans use credit, and concludes most are living within their means. Here is some of what he wrote:

According to a recent CardTrak.com survey of 55,000 consumers, 13% of Americans have credit card balances of more than $25,000.

Have we lost our way when it comes to credit? Now celebrating my 25th year as a pollster, I’ve learned to read statistics with a bit of dyslexia, taking a look at them backward and upside down. So I discovered that almost half of that 13% were people who could well afford to carry that much credit card debt–which meant to me that approximately nine in 10 Americans were living within their means with regard to credit card debt. The real truth here is that most Americans are living their lives modestly, but this does not make a dramatic headline.

But Americans have bought into the misconception that most of us are overextended. Taking into account a household’s overall financial picture, a Zogby Interactive survey conducted in March 2008 found that 79% of Americans believe they themselves live within their means financially, given their current personal financial situation.  This same survey found that 87% believe that most other Americans are living beyond their financial means.

This country is moving away from overspending and overuse of credit. Surveys since the recession began show Americans modifying their expectations even more. An annual survey held during the holiday shopping season showed 71% planned to spend less due to the weakening economy. Once the economy turns–and it will–look for less binging and less demand for 0% APRs today that turn into 32% APRs tomorrow.

Do you overextend your credit card? Do you agree that in the future, people will be less likely to overspend on credit?

Paul John Zogby, consumption, economics, shopping economy, future, John Zogby, polls, recession, shopping, war, zogby