Monday morning Matt Drudge used a curious headline -“Obama Approve/Disapprove Reach Parity”  – to link to the RealClearPolitics Average, which now shows the President with a 48% approval rating and a 47% disapproval rating.  To us, this revelation was far from shocking; it is the extension of a trend we have seen emerging as far back as this past August.

Our interactive polling began to show the President’s predicament not long after the healthcare town hall events finished unsettling the usually calm Washington August.  Since that time, his standing among political independents has fluctuated from a low of 36% to a high of 47%.  And with every dip in the President’s support among independents, his overall approval has followed.

The RealClearPolitics average itself first dropped below 50% at the end of November of last year and has shown the parity of the President’s approval fairly consistently over the past several months.  But when you look at the RealClearPolitics chart, you may notice something missing.  Though our interactive tracking polls for the past 6 months align with the trend shown by the polling average, our interactive results are not included in the data set.

RealClearPolitics is not alone in failing to report our interactive methodology, though the number of outlets dismissing this methodology grows fewer every day.  News outlets who hold fast to a belief in the telephone only world of polling miss the chance to seize on a new and better source of public opinion — the increasing number of Americans who are moving into the online world in droves and who go there to voice their opinions.

For those who wonder about the track record of our interactive they need look no further than our performance in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 elections.

So while many pollsters continue to argue that the landline telephone is the only true polling methodology available, doubling down on a technology that grows more obsolete by the day gives new meaning to the word foolhardy.  Rather than place the same foolish bets, we invested in developing new technologies and new methodologies like our Zogby Interactive polling, which allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of the new interconnected and interactive America.

There will be those who bemoan internet based polling and will rant about methodology issues until they have exhausted all available oxygen in the room, but for all the shouting in the world one fact remains –internet-based polling will be a vital part of the future.  And while no one methodology is perfect, having spent the past decade refining our interactive panel of nearly 500,000 respondents, we can say that the view from the head of this trend is a good one and we look forward to the day when the rest of the industry catches up.

ZogbyFeaturedContributor Uncategorized Obama, polls

The presence of religious-themed controversies during the Christmas season is nothing new. In the past few weeks, stories about atheist ads appearing on public transportation and whether a creche would be present in the Obama White House  have both made the New York Times.

However,  we may not be as religiously polarized as some of these controversies might indicate. Results of a new survey released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life find a significant amount of religiously pluralistic practices among Americans, including the fact that “large numbers of Americans engage in multiple religious practices, mixing elements of diverse traditions.”

According to Pew, 35% of Americans attend religious services in more than one place, and 24% of Americans sometimes attend services (excluding weddings or funerals) of a faith different than their own. Among the Christians surveyed, 30% of Protestants  and 19% of Catholics sometimes attend services of a faith different than their own.

Furthermore, the Pew survey found that  significant portions of American Christians “profess belief in a variety of Eastern or New Age beliefs”.  In many cases, the percentage of Christians expressing such beliefs  is nearly indistinguishable from the percentage among total population. For example, 26% of the total sample and 21% of Christians surveyed believe that there is spiritual energy in trees, along with 25% (total) and 21% (Christians) who believe in astrology,  24% (total) and 22% (Christians) who believe in reincarnation, and 16% (total) and 17% (Christians) who believe in the evil eye/casting of curses.

Do your religious beliefs, if you have them, adhere strictly to one faith tradition? If Americans continue mixing their religious  beliefs to the degree described by Pew, are we likely to see a decrease in Christmas-related controversies?

Katy religion polls, religion

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

The New York Times recently reported on the results of a US Department of Agriculture study which found that 49 million Americans are now experiencing “food insecurity”. The number, which represents the highest number since the study began tracking fourteen years ago, represents people who are considered either “struggling households with.. very low food security, meaning lack of money forced members to skip meals, cut portions or otherwise forgo food at some point in the year” or those who get enough to eat only by eating cheaper or less varied foods, relying on food stamps, or visiting food pantries and soup kitchens. The Times quotes analysts as saying the unemployment rate, possibly along with higher food prices, is largely responsible for the rise.

We’ve been paying attention to this issue, as well. In September, we asked our survey respondents whether they strongly agreed, somewhat agreed, somewhat disagreed, or strongly disagreed with the statement “I fear I will not be able to provide basic needs such as food or shelter for myself or my family in the future”. Overall, 34% of our sample agreed with this statement, with 9% of our sample strongly agreeing and 25% somewhat agreeing. 25% somewhat disagreed and 38% strongly disagreed. Not surprisingly, those in the lowest income brackets were much more likely to strongly or somewhat agree that they feared they would be unable to provide basic needs for themselves or their family. For those in households earning less than $25,000/year, 22% strongly agreed and 34% somewhat agreed that they feared their ability to provide basic needs. For those in households earning between $25,000 and $35,000/year, 15% strongly agreed and 28% somewhat agreed that they feared their ability to provide basic needs. Those with only a high school education were also more likely to fear their ability to provide, with 12% strongly agreeing and 27% somewhat agreeing.

Within other demographics – gender, age group, ideology, party ID, and whether one lives in a large city, small city, suburb or rural area – the responses largely mirrored the responses of the overall group.

What do you make of the rise in hunger and food insecurity in the U.S? Do you believe the number of those in need of food or food-related assistance is likely to stay high in the next few years? Do you fear your own ability to put food on the table for yourself or your family?

Katy Uncategorized hunger, lifestyle, polls

Courtesy of our friends at The Onion, we are pleased to bring you new results from a truly groundbreaking  Zogby poll!

Poll: 100% Of Grandsons Talented

November 9, 2009 | 14.02

ATLANTA—A Zogby poll of 1,542 American grandparents published Monday found that grandsons were described as “very” to “extremely” talented by 1,542 of the respondents. “Participants in the poll were emphatic in their descriptions of the talents of grandsons in fields as diverse as advertising and sales, choral performance, baseball, talking, crawling, making their beds, video games, and instructing their elders on proper cell-phone use,” pollster Tom Waterton said. “In addition, an overwhelming percentage of grandchildren were described as outgoing, sharp, and looking just like Uncle Andy, you remember Uncle Andy, he was always up to something, too bad he passed so young, he would have loved the grandchild in question.” Sources at Zogby admitted that the survey was incomplete, as several hundred pollsters are still unable to get their assigned grandparents off the phone.

Feel free to leave your own feelings about your talented grandsons in the comments!

Katy Uncategorized polls, satire, video, zogby

The latest Zogby approval numbers for Obama are out and show Obama’s overall job approval rating at 49%, a number unchanged from the last time we asked about Obama’s job approval three weeks ago on October 19. While ratings of Obama among core supporters such as First Globals™, Democrats, and Liberals remain high, ratings among independents have dipped slightly, from 47% approval on September 28, to 43% on October 19, to 40% on our most recent survey. Pollster John Zogby notes that “inside this poll are warning signs for the President…given his drop among independents, who our polling finds include many conservatives, the President has little slack to give from his base.”

The complete press release can be read here. What are your feelings on these numbers? Should Obama be worried about the decline in approval among independents if his overall approval remains steady?

Katy first globals first globals, John Zogby, Obama, politics, polls, war, 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 whether respondents planned to be vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu virus this year. Overall, 1% of the respondents had already been vaccinated, 31% said they planned to be vaccinated, 54% did not plan to be vaccinated, and 15% were not sure.

Groups that were more likely than average to say they planned to be vaccinated were  those with a college education or higher (36% planned to be vaccinated), those who live in large cities (36%), liberals (42%),  and those over aged 65 years old (38%). However, no demographic subgroup had more than 50% of respondents planning to be vaccinated, and liberals were the only group where those who said they would  be vaccinated outnumbered those who said they would not.

Do you plan on being vaccinated this year? What factors are affecting your decision? Why do you think so many people do not plan to be vaccinated?

Katy Uncategorized education, elections, health, polls, Top Question Tuesday

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

The current economic recession officially began late in 2007. While there are signs that this bad cycle may have bottomed out, we have been in recession now for more than 20 consecutive months.

Zogby International recently conducted an interactive survey with one of the biggest samples of U.S. adults we’ve ever done. Much of the survey measured how the recession has impacted the lives of people, and their outlook on the future. The quick takeaway is that large numbers of people report a significant impact and most people are not optimistic that they will ever fully recover. But as is always the case, when you look deeper into sub-group responses, generalizations become less clear.

Read all of John Zogby’s column on the impact of the recession at Forbes. com.

Paul economics future, international, John Zogby, polls, recession, zogby

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday survey questions on a recent interactive survey. Stay tuned to the blog as we’ll be reporting the results of these questions here over the next several weeks!

One question included on this survey asked whether the respondent agreed or disagreed that any state or region had a right to peaceably secede and become an independent republic. Overall, 35% of those surveyed agreed that a state or region had a right to peaceably secede, while 52% disagreed, and 13% were not sure. Groups that were more likely to agree were conservatives (49%), Protestants (40%), those  between 18 and 29 (45%), McCain voters (46%), and Republicans (43%).

Are there any circumstances where you would support a state or region “peacably” seceding? Do you believe it is possible that a secession attempt could be truly peaceable?

Katy Uncategorized peace, politics, polls, Top Question Tuesday