Gallup Poll Research Articles

Latin American Middle Classes: The Distance between Perception and Reality

The main contribution of this paper with respect to previous work is the use of data on subjective perceptions to identify the Latin American middle classes. This paper provides a set of comparisons between objective and subjective definitions of middle-class using data from the 2007 World Gallup Poll. Seven objective income-based definitions of social class are contrasted with a self-perceived social status measure. Mismatches between the objective and the subjective classification of social class are the largest when the objective definition is based on median incomes. Mismatches result from the fact that self-perceived social status is associated not just with income, but also with personal capabilities, interpersonal relations, financial and material assets, and perceptions of economic insecurity. Objective definitions of the middle class based on absolute incomes provide the lowest mismatches and the most accurate differentiation of the middle class from other classes.

Does GOD Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities (review)

Reviewed by: Does GOD Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities Diane Wood Warren A. Nord. Does GOD Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 344 pp. Cloth: $29.95. ISBN-13: 9-780-1997-6688-8. In Does GOD Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in Our Schools and Universities, Warren Nord (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) argues for the role of God and religion as a basis for true liberal education, primarily in America’s public secondary and higher educational systems. In fact, he argues that we should be “taking religion seriously” (p. 103). Nord, who identifies himself as liberal in his politics and religion (pp. 6–7), speaks about the need for instruction about all religions broadly and equally as alternate worldviews coexisting and competing with the secular worldview that currently dominates education. The author presents his assertions from a historical framework that includes identifying existing religious cultural tensions and conflicts and suggesting possible solutions and their implications. He maintains that America’s liberal educational system primarily focuses on the secular perspective while ignoring the religious worldview. Nord strongly contends that requiring programs to provide more information about religion simply from a historical perspective is not the answer; instead, a truly liberal education consists of a thorough presentation of the religious views of the world, along with the elucidation of the secular perspective. Nord challenges the public educational community to look at what it really means to have a well-rounded education. He contends that if the educational system ignores the larger questions central to religion, then it “is not worthy of respect, indeed, it shouldn’t count as educational at all” (p. 292). Nord organizes his book in three parts. In Part 1, “Problems,” he introduces several questions to establish the basis for discussion: “Does God still matter at the beginning of the twenty-first century?” and “Does God measure up to American standards?” He then explores the topic of secularization in our schools and presents a historical outline of contributions to that secularization. Next, he generalizes from the results of the 2006 Gallup poll, the 2007 Baylor Survey, and the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey and he reports that about 85%–90% of the population in the United States say they believe in some kind of God (p. 20). The corresponding poll conducted in 2005 by Eurobarometer reported the European figure at 52% (p. 20). Then he provides data about and a brief discussion of several other countries, along with a description of recent major religious growth in Third World countries (p. 20). He notes the paradox of high levels of belief in God in the United States co-existing with a secularized educational system and explores some possible reasons for this pattern. Nord also reports a slow but positive movement toward teaching about religion in public K–12 schools in the United States. He bases this conclusion on his analysis of current K–12 textbooks in history, economics, and science. The national standards movement in the K–12 system shows promise, he says; but at present, neither public secondary schools nor universities have course requirements for religion, although there are course offerings in religion and the Bible, on a limited basis, at the university level. He further notes that “the texts and standards also demonstrate that students need to understand virtually nothing about religion to make sense of the world here and now” (p. 60). In concluding Part 1, Nord identifies three overarching problems resulting from the lack of religion courses in public schools: (a) students are religiously illiterate, (b) the existing curricula exhibit inequality, and (c) such curricula verge on indoctrination. He argues that “making sense of the world” (p. 81) is inhibited when one worldview is emphasized over another or when other worldviews are completely left out (p. 99). In Part 2, “Solutions,” Nord argues for “taking religion seriously” in public secondary and tertiary schools and makes several suggestions for their consideration. He explores several criteria that solutions must meet: moral responsibility, existentialism, civic debate, and constitutional deliberation. Then he discusses the probable complexities and concerns...

Survivorship and Inheritance Rights for Same-Gender Couples: Relevance to Social Workers

Californians voted in November 2008 to ban the right to same-gender marriage in California. This paper summarizes data on changes in societal attitudes relative to homosexuals, same-gender couples, and their civil rights as reflected in Gallup and Princeton Survey Research Associates International poll data over the years through 2011. These findings report deeply entrenched and enduring divisions in American attitudes toward the rights and status of same-gender couples. Although historically a majority of Americans has consistently opposed same-gender marriage, Americans increasingly recognize the need to extend equality to same-gender couples in the form of employment rights, inheritance rights, Social Security, and health insurance benefits. This article explores existing and proposed policies regarding the rights of same-gender couples. In addition, it examines the implications and opportunities for advocacy by social workers who face the challenge of navigating the legal and personal obstacles that arise when their client’s same-gender relationships are not sanctioned by law.

When the President Speaks…

The theory of presidential influence over public opinion is used to predict the impact of presidential rhetoric on the public’s concern regarding drug use as “the most important problem (MIP) facing the nation.” It is hypothesized that the more attention presidents give to the policy area of drugs in their state of the union (SOTU) addresses, the more concerned the public becomes with drug use. Using a time-series regression analysis of data collected from a content analysis of presidents’SOTU speeches regressed on the Gallup Poll’s MIP series from 1946 to 2010, the findings suggest that presidential mentions of drugs in the SOTU addresses influence public concern for illicit drugs in America.

Claude S. Fischer and Michael Hout: Century of Difference. How America Changed in the Last One Hundred Years

Century of Difference is a quantitative social history of the 20th-century United States. Relying on century-long census data (as compiled in the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series) and surveys (including Gallup polls from 1935 to 2000 and the General Social Survey from 1972 to 2000), it presents in eight main chapters long-term descriptive statistics on a wide range of topics: nativity, residence patterns, family, education, work, living standards, religion and culture. Its main focus is descriptive rather than explanatory, and on most topics it provides the evolution of both central tendencies (means or medians) and the dispersion of distributions (typically the eighth and second deciles, computed as D8−D2 or D8/D2). Thus, Fischer and Hout describe not only who the fictional ‘average’ American became, but also to what extent Americans converged or diverged over the century. This is clearly one of the greatest strengths of Century of Difference. Let us highlight some of the key findings of this very informative book, which one can only recommend to any social scientist or citizen interested in American social history.

"Spin Zones" in American Presidential Elections

"Spin Zones" in American Presidential Elections

ARE DENTISTS LOSING THEIR STATUS AS ‘PROFESSIONALS'?

ARE DENTISTS LOSING THEIR STATUS AS ‘PROFESSIONALS'?

Can Culture Prevent Massacres?

COULD CULTURE CONTRIBUTE MORE TO THE UN'S CORE GOAL SPELLED OUT IN the Charter's preamble of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war? More specifically, could deeper cultural understanding help prevent or mitigate mass atrocities? Both questions can be answered affirmatively; we illustrate why through the lens of the responsibility to protect (R2P). The emerging R2P norm is based on the cosmopolitan notion of universal human rights and the equal dignity and worth of all human beings. The norm seeks a consistent basis for their protection in spite of state sovereignty and in light of the curious grapevine of the spreading human rights regime predicted by Eleanor Roosevelt. (1) To determine how greater consensus could be built both around the normative contours of R2Pand the political willingness to implement it, we share insights from a research project exploring the role of cultural understanding in the elaboration and application of the emerging norm of the responsibility to protect. R2P: Cultural Perspectives in the Global South probes philosophy and ethics, religion and spirituality, aesthetics and art as well as three culturally diverse cases--Rwanda, Kosovo, and Nepal--that experienced varying mass atrocities and international responses. (2) The contributors, except for one of the editors, are from the Global South and have experienced and witnessed wars and mass atrocities. The Global South has staunch R2P supporters (including East Timor, Ghana, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone) as well as obdurate detractors (including Algeria, Cuba, Sudan, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe). This multidisciplinary and multinational research not only advances the R2P norm, but also reintroduces culture to mainstream international relations (IR) and international organization (10) scholarship, which rarely venture beyond the familiar fields of politics, law, history, and economics. The IR/IO Culture Standoff The academic training of readers of these pages makes them leery of engaging such soft issues as culture. Paradoxically, for millennia cultural sources were the kernel of political discourse. While religion and governance were coterminous, the study of religion had virtually vanished from the contemporary analysis of politics until September 11, 2001, after which Islamic fanaticism became an obsession. While analysts of IR and 10 have faith in secularism, religion is essential to a vast majority of the world's population--86 percent according to a Millennium Gallup Poll. (3) Philosophy and politics were close collaborators in ancient China, Egypt, Greece, India, and Mesopotamia. Philosophical inquiry defined the polis and shaped political discourse. No king was fit to rule without philosophers to counsel him; indeed, the ideal king was often a philosopher, spiritual guide, and artist-Philosophers elaborated ethics because moral precepts constituted the necessary foundation for polities. Today, philosophy intersects with IR/IO, if at all, through international law. Political theory has academic adherents but scant impact on decisionmakers. Formerly sovereigns not only were artists, but also active patrons of the arts, which were central to governance. Leaders recognized that coexistence among their diverse subjects could be maintained, and a unifying adherence to a shared culture and civilization preserved and enriched, through the cultivation of the arts. And art was not restricted to the elite and remote museums or concert halls, but it also informed daily life. Finally, elements of governance, statecraft, and diplomacy were transmitted through and embedded within elaborate cultural rituals, traditions, and practices. Cultural values and norms delineated unambiguously how kings were qualified and crowned--and dethroned if they became unfit to rule. Cultural norms also regulated the responsibilities of sovereigns. Ironically, while many countries in both the North and South maintain ceremonial traditions associated with sovereignty and governance, cultural considerations rarely inform public policy or the study of IR/IO. …

Assessing the Army Profession

This is a revised and expanded paper based on C. D. Allen, Impact of a Decade at War in the Armed Forces Journal, May 2011. The author is a member of the Army Profession Campaign's research team. Civilian and military leaders might easily discount the conjecture that America's Army is in trouble. After all, it is unmatched as a force and successfully conducted military operations that achieved regime change in two countries in the space of 18 months. Total US military spending averaged nearly $720 billion over the past four years and exceeded 46 percent of global defense spending in 2009. The $6.73 trillion spent by the US Department of Defense in the 21st century dwarfed the annual gross national product of most other nations. Commensurate with this level of resourcing, the Army possesses the most modern equipment, the latest technology, and an unequalled training program for its people. Combine all this with the relatively high confidence placed in the Army (as part of the US military) by the American people, and it would be easy to feel invincible. Harvard's Center for Public Leadership National Leadership Index ranked the US military as the American institution with the most confidence in its leadership (a trend since 2005); a similar Gallup poll ranked the military at the top since 1989. (1) A recent study reported that while over half of American survey respondents said that the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were worth fighting (52 and 57 percent, respectively), 91 percent felt proud of the soldiers serving in the military. (2) While Americans may have doubts about current wars, they are supportive of their warriors. Even with such levels of fiscal support and public confidence, we should be cautious of our enthusiasm and reminded of the retort to a comment made by COL Harry Summers during the latter days of the Vietnam War. Summers is quoted as saying, 'You know, you never beat us on the battlefield,' I told my North Vietnamese counterpart during negotiations in Hanoi a week before the fall of Saigon. He pondered that remark a moment and then replied, 'That may be so, but it is also irrelevant.' (3) Public support and confidence may indeed be irrelevant if America's Army does not adequately prepare for the future. Reflections of the Past The past four decades provide lessons derived from myriad challenges and successes as the US Army prepares for the next 10 years. We have witnessed America's Army transition from its focus on military operations in Vietnam, its triumph in the Cold War, its successes in Southwest Asia in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, its struggle with the impact of Francis Fukuyama's End of History in the 1990s, and finally its arrival at its current station in the 21st century. (4) That journey was marked by successive Chiefs of Staff assessing the Army they inherited, establishing a vision, and charting a path to the future. Their preferred methodology was to commission a series of White Papers in an attempt to identify the issues that would serve as the basis for key initiatives during their tenure. In 1978, at the end of the US military's involvement in Vietnam and faced with the challenges of establishing the All-Volunteer Force, General Bernard Rogers published, Assessing the Army. (5) One year later, General Edward C. Shy Meyers declared the hollow army and penned, A Framework for Molding the Army into a Disciplined Well-Trained Force. (6) It would be all too easy to simply generalize that the Army during these years was ill disciplined and untrained, requiring drastic actions by leaders to address unacceptable conditions. In 1986, General John Wickham wrote Values, the Bedrock of the Profession in an attempt to establish a moral touchstone for members of the force. (7) From these White Papers, the Chiefs of Staff initiated a number of campaigns to redress shortfalls and professionalize an Army that was struggling with its identity while attempting to redefine itself. …

Meta‐analysis of the impact of positive psychological capital on employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance

AbstractThe positive core construct of psychological capital (or simply PsyCap), consisting of the psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, has recently been demonstrated to be open to human resource development (HRD) and performance management. The research stream on PsyCap has now grown to the point that a quantitative summary analysis of its impact on employee attitudes, behaviors, and especially performance is needed. The present meta‐analysis included 51 independent samples (representing a total of N = 12,567 employees) that met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated the expected significant positive relationships between PsyCap and desirable employee attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, psychological well‐being), desirable employee behaviors (citizenship), and multiple measures of performance (self, supervisor evaluations, and objective). There was also a significant negative relationship between PsyCap and undesirable employee attitudes (cynicism, turnover intentions, job stress, and anxiety) and undesirable employee behaviors (deviance). A sub‐analysis found no major differences between the types of performance measures used (i.e., between self, subjective, and objective). Finally, the analysis of moderators revealed the relationship between PsyCap and employee outcomes were strongest in studies conducted in the United States and in the service sector. These results provide a strong evidence‐based recommendation for the use of PsyCap in HRD and performance programs. Theoretical contributions, future research directions, and practical guidelines for HRD conclude the article. Gallup Polls in recent years suggest that Americans are pessimistic about incremental

The Public Health Implications of Consumers' Environmental Concern and Their Willingness to Pay for an Eco-Friendly Product

Environmental concern has been an important topic for more than 40 years and has recently become even more critical with today's concerns about creating a sustainable and healthy environment. This research examines factors affecting an individual's willingness to pay more for an environmentally friendly product. Our results show that willingness to pay more differs across demographic groups. We also find that individuals who rate concern for waste as highly important are willing to spend more money on an eco-friendly product. Consequently, our findings provide insight into the development of appropriate educational strategies for different consumer groups to encourage consumers to purchase eco-friendly products, with a goal of creating a healthier environment for current and future generations. ********** challenge of healthier communities begins with environmental concern and collective adoption of eco-friendly behaviors, because the choices consumers make with regard to the environment influence the health and quality of life for both current and future generations. In general terms, environmental concern is a concept that can refer to feelings [consumers have] about many different green (Zimmer, Stafford, and Stafford 1994, p. 64). topic became an important one in 1962 when Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was published and has recently become even more critical with today's concerns about creating a sustainable and healthy environment. Trends show a remarkable increase in consumer worry about environmental problems (e.g., Gallup Poll 2009) and continued support for alternative forms of energy generation (Pew 2010) and other sustainable initiatives. Interest in environmental issues has also triggered rapid growth and enrollment in environmental courses offered in colleges and universities (Fuller 2010). In the corporate world, environmentalism has moved to the boardroom (Hanas 2007), while at the lay level, magazines such as Popular Mechanics feature articles related to global warming (http://www.popularmechanics.com 2010). In addition, a recent blog points out that popular media incorporate environmental messages into their programming: The powers that be at NBC Universal started going green and making the environment a priority, using a tactic called 'behavior placement' to weave subtle eco-friendly messages into the scripts of some of the network's most popular daytime and prime time programs (http://www.environment.about.com 2010). Although the environmental movement can be traced back to the nineteenth century, the modern iteration of environmental concern as an issue of critical interest began about four decades ago. Most recently, this concern has reappeared in the academic, scientific and popular press in terms of issues related to sustainability and renewable resources (e.g., Gallup 2009; Pew 2009, 2010). For example, a major initiative in the National Science Foundation's proposed 2011 budget is expanded support for climate research activities, designed to address challenges in sustainability, energy research and education (http://www.nsf.gov 2010). latest approach to understanding and researching sustainability and environmental concepts spans several disciplines including marketing, public policy and public health, among others. In particular, sustainability is recognized as a major public health issue of the twenty-first century (American Public Health Association 2007). Health concerns are a primary component of overall environmental concern because physical surroundings (air quality, water protection and even the availability of health care alternatives) directly affect human survival and quality of life (Zimmer, Stafford, and Stafford 1994), and individuals who practice environmental behaviors will promote healthier communities, via improved quality of air, water and physical health (Patz and Olson 2006). Consequently, understanding environmental concern among consumers can have an important influence on public health. …

The Politicization of Climate Change and Polarization in the American Public's Views of Global Warming, 2001–2010

We examine political polarization over climate change within the American public by analyzing data from 10 nationally representative Gallup Polls between 2001 and 2010. We find that liberals and Democrats are more likely to report beliefs consistent with the scientific consensus and express personal concern about global warming than are conservatives and Republicans. Further, the effects of educational attainment and self-reported understanding on global warming beliefs and concern are positive for liberals and Democrats, but are weaker or negative for conservatives and Republicans. Last, significant ideological and partisan polarization has occurred on the issue of climate change over the past decade.

Demythifying the “Dark Side” of Social Capital: A Comparative Bayesian Analysis of White, Black, Latino, and Asian American Voting Behavior

Previous studies have suggested that Americans who regularly attend church develop important civic skills which facilitate their participation in politics (e.g., see Verba et al. 1995). Churches were also heralded as important repositories of social capital, particularly for disadvantaged minority groups who have fewer opportunities to develop civic skills (Putnam 2000). Moreover, social capital theorists have argued that homogenous congregations foster the development of bonding (in-group) rather than bridging (out-group) social capital. One important fact, which has not been examined closely in the voting literature, is that American churches are still highly segregated by race/ethnicity according to a recent Gallup Poll (2004). Also unclear in the literature is the differential impact of bonding versus bridging social capital on political participation. Scholarship by Putnam (2000) and Gutmann (1998) suggests that heterogeneity within associational memberships is healthier for democratic citizenship than those with more homogenous memberships. This paper evaluates this claim and investigates whether or not bonding social capital fosters or discourages political participation for both white-majority voters and minorities. Using Bayesian statistical methods, this study, for the first time, conducted a national, cross-racial analysis of whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans based on data from the General Social Survey (2002), National Election Studies (2000), and the Pilot National Asian American Political Survey (2001). The finding suggests that church attendance is significant and positively associated with voting participation among racial/ethnic groups that attend churches with mostly homogenous memberships. Contrary to the negative implications purported to stem from the "dark side" of social capital, the results of this research show that bonding social capital positively influences participation in politics. These findings lead to important implications for understanding the mobilization of immigrant communities, a group that political parties rarely attempt to mobilize (Kim 2007; Wong 2006).

A Good Coalition

A Good Coalition

Job Losses and Perceptions of Globalization

The focus of much recent economic anxiety has been on the relationship between job losses and a limited number of hot-button issues, in particular (offshore) outsourcing and immigration. I use the variation over time (from a consistent Gallup poll administered from 1992 to 2009) and in the cross section (from the German Marshall Fund’s 2007 survey ‘Perspectives on Trade and Poverty Reduction’) to explore potential causes of recent aversion to globalization. I demonstrate that up until recently views on foreign trade were highly correlated with the national unemployment rate. Views on free trade are also strongly related to opinions of how the economy is doing. I further assess predictors of opinions on outsourcing and immigration, as they relate to the causes of job losses. Education, occupation, work experience, and political party are important predictors of views on the economy, free trade, and job losses. In contrast to prior research, more education predicts greater support for trade intervention in the form of limits on outsourcing, which may explain recent fluctuations in aggregate public opinion.

‘A worse importation than chewing gum’: American Influences on The Australian Press and Their Limits—The Australian Gallup Poll, 1941–1973

In studies of the Australian press, a wide range of American influences—on news genres, on notions of newsworthiness and presentation, and on the language in which stories are written—has been larg...

Independence or Not? Paul V. McNutt, Manuel L. Quezon, and the Re-examination of Philippine Independence, 1937–9

In 1934 the United States set the Philippines on a new course, one that was to begin with autonomy for the archipelago as a ‘commonwealth’ - not a colony - and end with the Islands gaining independ...

Presidential Power, the Panay Incident, and the Defeat of the Ludlow Amendment

Presidential Power, the Panay Incident, and the Defeat of the Ludlow Amendment

U.S. Cigarette Demand: 1944-2004

Abstract We analyze individual-level data on cigarette smoking from 23 national cross-sectional surveys conducted by the Gallup Poll from 1944 through 2004. We estimate standard two-part models of cigarette demand as a function of demographics, income, and cigarette prices. Over the sixty year time-span covered in our data, smoking participation falls from almost 50 percent to 22 percent. We find that the influences of key demographic factors on cigarette demand change over time: the gender difference in smoking rates almost disappears, the black-white difference reverses, a strong gradient with schooling emerges, and a negative income elasticity emerges.

The New Deal Realignment: A Real-Time Analysis

We offer a new view of the New Deal realignment. It was the wartime experience and the postwar prosperity, not the Great Depression or the New Deal, that gave the Democratic Party its overwhelming hold on the American electorate for the next three decades. The 1948 election plays the critical role, not the 1932 or the 1936 election. The generation that contributed the most to the Democratic ascendancy is the one that came of age in the 1940’s, not the one that did in the 1930’s. Whatever gains the Democratic Party had reaped in party identification by 1936 were short-lived. Generational replacement, not conversion, makes the major contribution to the transformation of partisanship. We reach these conclusions with a “real-time” analysis of party loyalties in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The data come from over 170 Gallup polls conducted between early 1937 and 1952 that probed party identification.