Merry Christmas from the Zogby blog!

If your wish was for some Christmas-related polling data, have no fear – we are here to oblige you.

A few weeks ago, we surveyed people about their favorite Christmas songs. You can read our complete release on that here. We also asked about favorite Christmas movies, asking our survey respondents to pick their favorite from our list of about 20 new and classic holiday films.

The winner, selected as the favorite by 18% of our respondents, was It’s a Wonderful Life. Rounding out the top three were A Christmas Story, selected as a favorite by 11%, and Miracle on 34th Street, chosen by 10%.

What is your favorite Christmas movie and why?

Katy culture, lifestyles culture, entertainment

We at Zogby spend a lot of time trying to understand generational differences. Most recently, we looked at how different generations are perceived by the American public.

According to our recent interactive survey of almost 3000 likely voters, middle-aged people appear to be the most popular age-group, with 27% of likely voters choosing them as their favorite. They are followed by young adults (19%), young school-aged children (14%) and babies/toddlers (14%). The least popular age-groups are seniors (7%) and teenagers (4%).

However, we also found significant age and gender differences. For example, though not very popular overall, seniors are quite popular with people over 65, with 21% choosing them as their favorite age-group. Also, babies/toddlers and young school-aged children are much more popular among women: over 38% of women choose one of these groups as their favorite, compared to 19% of men.

What group of people, age-wise, would you most want to spend your time with? If you could (or have to) to be the same age all your life, what age would you choose?

Zeljka culture, first globals

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question, timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street earlier this year,  asked which muppet was the respondent’s favorite. Cookie Monster led the list with 16% naming him as their favorite, followed by 11% saying Elmo, 10% each saying Big Bird or Oscar, 9% saying Grover, 5% each saying the Count or Ernie, and 2% saying Bert. 7% of our sample said they were too unfamiliar with the show to choose, and another 7% said “another muppet” is their favorite.

With a few exceptions, most subgroup responses mirrored the overall demographics. Males were slightly more likely than average to prefer Cookie Monster (19% of males vs 16%  of the overall sample ), while females were slightly more likely than average to prefer Big Bird (14% of females vs 10% of the overall sample). Those 18-29 were more likely than average to select Grover (16% of youth vs 9% overall), while those over 65 were much more likely to answer “not sure” or that they were too unfamiliar with the show to choose.

If you watched Sesame Street as a child, or watch it now with your own children, do you have a favorite muppet? Did you pay attention to any of Sesame Street’s  40 year anniversary celebrations earlier this year? What do you think the future holds for television programming aimed at children?

Katy culture, lifestyles media, television, Top Question Tuesday

One of our recent polls questioned people on their news viewing habits as well as what they thought about the news viewing habits of others.  The complete press release is available here, but one of the highlights was the disconnect between what people said about themselves and what these same people believe about others.  When asked about their personal news viewing habits, 85% of those surveyed claimed to follow the news closely. However, when asked about the news viewing habits of others, 72% of those surveyed believe most of the country does not follow the news closely.

A similar disconnect was found last year when we asked about people’s finances (read our blog post on it here). We found that most people believe they personally live within their means, but also believe that most other Americans do not.

In your view, why do so many people  see a negative trend (such as not following news or living within their means) among others, but believe they are an exception to this trend? And which statistic do you think is more accurate – that 85% of us follow the news closely, or that 72% of us do not follow the news closely?

Katy culture media, polls

Today’s Rasmussen survey shows a mere 38% of Americans have a favorable view of Tiger Woods compared to 83% just two years ago. As is well known, the low rating follows a two week long saga, which began with a minor car accident and was followed by rumors and suspicions, Tiger’s apology, multiple claims of romantic involvement and personal and business fallouts.

As the Tiger Woods question builds the lead in our Top Question Tuesday competition and newer developments on Tiger Woods’ saga are coming to light, we were wondering about your view of the whole Tiger Wood affair.  Are you following the news or have you have had enough? Did your opinion of Tiger Woods change?  How important do you think this story will be in a year?

Zeljka culture, media

Today’s Zogby blog post comes courtesy of Cheryl Korn, a Writer/Analyst with Zogby International, and an avid hockey fan since she was old enough to follow and understand the game. Thanks Cheryl!

Patrick Kane, a forward with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), made history by scoring the first NHL goal in Finland. This is most likely a moment Kane will carry with him for the rest of his life. But what will he remember about pleading guilty to a noncriminal charge of disorderly conduct after being accused of assaulting a cab driver over a fare dispute this past summer?

Kane could have faced up to 15 days in jail and a $250 fine, but the judge in Kane’s case issued him a conditional discharge. This meant he would avoid facing jail time as long as he does not run into problems with the law for a year. Kane was also ordered to make a statement of apology to the cab driver.

Luckily for Kane, everything seems to be neatly swept under the rug. The NHL has not chosen to punish him for his actions off the ice this past summer. However, how well does this lack of punishment sit with hockey fans and the general public?

According to a recent Zogby Interactive survey, 65% of adults nationwide agree that regardless of Kane’s guilty plea, he should face some sort of disciplinary action from the NHL. Respondents age 65 and older (70%) and parents of children under the age of 17 (69%) are among the most likely to agree. Eighteen percent of those surveyed do not agree and believe Kane should not face any disciplinary action from the NHL.

Electronic Arts Sports’ (EA Sports) NHL 10 was released on September 15. This release featured Kane’s image, and the software company has not said anything about replacing Kane’s image on the cover because of the off-ice incident this past summer. Clearly, this lack of action does not sit well with some. Our survey shows that 42% believe EA Sports should change the cover of the game and remove Kane’s image. Respondents ages 50-64 (48%) and 65 and older (47%) and parents of children under the age of 17 (44%) are among the most likely to agree that the cover should be changed. Three in ten (31%) do not agree that Kane’s image should be removed, with First Globals™ (18-29 year olds) (44%) among the most likely to say that Kane’s image should remain on the cover.

What is your opinion about this? How does this situation compare to the incident a few years ago where former Vancouver Canuck Todd Bertuzzi issued former Colorado Av Steve Moore a check into the boards? The play would end Moore’s hockey playing career. As you may recall, the referee during the game did not call a penalty as the check was deemed legal. However, Bertuzzi was later suspended by the NHL due to the severity of Moore’s injuries. Clearly, Kane could have seriously injured the cab driver during the incident, so why is the NHL continuing to look the other way? Did the NHL “miss the call” by not issuing Kane a suspension or some type of disciplinary action for his conduct off the ice this past summer?

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Just in time for Halloween, here are some statistics about Americans’ beliefs on things that go bump in the night, courtesy of a recent Zogby/Animal Planet survey .

- More than one third of those surveyed (39%) said they have seen a ghost or know someone who has. Fifty-four percent have never seen a ghost before, while eight percent were unsure.

- When asked what legendary creature they would like to see proven as real, thirty-six percent of people said they would like Bigfoot to be real, while 21% said ghosts. Twenty-seven percent said various other creatures, including vampires and werewolves.

-About one in five respondents (21%) said they have been visited by a dead friend or relative, while 72% said they haven’t been and 8% were unsure.

- When respondents were asked what creature they would least like to meet in a dark alley, werewolf topped the list with 20%. Thirteen percent said vampire, and 12% said zombie.

-A surprising 35% percent of people said they believe in aliens, while 40% said they don’t, and 25% were unsure.

Are you a believer in any of the paranormal creatures or activities discussed above? Why or why not?

Katy culture holidays, paranormal, zogby

According to a Zogby International poll conducted in August 2005, 87% of Americans agreed that the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 was the most historical event of their lifetime and that our culture, how we all live together in America, and how we as Americans view the world will never be the same. And nearly four years after the tragic day, over three fourths (76%) of those surveyed claimed the events still affected them emotionally, and nearly 70% personally thought about the attacks at least once a week. Among First Globals™ (18-29 year olds), 60% said their memories of the attacks were as emotionally vivid and dramatic in 2005 as they were in 2001. Over one fourth of those surveyed (26%) knew someone who had a family member killed or injured during the attacks of September 11th.

Concerning memorials, 21% of respondents stated that a permanent memorial has been created in their community. However, after 8 years, the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site in New York City is incomplete. Did you think it would be completed sooner? Do you think the length of time will lessen the impact when the memorial is complete, or will it add to the significance of that day?

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It’s shaping up to be a good, if expensive, week for survey researchers (and others) who are also Beatles fans. This Wednesday, Harmonix Music Systems will release the greatly anticipated The Beatles: Rock Band , a video game which will allow users to jam along with the Beatles interactively on the game’s electronic instruments. That same day, digitally remastered versions of all Beatles studio albums will be released . Serious aficionados will no doubt snap up the box set featuring 14 of these remastered CDs along with brief documentaries detailing the making of each CD.

In a nine page article in the New York Times describing the making of The Beatles: Rock Band, author Daniel Radosh describes the extensive involvement of surviving Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia and Dhani Harrison in imagining, creating, refining, and publicizing the game. On the decision to place the Beatles in the center of the interactive video game cultural phenomenon, McCartney comments that “I think it reflects where the Beatles are at.. we are halfway between reality and mythology.” McCartney is also a fan of the game’s interactive nature, noting that “you want people to get engaged… [now people can feel as if] they possess or own the song, that they’ve been in it.”

Meanwhile, some pollsters are hard at work confirming hypotheses that will come as little surprise to Beatles fans: more than forty years after their last group recording, the Beatles are judged to be the most liked musical group in America, and their fans are found in every generation. Pew reports that 49% of those surveyed claimed they liked the Beatles “a lot”, and 81% like the Beatles overall. This is the highest favorability percentage for any of the 20 musical groups or artists included in Pew’s survey. The biggest fans are those between 50 and 64, with 65% of this age group liking the Beatles “a lot”, but fans are found in all age groups: 45% of those between 16 and 25 also like the Beatles “a lot”.

Are you a Beatles fan? Do you think any musical group will ever have a cultural or musical impact equal to the Beatles? Do you plan to purchase or play any of the Beatles-related music or games released this week?

Katy culture, lifestyles, media Beatles, best band ever, culture, entertainment, music, polls, video, work

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.

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