Poll

Posts Tagged ‘Poll’

New Poll Shows Water Still a Concern for Californians

Posted by admin on December 13th, 2011

SOURCE: Association of California Water Agencies

Field Survey Also Finds Support for Investing Public Dollars in Water Infrastructure

SACRAMENTO, CA–(Marketwire – Dec 13, 2011) – Though the economy is the dominant issue for Californians, voters remain concerned about the state’s water supply and agree California should make major investments to upgrade and modernize its water supply system, according to a new statewide survey released today by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA).

The survey, conducted in late November by Field Research Corporation on behalf of ACWA, found that three in four voters (75%) are concerned about water, with 28% extremely concerned and 47% somewhat concerned. In addition, an overwhelming majority (84%) agrees the state has major water problems and must invest in its water infrastructure to ensure reliable water now and in future years.

Six in 10 voters (62%) believe investing billions of dollars in a state bond package such as the one on the November 2012 ballot would be worth it to ensure reliable water supplies, according to the survey. That figure includes 40% who strongly agree and 22% who somewhat agree.

Mark DiCamillo, senior vice president with Field Research, said the findings indicate water has not dropped off the radar for Californians even as the economy and unemployment dominate headlines and voter concerns.

“You still have a significant majority saying they are concerned about water, even though there are huge concerns about the economy today,” said DiCamillo, who has surveyed Californians regarding water and other issues for over 20 years. “There is also a core base of support for investing public dollars in upgrading and expanding the state’s water system through a water bond. That base is about 40%, with another 22% that is sympathetic and inclined to feel that way. “

The survey showed that by a margin of 55% to 41%, more voters take the view that now is a good time to invest in water infrastructure projects to create jobs than believe the state should not commit large sums of public money until the financial picture improves.

ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said the findings indicate that Californians see the link between investing in water infrastructure and job creation.

“At a time when the public is hypersensitive about how dollars are spent, investing in water infrastructure may be in a class by itself because water is seen as such an essential service and a critical part of our economy and jobs,” Quinn said.

The survey findings will be valuable in the coming months as policy makers in the Brown Administration and elsewhere assess strategies for financing California’s water future. “It is very encouraging to know that Californians are still supportive of making investments in our water infrastructure,” Quinn said.

Field Research conducted the survey of 1,000 registered voters in English and Spanish from Nov. 15-27, 2011.

“Man’s best friend” no longer his dog but his PC, poll reveals

Posted by admin on July 21st, 2011

• Barks give way to bytes in British life

• Even Dog-Owners Now Rely More On Their PCs Than Their Dogs – Male And Younger Dog-Owners Most Of All

• PCs Rated “A More Constant Companion” Than Dogs

• “Only a matter of time until a PC that fetches your slippers.”

• But could the family PC could be a dog’s best friend?

The personal computer has overtaken the family dog as ‘man’s best friend’, according to an online poll conducted by YouGov for Computeractive magazine and the RSPCA.

Barely one in 20 of us (6%) believe “most people rely more on their dog than they do on their PC”. Over two-thirds (67%) of us reckon the opposite is true, according to the poll of over 2,000 British adults.

Even most dog-owners polled confessed to relying more on their PC than on their pooch (38% vs 36%), while younger dog-owners did so most of all. Nearly three-quarters (71%) of 18-24 year-old dog-owners said that they relied more on their PC than on their dog.

Male dog-owners rely far more on their PCs than do female ones, reveals the poll, commissioned by Computeractive on behalf of the RSPCA’s Justice for Animals Appeal. Male dog-owners (48%) are almost twice as likely as female ones (28%) to rely more on their PCs than their pooches.

Almost two-thirds (61%) of those polled also felt that a PC is now “a more constant companion than a dog” for most people. Less than one sixth of respondents (16%) thought the opposite.

“These days you can even take your PC for a walk, provided you have a laptop or tablet”, says Paul Allen, editor of Computeractive, the UK’s best-selling computer magazine. “It’s only a matter of time until the first PC that fetches your slippers.”

The findings, adds Allen, also highlight what a major role computers now play in family life, particularly for men.

“With broadband bringing them global news and newspaper sales falling, the family dog even misses out on the pleasure of taking the paper to his owner.”

Is the family PC now a dog’s best friend?

It’s not all bad news for Rover, Mr Allen points out:

“The family PC has given dog-owners access to a wealth of resources and information that can help with the long-term care that a dog needs. From finding the best vets to researching great new walks that all the family can enjoy, the Web enables the PC to become a dog’s best friend.”

RSPCA Inspector Tony Woodley adds:

“The Internet is hugely important in all aspects of work the RSPCA carries out, from rehoming animals to campaigns, social media and online are fantastic ways for us to reach out to our supporters.

“One crucial way we use the Internet is to raise funds for vital things such as the Justice For Animals campaign helping us prevent the most severe acts of cruelty from happening again.”

To highlight how the home computer can help the family dog reclaim his place as man’s best friend, Computeractive is donating £2.50 to the RSPCA Justice for Animals Appeal, from every new or upgraded subscription to the magazine, from now until 31st August 2011.

Computeractive is working with the RSPCA to fight for justice against animal cruelty by raising funds for five prosecution cases of animal cruelty. It is donating an initial lump-sum of £2,100 to fund the first of these and then a further £2.50 for any new or upgraded subscription taken up before 31st August 2011.

The magazine is launching the initiative with a short video that takes a quirky look at how PCs have demoted the family dog. It can be viewed at www.getcomputeractive.co.uk/why_computeractive.php

FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

• Paul Allen, editor of Computeractive magazine: 020 7316 9562 or 07817 413 761.

• Mick Thorburn: 00 34 950 453 340; [email protected]

• For more on the RSPCA Justice for Animals Appeal, visit: www.rspca.org.uk/stopanimalcruelty

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

• Computeractive is the UK’s best-selling computer magazine. It is published fortnightly and delivers simple, clear computer advice in plain English.

• It was the first technology magazine to be endorsed by the Plain English campaign, back in 1998

• The ‘man’s best friend’ video can be viewed at: www.getcomputeractive.co.uk/why_computeractive.php

• Computeractive will donate £2.50 to the RSPCA for all new subscriptions taken up or club upgrades until 31stAugust 2011, and is donating £2,100 to fund the first of 5 prosecution cases of animal cruelty it is targeting with the fundraiser

* The RSPCA is the largest and best-known animal welfare charity in England and Wales

* In 2010 the RSPCA investigated almost 160,000 complaints of alleged animal cruelty; over 10 per cent more than in 2009

* The RSPCA Justice for Animals appeal is raising funds
for prosecuting the most serious cases of animal cruelty

* To find out more about the RSPCA Justice for Animals appeal visit www.rspca.org.uk/stopanimalcruelty

• Methdology: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,005 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9 and 11 July 2011. The survey was carried out online. Figures have been weighted and are representative of all British adults (aged 18+).
Custom Release Wire

Worldwide opposition to nuclear, poll finds

Posted by admin on June 23rd, 2011

Damian blog : Aerial view of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plants in the US, such as New Jersey’s Oyster Creek, are supported by 52% of Americans. Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

I’ve been able to express my thoughts on nuclear power on this blog, but what do the citizens of the world think? A new opinion poll from Ipsos MORI tells us: 62% of citizens in 24 countries across the world oppose the use of nuclear energy, with a quarter of those having change their minds after the Fukushima disaster.

Before looking in more detail at the poll, let me make very clear that I think the debate over nuclear power is a fiendishly complex one. It encompasses the risks of rising carbon dioxide, the strength of political will behind renewables like wind and solar, whether the true cost of nuclear can be calculated and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. I don’t think there’s an easy formula that combines all these factors and into which you can feed data and get the “right” answer. You have to make your own judgements about some things, as I’ve written before, and one of those things is public opinion.

This is a proper poll, across a wide range of countries and details of the poll methodology is at the end of this post. I am also promised a link to the full data, which I have only as a file. I’ll add that when it arrives.

So what stands out? The most anti-nuclear nations in the poll, at about 80% against, were Italy, Germany and Mexico. Only three of the 24 countries had majorities that favoured nuclear power: India (61%), Poland (57%) and the US (52%). The UK and Sweden were split 50-50 within the uncertainty cited.

In France, where most of the electricity is produced by nuclear, 67% opposed it, the same percentage as in coal-rich Australia. Perhaps surprisingly, 42% of people in Japan, still recovering from the huge tremor that wrecked the Fukushima nuclear plant, remain supportive of nuclear power.

The pollsters also asked whether people opposed other ways of generating electricity. With 62% against, nuclear was the least popular, followed by coal (52% against), gas (20%), hydroelectricity (9%), wind power (7%) and solar power (3%).

Polls can’t tell us why people hold the opinions they do. But its blindingly clear that renewables have global support. It is possible to keep the lights on without nuclear, if renewables get the huge support needed from governments. My question is whether governments are listening to what people want?

Methodology: The survey was conducted in 24 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America. An international sample of 18,787 adults aged 18-64 were interviewed between May 6 and May 21, 2011 via the Ipsos Online Panel system. Approximately 1000+ individuals participated in each country with the exception of Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Russia and Turkey, where each have a sample 500+. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflected that of the adult population according to the most recent country Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points for a sample of 1,000 and an estimated margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points for a sample of 500.

Environment news, comment and analysis from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Poll Results: The People Want a Climate Bill

Posted by admin on February 21st, 2010

Climate and clean energy legislation got strong support today from an unlikely source — Frank Luntz, the prominent Republican pollster.

Luntz's firm, The Word Doctors, just finished a national poll of more than 1,000 American voters. He unveiled the results of that poll [PDF] this morning at a news conference with EDF President Fred Krupp and NRG Energy's CEO David Crane.

The bottom line: Americans are eager for Congress to act on climate legislation that would promote energy independence and a healthier environment.

Luntz says:

Americans want their leaders to act on climate change – but not necessarily for the reasons you think. A clear majority of Americans believe climate change is happening. This is true of McCain voters and Obama voters alike.

And even those that don’t still believe it is essential for America to pursue policies that promote energy independence and a cleaner, healthier environment.

(You can play the audio of the entire event at the bottom of this post.)

Here are some of the most interesting results from the poll:

A majority of Americans believe climate change is occurring and is caused at least in part by humans. Only a small minority — 18 percent — do not believe climate change is real. (Those numbers stay about the same if you call it "global warming.")
57 percent agreed with the statement: It doesn't matter if there is or isn't climate change. It is still in America's best interest to develop new sources of energy that are clean, reliable, efficient and safe.
National security is the main reason that people support cap and trade. Across the demographic board, people liked the idea that clean energy will: liberate us from this oil addiction.

This is the latest in a long line of polls that show Americans want clean energy. But Luntz's reputation as longtime Republican advisor may give this one extra political resonance.

Luntz said his data shows a bipartisan consensus on the issue and provides a road map for getting legislation passed.

EDF's Fred Krupp summed it up:

Frank’s research proves that that no matter who Americans voted for in 2008, in 2010 they want to see Congress act on climate legislation. It’s a national security priority, it’s a crucial means to reduce pollution, and it’s essential to creating permanent American jobs.

Complete audio recording of the news conference.

Further information:

Article source

The Frank Luntz Poll About Global Warming: Still Hot News

Posted by admin on February 21st, 2010

Remember the Frank Luntz poll we told you about last week? The prominent pollster found bipartisan support for a strong climate and clean energy bill, and it's been generating a lot of buzz.

Here are just a few of the many stories about it:

True/Slant talks about Luntz's surprising views on the climate issue, saying he's "teaming up with Fred Krupp of all people" …
The Vine has an even better summary of the "strange bedfellows" effect:

It was a little surprising to see [Luntz] this morning at the National Press Club, teaming up with the Environmental Defense Fund on a new set of poll findings about climate legislation. Even Luntz couldn't help joking about it: "When Fred asked me to do this with him, I asked, 'Do you know who I am?'

And Climate Progress and Treehugger both talk about the meaning of poll's bipartisan results in the wake of recent Democratic election losses.

If you'd like to skip the news clips and see for yourself, in addition to the full audio we shared earlier, we now have 5 minutes of highlights:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSrwjINxEio