by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Candidates in the spring elections should take note of what Daily Record readers proclaimed in November - keep the campaign ads on point, not on the attack.
In November, 97 percent of readers who voted in the Daily Record’s Weekly Poll said they preferred political campaign ads that stated the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, while only 3 percent said they preferred ads that disparaged an opponent’s character or platform.
The question was one of 13 Weekly Polls by the Daily Record in the fourth quarter of 2010, from September through December. The results are not scientific, but they indicate public opinion.
Because the quarter included the Nov. 2 elections, several questions concerned issues about voting. For example:
• In October, 52 percent of readers said they were registered to vote as Republicans, 33 percent as Democrats, 12 percent as independents and 3 percent as “other.”
• In late October, 65 percent of readers planned to cast their vote before the general election in early voting, while 35 percent did not.
• Reflecting the final results, 68 percent of readers intended in mid-October to vote against Amendment 4 while 32 percent were going to vote for it.
• And after the election, 79 percent of readers expected the election results would create federal gridlock, while 21 percent expected compromise.
Looking at future issues, 44 percent of readers said they would support a tax to fund port development and create jobs, while 56 percent said they would not.
A look at communications found that 67 percent of readers said they had a Facebook page and 33 percent did not. And 59 percent said they subscribed to cable, while 19 subscribed to satellite and 22 percent used neither.
The economy hadn’t completely bounced back by the fourth quarter of 2010, even though the national recession ended in June 2009. While 21 percent of readers said their businesses were improving. 43 percent said business was flat and 36 percent said it was still declining.
The economy might have affected charitable donations over the holidays, but charity improved over the year.
In the fourth quarter of 2010, 75 percent of readers said they donated time or money to charity over the holidays, while 25 percent did not. Charity was up over the last quarter of 2009, when 63 percent of readers said they donated time or money and 37 percent did not.
For the most part, readers took advantage of online shopping over the holidays. While 42 percent of readers said they did some online holiday shopping, another 27 percent said they did most or all of their shopping online. However, 31 percent did none online.
As for college football bowl season, 42 percent of readers said they had traveled to a bowl game at some point, but 58 percent had not.
Those who traveled might have gone by airplane. However, 59 percent of Daily Record readers said in November that airport security screening was too invasive, while 41 percent said it wasn’t.
Please vote in the Daily Record Weekly Poll online at www.jaxdailyrecord.com.
This week’s poll is whether you made a New Year’s resolution or perhaps will, or maybe you don’t intend to.
Thanks for your vote.
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