Trends in Polling

1
Trends in Polling

• Emerging Themes in Childrens Research
• Lake Snell Perry Associates

2
Current Trends
3
Narrow Topics

• Our search found that most recent public opinion
  polls and media stories focus on specific
  childrens issues. Examples include

4
Focus on Back-to-School and 9/11

• There is currently a substantial amount of
  back-to-school oriented studies child
  preparedness etc.
• With the anniversary coming up, there have also
  been studies and articles about
• How to talk to children about the attacks
• How teens perspectives have changed post 9/11

5
Observation Fragmentation of Childrens Issues

• Hard to get your hands around childrens issues
  too much noise.
• Polling and media coverage specific, immediate,
  and issue-driven possibly short-lived.
• Public may find it difficult to obtain an overall
  sense of how children are doing, or what the core
  issues are.

6
Children Politics
7
Childrens Issues Politics

• Childrens issues remain politically important.
  Findings from a LSPA/Tarrance Group poll show
  that
• Childrens issues compel people to vote.
• Many voters consider the candidates stance on
  childrens issues when voting.
• As important as these issues are, many voters are
  not prepared to be single-issue voters on
  childrens issues.
• Voters are often pessimistic about the state of
  children over the last few years they dont
  have a rosy picture.
• Many are cynical that our political leaders are
  doing enough on childrens issues.

8
Childrens Issues resonate most with

• Parents with children under six
• Working women
• Homemakers
• Younger women (esp. Democrats)
• Voters less than 30 years old
• African-Americans
• Voters making less than 35,000
• Grandparents
• Lesser educated voters (esp. non-college educated
  women)
• Democrats
• Young Independents

9
Top Issues
10
Top Childrens Issues

• Most polls show publics top childrens issues
  include
• Education/schooling
• Health/healthcare
• Violence/safety
• Sexual issues
• Substance abuse
• Poverty
• Government programs

11
Education Stands Apart

• There are a large number of polls on education.
  Specific concerns include
• Early education
• After school programs
• School choice
• School safety/violence
• School quality (class size, teacher training,
  adequate resources)

12
Health

• Top concerns include
• Health coverage/being uninsured
• Infant mortality, prenatal care
• Teen pregnancy
• Immunizations
• Environmental hazards

13
Child Welfare

• Top concerns include
• Child abuse and neglect
• Domestic and family violence
• Foster care
• Childrens mental health (including depression)

14
Violence

• Top concerns include
• Gun violence
• Abduction
• Family violence
• School and community violence/safety
• Violence in the media
• Teen suicide

15
Poverty

• Top concerns include
• Welfare/Welfare Reform/children recipients
• Income gap
• Barriers to employment/working families
• Job training/skills development
• Housing opportunities (affordable)
• Child support

16
Budget Cuts
17
Most Are Aware Their State Is Facing a Budget
Deficit
Is your state likely to face a budget deficit
this year, a budget surplus, or a balanced
budget? If deficit Is that a serious or a not
so serious deficit?
At least half of voters across all demographic
groups say their state will face a budget
deficit. No more than 8 percent of any
demographic group believes their state will have
a surplus. Voters most likely to believe their
state will face a deficit include voters ages
50-64, white college-educated voters, older
college-educated voters, and college-educated
women. Poll conducted by Lake Snell Perry
Associates 1/19-21/02, 1050 registered voters 18
over /- 3.
18
Dont Touch Education
Volunteered Response Question If your state
were to face budget cuts this year, what one or
two institutions or programs would you like to
see protected from being cut?
A plurality of voters across all demographic
groups would like to see education protected from
cuts, including 40 percent of seniors (only 24
percent of whom call for protections health
care). Lake Snell Perry Associates
(1/19-21/02).
19
Using Polls forAdvocacy
20
Uses of Polling for Advocacy

• To deepen understanding of the publics views
  about an issue (could be for internal purposes).
• To hear from an important target group.
• To attract media attention.
• To develop and test messages including
  opposition messages.
• To test ads.

21
Understanding the Publics View

• This would involve a fairly comprehensive study
  of the public on an emerging childrens issues.
• Often these kinds of studies are done when you do
  not know how the public feels about the issue
  the study is seeking a baseline of information.
• In many cases, these studies are for internal
  purposes, which allows you to explore different
  perspectives in the study without worrying about
  the results.

22
Hearing from a Target Group

• This would be a study of teachers, parents, low
  income families, children, teens, welfare
  beneficiaries, seniors, etc.
• The goal would be to hear from a specific target
  group on an important issue. These are often
  stakeholders who might have a unique perspective
  or experience on the issue.
• The goal would be to insert this perspective into
  the public debate.

23
Attracting Media Attention

• This would be a shorter, focused kind of study.
• The purpose would be to ask questions on relevant
  and hot issues the media will cover.
• You ask questions that will receive strong
  results that will grab public attention.
• These studies often coincide with pending
  legislation or current debate on a contentious
  issues.
• Study results need to be presented in a
  media-friendly way, usually at an event that
  includes the media.

24
Developing and Testing Messages

• Study purpose is to find compelling messages that
  will motivate the public and build support for an
  idea.
• Also useful for testing opposition messages to
  learn what you are up against, and the degree to
  which these messages pull support away from your
  perspective.
• End result can be a tool kit of effective
  messages to share with advocates to use when
  talking with policymakers, the media, the general
  public, and other stakeholders.

25
Ad Testing

• Used to test the effectiveness of print, TV, and
  radio ads on a topic.
• You learn about effective language and images.
• Often include actions steps what you want
  people to do (such as call a 1-800 number, vote a
  certain way, contact their policymaker, etc)

26
Research Tools

• Surveys
• Policymakers and the media like hard numbers
• Can purchase questions on an omnibus
• Focus groups
• Helpful for exploratory studies or when it is
  helpful to hear
• Qualitative research not always respected by
  media/policymakers
• Literature reviews
• Inexpensive alternative involves searching for
  other polls on children that you can use in your
  own efforts. Good sources