(Week of 5/12/2012) While Americans believe by a two-to-one margin that most people don’t have the time or knowledge to make wise political decisions (52% agree-25% disagree), by an even wider margin, Americans also believe politicians should just follow the will of the people, which is pretty clear (56% agree-19% disagree), in this week’s Economist/YouGov poll. Politicians and campaigns most often fail when they either overestimate people’s knowledge, interest or patience regarding any particular policy issue debate, or when the ... read more
(Week of 5/12/2012) With President Obama’s announcement of support for gay marriage, the Presidential campaign roared into the headlines, but the contest has hardly begun to captivate Americans according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll. Overall, barely one-in-three (35%) are following ... read more
(Week of 5/12/2012) Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney continues to trail incumbent President Barack Obama on many character-related measures in the current Economist/YouGov poll, but that personality gap may be narrowing overall as Romney establishes himself with voters. Meanwhile, ... read more
Springtime ad campaigns for domestic light beers in the US are registering significantly with millennials, but will that translate into long-awaited sales? Bud Light received the biggest perception boost over these past two months from this demo, likely from raising ... read more
Apple has proven that celebrities go well with Siri. Appleās new iPhone ads featuring Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson coincide with an increase in consumer perception for the brand among 18-34 year olds in the US. The recent improvement ... read more
Hardcore discount-store shoppers, coupon-mavens, skintight household budgets, or the realization that fancy clothes really do not make the man? Whatever the cause, US clothing purchases are frequently quite frugal. Eighteen percent of Americans revealed that their most expensive clothing item ... read more
For those of us living in a city full of trucks, construction noise and thoughtless neighbors, it is almost unimaginable that for 40 percent of Americans, noise poliution is not a problem at all. In fact only 5 percent of ... read more
Most Americans claim not to like “negative” ads. But what they really do not like is the term “negative.” Voters actually see merit in candidates’ ... read more
The practice of judicial review has been enshrined in the American political system since 1803, when the Supreme Court in the landmark case Marbury v. ... read more