Is America Safer?
In anticipation of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, pollsters went into the field to gauge Americans’ concerns about terrorism. According to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, two-thirds of Americans said that they were concerned about the possibility of more major terrorist attacks in the United States. One-third said they were not especially worried. Still, when asked whether the country was safer today compared to before 9/11, 60 percent said it was safer, compared to 29 percent that said it was not.
Source: ABC News/Washington Post, September 2007.
At 'Work'--and Wasting Time
Employed adults say that they waste some time at work—but not as much as their coworkers. In a recent Gallup poll, workers said that they wasted about an hour a day (mean response) while working. When asked about their fellow workers, however, people gave a different response. They said a typical employee at their place of employment did not do anything productive for 1.44 hours a day.
Source: The Gallup Organization, August 2007.
Unsafe Chinese Products: Who's to Blame?
Who’s to blame for the recent spate of tainted products from China? When asked which organizations and governments deserved blame, Americans placed the most blame on Chinese companies that made the products, followed by the Chinese government and the American companies that sold the products. Given the choice of “a lot,” “some,” “only a little,” or “none” of the blame, 64 percent of respondents indicated that the Chinese companies deserved “a lot” of the blame.
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs, August 2007.
American Imbibing
Americans are imbibing—in greater quantities.In a recent Gallup study, 64 percent of those surveyed told interviewers that they drank an alcoholic beverage during the past week, a figure that matches the organization’s historic average of 63 percent since it first asked the question in 1939. Among those who drink, there has been an increase in the average number of drinks consumed. Gallup's latest research suggests that the average drinker consumed 4.7 alcoholic beverages, up from 2.8 in 1996.
Source: The Gallup Organization, July 2007.
*Question asked of those who said that they drank alcohol.
Food and Tech at Top, Fed at Bottom
Food and tech top America’s list of most positively perceived industries. According to Gallup’s latest rating of 25 business and industry sectors, Americans remain most positive about the restaurant, computer, and internet industries. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Americans are least positive about the oil and gas industry, the federal government, and the health care industry. Opinion of the federal government has experienced an especially steep decline recently. Gallup reports that over the past four years Americans have lost more faith in the federal government than in any other industry sector tested.
Source: The Gallup Organization, August 2007.
