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 whether Americans should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes. Overall, 68% of the sample believed yes,  Americans  should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, while 22% of the sample believed they should not, and 10% were not sure.

Groups that were more likely than average to say yes included those 18-29 (83%), progressives (96%), liberals (92%), and Democrats (83%). Groups that were more likely than average to say no included conservatives (37%),  very conservatives (49%), and Republicans (37%). However, even most of  these groups had more respondents answer yes than no; in fact, the very conservatives were the only group in our survey that had more people answer no than yes.

What are your feelings on medical marijuana? Why should people be allowed or not allowed to smoke for medicinal purposes?  Does it surprise you that majorities of most groups in America believe people should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, but relatively few locations have laws which permit this? Is this likely to change in the future?

Katy health, politics culture, elections, future, health, politics, Top Question Tuesday

Welcome to this week’s edition of Top Question Tuesday. Last week’s winning question asked people if they think President Obama has brought transparency to government.  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 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 that there will be bigger bargains on Black Friday this year compared to years past?

2. Do you think that Americans should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes?

3. Which of the following statements comes closest to your own opinion?
Statement A:  I enjoy a majority of reality TV shows and I hope these types of shows continue to air in the future.
Statement B: I enjoy a few reality TV shows and I hope a few of these types of shows continue to air in the future.
Statement C: I do not enjoy any reality TV shows and I hope these types of shows do not continue to air into the future.
None of these statements

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Leann Uncategorized future, Obama, Top Question Tuesday, zogby

In a recent Zogby Interactive survey of adults nationwide, the respondents were asked to choose between two statements on the issue of social security. About 41% of the sample agree that the government should keep social security the way it is to ensure seniors can maintain a good standard of living, even if it means future tax increases, while 48% of the respondents agree that the government should allow people to invest their social security taxes in private investment accounts because even if there is a risk of having less, people will have more control and more opportunity to save even more for retirement. Eleven percent of the sample chose neither statement or “not sure”.

Liberals (77%), Democrats (72%), people who are divorced, separated or widowed (56%), African Americans (55%) and people aged 50 or above (51%) are more likely to agree that social security should be kept the way it is. Conservatives (80%), Republicans (77%), libertarians (73%), people who are parents or guardians of a child under 17 (59%), people who are married (58%) and the 30 to 49-year-olds (57%) are more likely to be in favor of investing their social security taxes.

Where do you stand on this issue? Do you think that people should have more control over their social security money? Or do you think that risks involved in private investment are too high to take for the case at hand?

Grace Social Security, politics future, 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!

One question asked respondents whether they had ever attended a political event, such as a rally or canvassing for a candidate, after first hearing about the event on the internet. Overall, 44% of the same had attended an event, while 55% had not, and 1% were not sure.

Not surprisingly, young people between the ages of 18 and 29 were the most likely age group to have attended a political event that they first heard about on the internet. Within this age group, 55% had attended an event, compared to 44% of those between 30 and 49, 45% of those between 50 and 64, and 31% of those over 65. Those living in large cities were also more likely to have attended an event, with 53% of this group agreeing, compared to 40% of those in small cities, 44% of those in suburbs, and 35% of those in rural areas. Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to say they’ve attended political events after hearing about them on the internet, with 47% of both groups agreeing. 36% of independents also agreed.

What are your experiences with the internet and political events, and what do you see for the future of the internet and political organizing?

Katy Uncategorized elections, future, internet, politics, Top Question Tuesday

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

Salon’s writer Glenn Greenwald recently analyzed the tea party phenomenon, essentially arguing that, when it comes to many  political issues of the day, a left-right distinction is inadequate.  According to him, opposition to Wall-street bailout, deficits and Beltway elites comes naturally from both the left’s and the right’s perspective. However, some commentators pointed out that the left and the right propose different solutions to these problems, with the right arguing for limiting government power, and the left, for the most part, for strengthening its power. On this view, those on the left and those on the right are bothered by similar problems, but are inclined to very different solutions.

What is your view of the left-right political spectrum? Do you find it difficult to position yourself and do you think it captures something real? Do you think a left-right distinction will persist into the future?

Zeljka ideology, politics future

We ask some pretty interesting questions here at Zogby International. And, I must say, we get some pretty interesting answers. You, our faithful panelists and readers, also ask us some pretty interesting questions in return. However there’s one question that comes up a lot. It’s something that many of you want to know. And it goes something like this:

“Hey, you people at Zogby, I enjoy your surveys but –What’s up with those wacky demographics?”

If you’ve taken more than one or two of our surveys, you know exactly what I’m talking about, right? Are you a WalMart shopper? If so, how often do you shop there? Are you a NASCAR fan? Do you consider yourself a citizen of your city or town, the U.S. or the planet earth? And on one memorable survey, we even asked if you were a tree what kind of a tree would you be? We ask standard demographics of course, questions you’d see on any other survey, age, race, income, education, etc. but those are what you’d expect, and here at Zogby we’re proud of being ahead of the curve and, to mix my metaphors, sometimes that means thinking outside the box.

Essentially we’re trend spotters, I can’t count the number of meetings here at Zogby where we discuss trends in one form or another, and in fact it would probably be safe to say we talk about trends at nearly every meeting. We’re looking for what’s happening, and, just as importantly, we’re looking for who’s making it happen. As with any of the more standard demographic questions, we are, to put it simply, grouping people based on commonalities and differences. When we have groups of people, versus just an individual, we can say something about what the group as a whole thinks.  We can determine how America views the President or if a majority of beer drinkers prefer Guinness to Coors.  It’s the same with the wacky questions.

Take yourself as an example. You’re not just your age, or your race, or your education, you’re so much more than that. Your opinions and feelings have been shaped by your family, by where and how you grew up. You’re as much a product of your generation, the Woodstockers, or the Nikes, as you are of your geographic location, as much a product of your birth order, as you are of your gender, all of these and more come together and create the glasses through which you see the world.

WalMart shoppers and NASCAR fans have proven to primarily vote more conservatively, so when we see this strong cohort move, we know that we are seeing a shift that maybe we wouldn’t have otherwise spotted.

And what about that planet citizenship question? Well, much of Mr. Zogby’s recent work has to do with America’s First Globals™, who often agree that they see themselves as citizens of planet earth. These are the people who are likely to have passports, and who are just as likely to tell you that their best friend lives in Belarus, as in Frackville. This question was one of the predictive identifiers for this generation, and as they are the ones we will one day turn this nation over to, we here at Zogby agree that knowing what they think, and how, will help us follow them into the future.

Do you have an idea for an emerging trend?  Leave a comment and let us know or submit a question in the ‘contact us’ box on the right hand side of the blog!

Written by Karen Scott, Managing Editor, Senior Analyst at Zogby International. In this role, she oversees the team that creates Zogby International’s surveys, scientific reports of survey results, and research papers.  Karen has half a decade of experience with Zogby and has played an integral role working with hundreds of clients ranging from political activists to consumer trends.

Leann Uncategorized education, faith, first globals, future, international, race, sports, work, zogby

Once again, President Barack Obama’s ability to deliver an effective speech appears to have won over voters. However, I wonder how many more times Obama can count on a good speech to restore confidence in his Administration.

The latest Zogby Interactive poll  found Obama’s job approval rating up to 49.4%. Just as many (49.5%) disapprove. That puts Obama’s approval percentage up seven points from two weeks ago, when 42% approved and 48% disapproved. The rebound came from among voters who were keys to Obama’s election, such as Democrats, First Globals™ and women, as well as from Independents. He even gained 10 points in approval from Born-Again Christians.

It’s obvious that Obama’s speech to Congress and the nation on healthcare reform accounted for his gains in approval. The goal of the speech was to advance chances for passage of a bill, and Obama is now in full campaign mode to accomplish that. This is the necessary approach right now, but does the President risk overexposure and the risk that if he doesn’t deliver on what voters want, they will tune him out in the future? 

This won’t just be a problem with Independent voters. Progressive voters had high hopes for Obama, but they have little to show for their efforts to get him elected.  If he and Democrats in Congress fail to deliver a strong healthcare bill, the party will suffer greatly in 2010 from a loss of  enthusiasm among core suporters.

Paul Uncategorized, health, politics first globals, future, health, Obama, zogby

I was born in 1948. When I was a kid, everybody had a mom and a dad, and the dad usually worked at a plant.

Some days, friends in school would ask to borrow a dime to buy a snack, and it was often because their dad had been laid off. Then a few months later, the same kid had a new baseball mitt after dad was called back to work. The expectation for dads and kids was that people started a job when they finished school, and there you stayed until retirement, always at age 65. We are well on our way into an age when the idea of a “permanent job” barely exists.

 Read the remainder of John Zogby’s column on the future of  jobs at Forbes.com. 

Paul Uncategorized employment, future, John Zogby, work, zogby

When presented with two statements about the function of the United Nations, “the United Nations has been reduced in its influence and is less relevant today in global matters,” and “the United Nations is needed now more than ever to represent a global perspective on issues that arise,” First Globals™ are the most likely of any generation to agree with the second statement and the least likely of any generation to agree with the first statement. Among First Globals, 57% agree that “the United Nations is needed now more than ever,” compared to 33% of the other generations. But only  34% of First Globals agree that the “United Nations has been reduced in influence and is less relevant,” compared to about 55% of the other generations. This question was asked on an interactive survey last Summer.

Do you think as First Globals grow older and move into the workforce (including the government), their belief that the UN is needed will remain? Do you think we will see the United Nations play a more active role in managing global conflicts and dealing with global issues in the future? Do you agree with the First Globals and others who say that the United Nations is needed now more than ever?

Katy Uncategorized first globals, future, Generations, global issues, international, summer, work