by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Daily Record readers keep up with local politics but are split on whether their vote makes a difference.
Questions about politics and voting were among the 13 Weekly Poll questions by the Daily Record in the first quarter of 2011, from January through March.
The results are not scientific, but they indicate public opinion.
Asked whether they keep up with local politics, half of the readers responding to the question said they do so “very well,” while another 34 percent said “somewhat.”
Just 16 percent said they didn’t keep up “very much” with local politics.
When it comes to voting, readers were split 55-45 percent among those who believe their vote makes a difference to elected officials and lawmakers and those who say it doesn’t.
On the topic of elections, asked in February whether former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush should run for president, 59 percent of Daily Record readers said no.
Another 25 percent said he should run in 2012 and the other 16 percent said he should make a bid for the White House in 2016.
When it came to voting in advance about Super Bowl XLV, the majority of readers, at 54 percent, chose the winning Green Bay Packers. The other 46 percent opted for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Moving on to college football, 58 percent of readers said they had not ever traveled to a bowl game, while 42 percent said they had.
Speaking of travel, more than half the readers hadn’t left the U.S. in the prior 12 months.
Asked in January if the reader had traveled outside the country the past year, 65 percent said he or she hadn’t.
Those who did travel internationally did so for personal reasons or vacation, at 27 percent, while 8 percent traveled for business.
However, if a Daily Record reader wanted to travel from Jacksonville to Atlanta, almost half, or 46 percent, would take high-speed rail if available. The others who responded were split – 27 percent each – in their preference to fly or drive.
Visiting a theme park didn’t dominate readers’ travels. Asked in February if he or she had visited a theme park the past year, 68 percent said no. The other 32 percent had.
Travel might have been hampered by work.
Three-quarters of the readers said they were working longer or the same number of hours compared with their schedule before the recession.
Longer hours were claimed by 39 percent, while 37 percent said hours were about the same. The remaining 24 percent were
working fewer hours.
Those working didn’t miss much time from the cold or flu over the winter.
Just 19 percent said they missed work with the sniffles, although another 13 percent said they didn’t take sick time but should have.
The majority, at 68 percent, didn’t miss a day on the job because of the cold or flu.
As labor unions took the national stage, the majority of Daily Record readers, 62 percent, said they were not or had never been a member of a labor union. The other 38 percent said they were or had been.
Readers were split in their views whether they would oppose a nuclear power plant to be built in their community.
The majority, 52 percent, said they would not oppose a plant in their community, while 48 percent said they would.
However, a larger number of readers, at 69 percent, said the United States should not be involved in the Libyan conflict, while 31 percent said it should.
This week’s question is, “has your email or social media account ever been hacked?” Vote online at www.jaxdaily.com.
Thank you for your vote.
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