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Men Stand by Their Guinness

Wed December 22, 1:27 p.m. PST by Ted Marzilli in BrandIndex

Guinness, the venerable Irish stout brewed at St. James Gate for centuries, has recently driven brand loyalty among 21-49 year old men. YouGov has a look at what might be behind the recent shot in the arm. read more

Blockbuster not Ready to be Counted Out

Tue December 14, 5:30 p.m. PST by Ted Marzilli in BrandIndex

Blockbuster, the beleagured video rental chain which is currently in chaper 11 bankruptcy, comes out swinging for the holidays, with its first major ad campaign since 2007. While there are some signs the campaign is having an impact, rival Netflix continues to beat up on the former champ. read more

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: How Will Pentagon Respond To DoD Poll?

Wed December 8, 2:45 p.m. PST by Thom Riehle in Economist Poll

While Americans overwhelmingly support allowing gay or homosexual individuals to serve in the military, including both middle age and elderly Americans, opinion is much more divided on the more interesting question of whether “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policies (and not the repeal of those policies) cause problems with preparedness, unit cohesion and morale. read more

TSA vs. New GOP House Majority?

Fri December 3, 3:52 p.m. PST by Thom Riehle in Economist Poll and Public Affairs

Few adults support enhanced pat downs, now even full body scan machines are in Jeopardy. Some two million people fly every day in the U.S. some are now subject to full body scans or enhanced pat downs. What is the reaction of Americans, particularly frequent flyers, to airport security changes? read more

Car Buyers and Investors Warm up to the 'New' GM

Fri December 3, 2:19 p.m. PST by Ted Marzilli in BrandIndex

GM raised $20B in its recent IPO - a sign that investors have confidence in the smaller and leaner company that has emerged from bankruptcy. And the IPO has also improved consumer perception of the brand, particularly among those who say they are in the market to purchase a car in the next 6 months. read more

Concerns About TSA Rules Persist

Wed December 1, 4:33 p.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

The TSA introduced new airport screening procedures on November 1, 2010. Frequently flyers and those who have experienced the new procedures first hand are not convinced of the effectiveness of these new procedures. read more

Bi-Partisan Agreement: Government Distrust

Mon November 29, 9:15 a.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

Americans, both Republican and Democrat, continue to disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job. Only 11% in this Economist/YouGov Poll approve – just about the same level of approval for Congress seen for most of this year. In last week’s Economist/YouGov Poll, just 40% of Americans approved of the way President Obama was handling his job, matching his lowest approval rating ever. This week, 43% do. But 51% disapprove. read more

Two Partisan Issues: The START Treaty And Immigration

Fri November 26, 7:32 p.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

Two items that might be discussed during a post-Thanksgiving session are the START treaty with Russia (the Senate must approve it), and immigration reform. On both issues, the latest Economist/YouGov poll shows a huge partisan divide. read more

Thanksgiving Travel and Full Body Scans

Wed November 24, 9:55 a.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

Most Americans see some value in the new full body scan machines in use at airports in the U.S., but many would like to limit their use to those individuals whom screeners believe may pose a threat, and NOT used on all passengers -- and certainly not on them, according to the latest Economist/YouGov Poll. read more

On Your Mark. Get Set. Shop!

Fri November 19, 3:27 a.m. PST by Ted Marzilli in BrandIndex

Retailers have been positioning themselves for the 2010 holiday season since Halloween. Shoppers are warming up for the sales race that traditionally starts on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Will all of that Halloween candy, paired with anticipated deep discounts, be enough to lure shoppers into the malls? read more

President Obama - Chief Creative Officer?

Thu November 18, 5:41 a.m. PST by Ted Marzilli in BrandIndex

7-Eleven turns the president's "Slurpee joke" into a public relations opportunity. Consumers react to Nike's latest Lebron commercial. And Microsoft gets a boost from its Windows 7 phone introduction. read more

President Obama: Taxes, The Deficit and Foreign Trips

Wed November 17, 5:41 p.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

President Obama's approval ratings on economic issues, including taxes, Social Security and the budget deficit, are even lower than his overall approval rating. Just 34% of respondents in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll approve of how he is handling the economy, and even fewer approve of how he is handling the budget deficit, taxes and Social Security. read more

Extending The Bush Tax Cuts

Wed November 17, 5:36 p.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

Nearly three in four Americans want most of the Bush tax cuts extended, according to the latest Economist/YouGov Poll- and more than two-thirds of Republicans would extend ALL of them. read more

Fixing The Deficit

Wed November 17, 5:12 p.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

Americans, like the chairs of the Deficit Reduction Commission, agree that the deficit is a serious problem. Nearly nine in ten say they are personally concerned about its size. But unlike the leaders of the Commission, they find many of the proposed fixes unpalatable. read more

More Terrorist Threats?

Wed November 17, 4:58 p.m. PST by YouGov Staff in Economist Poll

Eight in ten Americans who are aware of the packages sent from Yemen containing ingredients for bombs and discovered on cargo and passenger planes expect there to be more attempts to send packages containing bombs to the United States. read more

Blogs

Anthony Fowler
Ryan D. Enos

Do Americans Care about Politics?

Fri December 10, 5:44 a.m. PST

We expected that most Americans would place a high value on the party of their Congressmen...55% of respondents they would not pay even $1 to place their preferred party in power. read more

John G. Geer

Negativity: as American as Apple Pie

Wed December 8, 9:45 a.m. PST

As the 2010 midterm election came to a close, pundits and observers were claiming it was the most negative campaign ever. While I doubt such a claim is true, some data that suggests the 2010 elections may at least have been ... read more

Stephen Jessee

What is the Effect of Disclosing the Sponsors Behind Attack Ads?

Mon December 6, 4:36 p.m. PST

In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC, the subject of corporate sponsorship of political advertising has been extremely controversial, with President Obama going so far as to directly criticize the decision during a State of the Union Address with Supreme Court justices in attendance. ... read more

Ryan D. Enos

A Biased View of Reality?

Tue November 23, 7:54 a.m. PST

I've got more bad news about what people know... I asked respondents in this nationally representative survey about the presence of several different groups...the greatest distortion is in the number of food stamp recipients, where people are off by over 20 percentage points... read more

James Rydberg

Sex, Drugs and Witchcraft: What Voters Really Care About

Thu November 11, 10:50 a.m. PST

The theater of campaign politics had a full stage this election. A slew of novice candidates brought advocates of armed rebellion against the Federal Government, anti-miscegenationists, a Nazi-uniform-wearing WWII reenactor, and even a witch. Well, she’s not really a witch. She’s you... read more

Anthony Fowler
Ryan D. Enos

Does YOUR Vote Count?

Mon November 8, 7:27 a.m. PST

While pundits and activists bemoan the consistently low levels of turnout in American elections, we as political scientists are perplexed by the millions of citizens that DO vote. On Tuesday, 42% of registered voters ... read more