Surveys

Zogby Interactive Survey Finds Concern Over Vaccine Safety Cited As Top Reason

Utica, NY - As the H1N1 swine flu vaccine becomes increasingly available, 46% of adults who are considered by the CDC to be members of high priority groups plan to ignore the CDC's recommendation for vaccination. The Zogby International interactive survey also finds that the top reasons high risk adults plan to skip the vaccine include concern over the safety of the vaccine (38%) and a general sense that they simply do not need the vaccine (32%).    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/16/2009 - A new report based on a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that more than eight years after former President George W. Bush unveiled his faith-based initiative, the policy continues to draw broad public support. At the same time, many Americans express concerns about blurring the lines between church and state, as was the case when Bush first announced the initiative.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/12/2009 - New polls of voters in selected states – Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio – show overwhelming support for measures that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to ensure the food Americans eat does not make them sick, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pew Health Group and conducted by a respected bipartisan team of pollsters at Hart Research (Democratic) and Public Opinion Strategies (Republican).

The polls, conducted in October, demonstrated an overwhelming majority of voters support food safety legislation that would give the FDA these new powers.    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- Washington, DC – More than three-quarters of older Americans are concerned that financial scams will damage their retirement nest eggs or those of someone they know, AARP and North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) said today.

In a survey released today by AARP, entitled Protecting Older Investors: 2009 Free Lunch Seminar Report, 78 percent of Americans age 55 and over surveyed indicated that they are very or somewhat concerned about financial scams affecting them or someone they know. A common setting for fraudsters to engage with their victims is by offering a free lunch or dinner, by which an older individual near retirement age is solicited to attend and learn more about investing in retirement.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 11/09/2009 - Recent surveys of voters conducted in three swing states and five swing congressional districts find overwhelming support for a two-part plan to reduce global warming emissions and to require use of clean energy sources.    » read more »

Health Care Opinion Leaders Express Strong Support for Allowing HHS to "Fast Track" Payment Pilots and Negotiate Drug Prices

New York, N.Y., November 2, 2009—A vast majority of leaders in health care and health policy believe Medicare has been successful in providing access to care and stable coverage to the elderly and disabled individuals; however only a small percentage think the program has realized its potential to achieve other important goals, like using its leverage as the country's largest purchaser of services to control costs and promote a high performance health system.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 10/30/2009 - A survey of state health departments regarding their capacity to track produce-related foodborne illnesses found that the response and investigation of outbreaks varies greatly and can lead to delays in public-health response.

The survey was commissioned by the Produce Safety Project (PSP), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, and conducted by Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.). Thirty-nine of the 51 state and District of Columbia health departments responded to the survey, which asked about the types of questions and questionnaires administered to victims of foodborne illness, the time frame in which they were completed, and how states collected and stored the resulting data for calendar year 2007.    » read more »

Outlook also better for capital spending and credit availability

SAN FRANCISCO -- November 3, 2009 -- Optimism among small business owners improved during October, driven by improved outlook for revenue, capital spending and hiring, according to the latest results of the quarterly Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.

Concluded October 9, the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index optimism score came in at negative 15 (-15), a net six-point increase from the previous survey (conducted in July, 2009), and 129 points lower than the Index high of 114 (conducted December, 2006). A score of zero indicates that small business owners, as a group, are neutral -- neither optimistic nor pessimistic -- about their companies’ situations.    » read more »

Young & Low-Income Groups Most Likely to Have Lost Coverage, 19% of Households Earning More Than $100K Impacted

UTICA, New York - Twenty-six percent of U.S. adults report that at least one member of their immediate family lost their health insurance coverage within the past year, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Somewhat more likely to have lost coverage are those in households earning $35,000 and less (37%) and First GlobalsTM those 18-29 years old (35%). Nineteen percent of families earning $100,000 or more also had someone lose coverage during that period, as did 18% of the families of the Private Generation, those 65 and older.    » read more »

Recent Actions Give Obama Boost Among Democrats & Independents

UTICA, New York - For the first time since early June, President Barack Obama's job performance receives majority approval in a Zogby Interactive poll of likely voters. A Sept. 25-28 interactive survey of 4,183 found 52% of likely voters approving, 47% disapproving and 1% undecided.

Obama picked up 10 points in his approval rating since his low point of 42%-48% on August 31. At that time, Obama's approval was down among groups that were key to his election.

Both Republicans and conservatives continue to rate Obama's performance as poor. In the Sept. 28 survey, only 10% of Republicans and 6% of conservatives indicated they somewhat or strongly approve of Obama's performance.

The poll also found that:    » read more »

Data Shows Job Loss, Delaying Retirement, Sleep Deprivation and Paying for Necessities Weigh Heavy on Population

September 30, 2009 -- Washington, DC – AARP released a new survey today which shows that Americans age 45 and older are still struggling financially and are forced to make hard decisions about their economic security despite recent positive changes in the marketplace.    » read more »

Boomers Skipping Care, Likely Driving Up Future Costs; 1 in 5 People in Medicare Have Experienced Waste, Fraud or Abuse

September 30, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—As AARP continues to fight for health care reforms that will reduce costs and improve access to coverage, new survey data released today find many older Americans—particularly baby boomers—need help more than ever.

The AARP Closer LookSM survey finds more than one-third of boomers (36 percent) and nearly a quarter of people 65-plus (23 percent) are not confident their insurance and savings would cover the costs of a major illness.    » read more »

But levels of optimism vary, Economist Intelligence Unit survey reveals

22 Jun 2009 -- For the first time since World War II, global GDP is expected to shrink this year. Worldwide consumption is down, stock markets have been hit, trade has slumped and employment has declined. But according to a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and sponsored by SAP, global business conditions are set to improve.    » read more »

More than half in huge survey say they cannot get the health care they need at a price they can afford

June 23, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) –Over half of the 23,460 people who responded online to a health care survey sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America say they cannot get the health care they need at a price they can afford, and the problem is even more acute among people who buy their own insurance, Hispanics and young adults. A third of respondents report that they forgo basic medical care because of costs, including skipping doctor recommended tests and treatments and not visiting a doctor when they are sick.    » read more »

New national poll reveals economic abuse defined differently on Main Street than Wall Street

Jun. 23, 2009 NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- While 70 percent of Americans know people who are or have been victims of domestic violence, nearly the same percentage of Americans fail to see a connection between domestic violence and "economic abuse," according to a new national poll released by The Allstate Foundation.

Economic abuse is a tactic commonly used by abusers to control their victims' finances and prevent them from leaving a dangerous relationship. However, the survey also revealed nearly eight out of 10 Americans link economic abuse to Wall Street woes or irresponsible spending.    » read more »