Welcome to this week’s edition of Top Question Tuesday. Voter turnout was higher than expected last week!  To thank you for your vote, we have decided to run the top two winning questions from last week’s Top Question Tuesday on an upcoming poll!  The two questions that will be added to an upcoming nationwide survey will ask Americans if they think “In God We Trust” should appear on US coins and the second question will ask Americans if they agree or disagree with Obama critics who argue that Obama is leading the US toward socialism.  Once we have results from the question we’ll post them on our blog.

This week’s user-submitted survey questions are below. The questions are shortened to save space on our blog post, but these are the basic ideas. Take a look through and then vote for the question you’d most like to see on a Zogby Interactive survey. As a reminder, if you’d like to submit a question to be considered for a Top Question Tuesday Zogby survey, use the “Top Question Tuesday” box on the right of the page. And if you’d like to join Zogby’s interactive panel to answer questions similar to these, click here.

1. Do you think women should receive their first mammogram starting at age 40, starting at age 50, some other age, or should women not receive mammograms at all?

2. Do you think having a graduate degree, such as a masters or doctoral degree, makes it is easier to get ahead in the workplace?  

3. Which of the following domestic issues do you think should be the number one priority for the U.S.?
1. National Security 2. Jobs 3. Education. 4. Healthcare. 5. Taxes. 6. Environment 7.  The economy 8. Something else/None of these

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Leann Uncategorized economy, education, environment, health, Obama, Top Question Tuesday, war, work, zogby

One-Third of 18-24 Year Olds: Obama Is Abandoning Progressive Causes

By Alexander Heffner / November 4th, 2009

Steph Uncategorized economy, faith, Obama, war, white house, work, zogby

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 asked people how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “I am angry at the U.S. government over the current state of the economy.” Overall, 49% strongly agreed, 27% somewhat agreed, 16% somewhat disagreed, and 6% strongly disagreed with this statement.

Groups that were more likely to strongly agree were those over 65 (58%),  those living in rural areas (59%), conservatives (71%) and very conservatives (82%).  Groups that were more likely to somewhat or strongly disagree were those 18-29  (33% somewhat or strongly disagreed, compared to 22% of the overall population),  those with a college degree  (31%), liberals (43%), and progressives (40%).

Are you surprised by these results? Do you believe anger at the US government over the state of the economy is likely to increase or decrease in the coming year?

Katy Uncategorized economy, elections, Top Question Tuesday

A lot has changed in America over the past year. We have a new President and a new administration. Healthcare reform is now on the front burner. Swine flu fears are making headlines. But some things haven’t changed: Troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a new surge may be in the works. The recession continues, with unemployment hitting record highs and no one really sure when and if the nation’s economy will bounce back.

The latest Zogby Interactive survey shows President Barack Obama’s job performance rating has fallen slightly to 49%. Just over a year ago, former President George W. Bush hit a record low of just 21% in Zogby telephone polling as he neared the end of his second term and the November election loomed.

While our latest polling shows 42% of likely voters say the nation is headed in the right direction and 51% believe it is off on the wrong track, Americans were much more pessimistic about the state of the country a year ago. In October of last year, three in four Americans believe the country was headed on the wrong track and just 18% believed the U.S. was headed in the right direction. A year ago, under the Bush administration, there was strong dissatisfaction with the direction the country was headed from all sides of the political spectrum – 84% of Democrats, 79% of self-identified political independents, and even 64% of Republicans felt this way. Fast forward to today, under the Obama administration, and views on the direction the country is headed have become increasingly partisan. Our latest survey shows while 90% of Republicans believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, just 15% of Democrats feel the same. Among independents, 55% believe the country is on the wrong track.

Do you think the country is better off today than at this time last year, and has the change in administrations made a difference either way? Do you think American will be in a better or worse place a year from now?

Steph Uncategorized economy, employment, health, Obama, recession, war, work, zogby

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

During the past several months, the dollar has experienced renewed decline against other major currencies and there’s plenty of talk about it.

Some economists, such as Nobel prize winner Paul Krugman, have argued that the weak dollar is a net benefit that is necessary to put the economy on track by making American exports cheaper abroad. Others have argued that a weak dollar leads to a loss of capital resulting in a net job loss. In addition, the falling dollar raised fears of inflation and the loss of the dollar’s world prominence.

Are you worried about inflation? Have you personally taken any steps protect yourself from it? Do you think that the American dollar will remain the world’s most important currency?

Zeljka economics, employment, future, global issues, international economy

When Barack Obama took office in January, Zogby Interactive polling found evidence that voters were willing to give him time to have a positive impact on the economy. Even now, the number of voters who blame the Bush administration for ongoing job losses is greater than those who believe the losses since January are Obama’s responsibility.

However, white middle-class voters are more likely than others to hold Obama responsible, and that spells potential trouble for Democrats in the 2010 Congressional election. Democrats and Republicans will strategize over the next 12 months about how to convince these voters that they will do a better job of providing job security.

Read John Zogby’s complete column at Forbes.com.

Paul John Zogby, employment economy, employment, John Zogby, Obama, zogby

A majority of likely voters again approve of President Barack Obama’s job performance. A Zogby Interactive poll conducted from Sept. 25-28 found 52% of likely voters approving, 47% disapproving and 1% undecided. That marks the first time since spring that Obama’s job approval has broken the 50% mark.

Why do you believe Obama’s performance has regained the support of voters who became disenchanted with him over the summer? Is it because he has become more involved in the healthcare debate; or do people perceive the economy may be improving? Could it also be that the attacks on him and his policies at Congressional townhall meetings may have backfired?

Paul politics economy, health, Obama, summer, zogby

Welcome to this week’s edition of Top Question Tuesday. The clear winner  last week asked if people are angry at the government because of the current state of the economy. We’ll put this question on an upcoming interactive survey and blog about the results soon.

This week’s user-submitted survey questions are below. The questions are shortened to save space on our blog post, but these are the basic ideas. Take a look though and then vote for the question you’d most like to see on the next Zogby Interactive survey. As a reminder, if you’d like to submit a question to be considered for a Top Question Tuesday Zogby survey, use the “Top Question Tuesday” box on the right of the page. And if you’d like to join Zogby’s interactive panel to answer questions similar to these, click here.

1. Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement:
I consider myself a political centrist. Sometimes I vote for Democrats and sometimes I vote for Republicans. I don’t consider myself a strong partisan supporter of either party.

2. If your member of congress or Senate votes for a healthcare bill that has a public option would you vote for them in their next re-election?  

3. Do you agree or disagree that American public school children should attend school year-round?

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Leann Uncategorized economy, health, Top Question Tuesday, zogby

We are thrilled to welcome Maya Frost as a guest blogger on The Way We’ll Be. Maya is an internationally recognized expert on nontraditional and innovative paths through higher education. Maya is the author of The New Global Student, a primer for students and parents interested in global and unorthodox higher education while avoiding the anxiety and expense of traditional college. You can read more about Maya at her website and blog. Thanks Maya!

This has been a tipping-point summer for higher education. Shrinking endowments and slashes in state funding have crippled universities of all sizes and descriptions, resulting in unprecedented cuts in administration, programs and services.  Meanwhile, family resources have been decimated by job losses, reduced housing values, and an inability to get credit.

Middle-class families are asking hard questions about the value of a name-brand university degree and rejecting the option of taking on a great deal of debt to pay for one.  As a result, community college enrollment has surged across the United States, and many students are now planning to earn their degree at a state school instead of a private university.

Accepting students with the means to pay full room, board and tuition is a time-honored approach to filling the coffers at private universities, and in the current economic climate, the admissions gap is likely to widen at elite colleges. Administrators have reinvigorated their efforts to attract those who are not making their enrollment decisions based on financial aid.  A higher percentage of students from wealthier families will earn their diplomas at top schools alongside the lucky few who are offered full scholarships based on need (and the colleges’ quest for more diversity). Meanwhile, the middle-class kids will walk en masse at graduation ceremonies at not-terribly-impressive-but-reasonably-good universities across the country.

Savvy employers understand this shift.  They have their own economic challenges and need to find employees who are truly valuable rather than simply impressive.  Business leaders and non-profit directors are becoming less impressed by an Ivy League diploma or a straight-after-graduation master’s degree.  Instead, they are looking for real competence, relevant experience and honest enthusiasm in young people who know how to get things done with limited resources.

Prestige is losing its power. We’re entering an era with a renewed emphasis on the value of practical skills, a can-do attitude, and no excuses.  Leaders will look for those who have had nothing handed to them and will handpick employees—and future leaders—who know how to scramble.

I’m betting on those who are hungry—for learning, for experiences, and for personal development and success.  The scramblers have been responsible for the success of our nation throughout history, and their counterparts in India, China and elsewhere are driving the explosion in innovation and collaboration abroad.  Those who have had no choice but to use their creativity and talent rather than their connections or family funds to get ahead will be perfectly positioned to seize the most thrilling and fulfilling opportunities in the 21^st-century global economy.

Watch the scramblers—and see where they lead us.

ZogbyFeaturedContributor Uncategorized economy, education, future, history, international, summer