|
BUSINESS & POLITICS IN THE WORLD GLOBAL OPINION REPORT NO. 708 Week:
September 13 –September 19, 2021 Presentation:
September 24, 2021 708-43-21/Commentary:
Only 1 In 5 French People Are In Favor Of Hunting 55%
Of Pakistanis Are Happy With The Taliban Rule In Afghanistan One
In Three Non-Retired Britons Think They’ll Never Be Able To Afford To Give Up
Work Six
In Ten Brits Oppose Climate Change Protesters Blocking The M25 4
In 10 Britons Considering A Holiday Abroad Next Year While 8 In 10 Will Stick
To The UK Only
1 In 5 French People Are In Favor Of Hunting 73%
Americans Say They Are Vaccinated, But At Least Half Express Confusion Simone
Biles Was Mentioned In More Than 650,000 Tweets, Or 31% Of The Total Canadians
Increasingly Worried About Covid-19 Variants (88%, +7), Fourth Wave (71%, +2) 67%
Of Gen Z In Canada Is “Certain” They Will Vote In This Election Almost
3 Million New Zealanders Read Newspapers And Nearly 1.8 Million Read
Magazines In 2021 Most
Adults Vaccinated Against Covid-19 In All 13 Countries Surveyed Intend To Get
A Booster Shot As
Delta Spreads, Global Consumer Confidence Is Frozen In Place INTRODUCTORY NOTE
708-43-21/Commentary:
Only
1 In 5 French People Are In Favor Of Hunting
The key
lessons of the study: The French
are still predominantly opposed to hunting (51%, stable). The
arguments against hunting are growing among the French
population. In addition, two-thirds of French people oppose the idea
that hunters are the first environmentalists in France. The idea
that hunting is part of French cultural heritage is declining
sharply (shared by 58% of French people, down 6 points). The French
are very much in favor of hunting being more strictly regulated : nearly
6 out of 10 people questioned are in favor of all the proposals for
restrictive measures tested in our survey. Three-quarters
of French people living near a hunting area say they have already
avoided walking in the forest or in certain areas for fear of a hunting
accident. More than
one in two French people are now opposed to hunting (51%, stable compared to
2018), a quarter of them (26%) being completely opposed to it. At
the same time, only one in five French people (20%, +1 point) is in
favor. Nevertheless, a not insignificant part of the population does not
express an opinion with regard to hunting: 29% of the French are
indifferent to it. These
figures are very stable compared to 2018. On the
subject of hunting, the opinion of people living in rural areas is
approaching more and more the opinion of city dwellers: the difference
between rural (47% are opposed to it) and urban (52%) has narrowed. 3 points
in 3 years. The opinion
on hunting remains largely gendered: when 58% of women are opposed to it,
only 44% of men are. A report equivalent to that of 2018. Despite
their opposition to hunting, the French nevertheless attribute certain
qualities to the practice. Six in ten people consider that hunting is
essential to manage animal populations and 58% think that hunting is
part of the French cultural heritage. However, this last figure is down
sharply: -6 points compared to 2018. In addition, only a minority
consider that hunting is a hobby like any other (39%). The
proportion of French people who agree with the arguments against hunting is
much higher. They are 83% (-1 point) to declare hunting as a source of
safety problems for walkers and they are a clear majority to say that it
is a cruel practice (65%, +2 points) and of another age (56%,
+2 points). For the moment, they are less inclined to consider that it
is a polluting practice (41%) but this figure - like the two previous ones -
is up compared to 2018 (+2 points). Beyond their
overall progress, support for anti-hunting arguments is above all more
frank than in 2018 . They are 50% (+3 points) to totally agree that
it poses security problems, 34% (+4 points) to totally agree that it is a
cruel practice, 28% strongly agree that it is of another age (+3 points) and
17% are completely in line with the idea that it is a polluting practice (+3
points). In detail,
we note a strong increase in anti-hunting arguments among rural
inhabitants . They are 64% (+4 points) to consider that it is a
cruel practice and 37% (+6 points) to declare that it is a polluting
practice. At the same time, in rural areas, there has been a marked
decline in the cultural argument justifying hunting: although a majority
still adhere to it (62%), there is nevertheless a clear decrease (-7 points). Contrary to
what the campaign published by the National Federation of Hunters affirmed,
namely that hunters were the first environmentalists in France, two in three
French people (66%) do not agree with this idea. Once
again, the opinion is also gendered here . 60% of men say they
disagree with this statement, compared to 72% of women. Finally,
even if their opposition is slightly lower than the national
average, the inhabitants of rural areas are also mostly in disagreement
with this idea (61% oppose it, against 68% of
urban residents ). The French
are very supportive of an in-depth reform of hunting . 93% of
them want the introduction of a compulsory annual medical examination for the
hunting license with sight control and 83% want to ban hunting in enclosures
(new item). If the
figures remain stable and high, two items mark a significant
increase. The ban on hunting species in a poor state of conservation
(90% are in favor) and the ban on raising game intended to be released for
hunting (77%) recorded an increase of 7 and 12 points respectively. In detail, the
items are on the rise everywhere, even among rural areas, with a very
significant increase in the ban on raising game intended to be released for
hunting (82%, +21 points). Finally,
while 39% of them say they have already been confronted with shocking facts
related to hunting in their area, the majority of people living
near a hunting area have already been worried about the idea
of hunting. walking in the forest (75%, 56% of whom were
several times) and even avoiding these areas because of the presence of
hunters (76%, 60% of whom were several times). Once again,
there is a difference according to gender for these items: women are more
willing to avoid walking in the forest (82%) or to worry (80%) when they walk
there than men ( 71% and 70%). (Ipsos
French) September
16, 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/seul-1-francais-sur-5-est-favorable-la-chasse
708-43-22/Country
Profile:
ASIA (Pakistan) 55% Of Pakistanis Are Happy With The Taliban Rule In
Afghanistan According to a survey conducted by Gallup
& Gilani Pakistan, 55% of Pakistanis claim that they are happy that the
Taliban will now rule Afghanistan. A nationally representative sample of
adult men and women from across the four provinces was asked the following
question, “Some people are happy that the Taliban will now rule Afghanistan.
Some are not happy about that. What is your opinion?” In response to this
question, 55% said they are happy, 25% said they are unhappy, 16% did not
know and 4% did not response. (Gallup Pakistan) September 14, 2021 AFRICA (Zimbabwe) Unemployment Is Zimbabweans’ Biggest Concern, Cited By 38%
Of Respondents As One Of Their Top Three Priorities For Government Action Unemployment is Zimbabweans’ biggest
concern, cited by 38% of respondents as one of their top three priorities for
government action. Infrastructure/roads (33%), education (31%), management of
the economy (26%), and water supply (20%) round out the top five. A lack of
jobs is more widely seen as a priority in the cities (45%) than in rural
areas (33%), as is management of the economy (36% vs. 19%). (Afrobarometer) 14 September 2021 WEST
EUROPE (UK) Two-Thirds Of Public Say Firms Should Be Allowed To Tackle
Worker Shortages By Recruiting From Overseas Two thirds of the public (65%) agree that
employers should be allowed to recruit from overseas for any job where there
are shortages. 77% of the public say recruitment from overseas should be
allowed for positions in key services such as health and social care. Just
13% say it should not be allowed. Support rises to 86% among people aged over
65. 67% say recruitment from overseas should be allowed for temporary
seasonal work in sectors such as fruit-picking and hospitality. Just 21% say
it should not be allowed. (Ipsos MORI) 14 September 2021 One In Three Non-Retired Britons Think They’ll Never Be
Able To Afford To Give Up Work A third of the public who have not retired
(36%) don’t think they’ll ever be able to afford to retire completely. Those
in the C2DE demographic group – many of whom do manual work – are much more
likely than those in the ABC1 social group – who tend to hold managerial or
administrative positions – to believe they won’t have enough money to give up
work later in life (45% to 31%). Only two in five (41%) non-retired people
believe they either already can or will afford to give up work. (YouGov UK) September 15, 2021 Six
In Ten Brits Oppose Climate Change Protesters Blocking The M25 New YouGov polling shows that four in ten
Britons have heard “a great deal” or “a fair amount” about the protests
(42%), with Londoners and Southerners most likely to be aware (48% and 47%,
respectively). Nevertheless, most Britons have heard little (33%) to nothing
(21%) about the demonstrations. While
many are unaware of the protests, those who have heard much about them are
even more negative: opposition to the action grows to 70% amongst Brits who
had heard a great deal or fair amount about the protests. (YouGov UK) September 17, 2021 4
In 10 Britons Considering A Holiday Abroad Next Year While 8 In 10 Will Stick
To The UK New research by Ipsos MORI shows Britons
are divided at the thought of travelling abroad with 2 in 5 (42%) considering
a foreign holiday in the next 12 months, given the current situation.
However, twice as many (81%) are likely to plan ‘staycations’ or holidays
elsewhere in the UK. Looking in more detail, 36% would consider a trip
within Europe while only a quarter (25%) would think about going elsewhere.
However, there have been slight increases since last year; when asked in
August 2020, 31% said they would go somewhere in Europe while 20% would go
further afield. (Ipsos MORI) 19 September 2021 (France) Only
1 In 5 French People Are In Favor Of Hunting The French are still predominantly opposed to hunting (51%,
stable). The arguments against hunting are
growing among the French population. In addition,
two-thirds of French people oppose the idea that hunters are the first
environmentalists in France. The idea that hunting is part of French cultural
heritage is declining sharply (shared
by 58% of French people, down 6 points). The
French are very much in favor of hunting being more strictly regulated :
nearly 6 out of 10 people questioned are in favor of all the proposals for
restrictive measures tested in our survey. (Ipsos French) September 16, 2021 (Germany) 20
Percent Of The German Citizens Entitled To Vote State That They Will Vote For
The CDU / CSU If There Would Be A General Election Next Sunday 20 percent of the German citizens entitled
to vote state that they will vote for the CDU / CSU if there would be a
general election next Sunday. This value is 1 percentage point lower compared
to the previous week and is identical to the value from 14 days ago. The
SPD also lost 1 percentage point compared to the beginning of September and
landed at 25 percent. The gap between the two parties therefore remains
at 5 percentage points again. Alliance 90 / The Greens remain unchanged
at 15 percent for the third week in a row. (YouGov Germany) September 16, 2021 NORTH AMERICA (USA) 73% Americans Say They Are Vaccinated, But At Least Half
Express Confusion More than a year and a half into the
coronavirus outbreak, large shares of Americans continue to see the
coronavirus as a major threat to public health and the U.S. economy. And
despite widespread vaccination efforts, 54% of U.S. adults say the worst of
the outbreak is still to come. Still, when asked to issue an overall
judgment, Americans on balance view the public health benefits of these
restrictions as having been worth the costs (62% to 37%). (PEW) SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 Simone Biles Was Mentioned In More Than 650,000 Tweets, Or
31% Of The Total Twitter accounts directly mentioned the
handles of U.S. Olympians in more than 2.1 million tweets. The vast majority
(90%) of those athlete accounts were mentioned at least once during that
time. These mentions were especially concentrated on a few key dates. Nearly
a third (31%) of all athlete mentions occurred during the three days of July
27-29, a period that included the women’s team and individual gymnastics
finals and swimmer Katie Ledecky winning the gold medal in the 1,500-meter
freestyle. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 (Canada) Canadians Increasingly Worried About Covid-19 Variants
(88%, +7), Fourth Wave (71%, +2) A recent Ipsos poll on conducted on behalf
of Global News finds that Canadians are more worried about the fourth wave
than they were when it was only a possibility (71%, +2) and are especially
more concerned about COVID-19 variants delaying things getting back to normal
(88%, +7). Furthermore, Canadians are now less likely to agree that the
spread of less-serious COVID-19 cases is acceptable in order to live without
restrictions (52%, -4), which could include mask or distancing mandates. (Ipsos Canada) 13 September 2021 Dead Heat Down The Home Stretch: In Final Days Of Campaign,
Liberals (32%, Unchanged) And Tories (32%, -3) Are Neck And Neck While NDP
(21%, Unchanged) Vote Holds Steady If the election were held tomorrow, the
Conservatives and the Liberals would both receive 32% of the decided national
popular vote, while the NDP would receive 21% of the vote. On a national
basis, the Bloc would receive 7% of the vote (unchanged), (32% of the vote
within Quebec), while the Green Party (4%, +2) and PPC (3%, +1) would receive
a smaller share of the vote. One percent (1%, +1) would vote for some other
party, and 4% would not vote. One in ten (11%, -1) Canadians remain
undecided. (Ipsos Canada) 15 September 2021 67% Of Gen Z In Canada Is “Certain” They Will Vote In This
Election Gen Z is considering voting strategically
this election cycle: four in ten (41%) say they will vote for a candidate
they think could win but is not their first choice, compared to 25% of the
general population who says the same thing. Who is the candidate Gen Z thinks
could win? It seems many have not decided or are waffling on their decision:
10% of Gen Z are undecided voters. Even among those who provided a preferred
party, 68% aren’t absolutely certain that their stated party is who they’ll
actually vote for. (Ipsos Canada) 15 September 2021 Poll Finds Trudeau (32%, -2) Narrowly Remains Best Choice
For Prime Minister, Over O’Toole (29%, Unchanged) And Singh (25%, -4) Based on current Ipsos polling data,
Trudeau and Singh continue to poll on par or ahead of the overall vote
intention for their respective parties (32% of Canadians say they intend to
vote for the Liberal party, and 32% of Canadians say Trudeau is the best fit
to be the Prime Minister; 21% of Canadians intend to vote for the NDP, and
25% of Canadians say Singh is the best fit to be the Prime Minister). O’Toole
and Blanchet continue to trail their parties. (Ipsos Canada) 16 September 2021 AUSTRALIA (New Zealand) Almost 3 Million New Zealanders Read Newspapers And Nearly
1.8 Million Read Magazines In 2021 2.96 million, or 71.7%, of New Zealanders
aged 14+ now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print
or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, almost 1.8 million New
Zealanders aged 14+ (42.5%) read magazines whether in print or online either
via the web or an app. These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New
Zealand Single Source survey of 6,609 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12
months to June 2021. (Roy Morgan) September 13 2021 (Australia) 57% Of Australians Approve Of The Federal Government’s Agreement
To Purchase Nuclear Submarines From The USA There are large differences based on voting
intention on this question with 89% of L-NP supporters approving of the
agreement to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the United States compared
to 47% of ALP supporters and only 14% of Greens supporters. Supporters of One
Nation (79%) and the United Australia Party (71%) are also clearly in
approval of the agreement. There is also a clear gender gap with over
two-thirds of men (68%) approving of the agreement to buy nuclear-powered
submarines compared to only 46% of women. (Roy Morgan) September 16 2021 MULTICOUNTRY STUDIES Six-In-Ten U S Adults Say That They Are Concerned That
Global Climate Change Will Harm Them Personally Six-in-ten U.S. adults say that they are
concerned that global climate change will harm them personally, compared with
a median of 72% who say the same across the 17 publics. However, 74% of
Americans are willing to make a lot or some changes in their lifestyles to
deal with climate change, closer to the eight-in-ten median who say that
elsewhere. When it comes to rating their own society’s role in dealing with
climate change, Americans are slightly less likely than people elsewhere to
say their own government is handling it well. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 Most Adults Vaccinated Against Covid-19 In All 13 Countries
Surveyed Intend To Get A Booster Shot A new 13-country Ipsos survey conducted in
partnership with the World Economic Forum finds large majorities of adults
fully vaccinated against COVID-19 saying they would get a booster shot if it
were available to them. Booster uptake intent ranges from 62% in Russia to
96% in Brazil. It is higher among those aged 55 and older in many countries. In
all but one of the 13 countries, most citizens surveyed expect vaccine
booster shots to be required at least annually to maintain protection against
COVID-19. However, majorities of adults in every country agree that the
priority for vaccines should be first doses for those who want them before
making booster shots available. (Ipsos MORI) 13 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/global-attitudes-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots More Than Half Of Respondents (53%) Agree
That Germany Has Been A Trustworthy Partner For Their Country On European
Issues Under Angela Merkel On average, across 11 European countries,
more than half of respondents (53%) agree that Germany has been a trustworthy partner for their
country on European issues under Angela Merkel, with only a
quarter (25%) disagreeing. Net agreement (% in agreement minus % in
disagreement) is highest in the Netherlands (+58), Sweden (+50), and France
(+44), but it is barely positive in Hungary (+4), Turkey (+7), and Italy
(+9). Across 16 non-European countries, agreement is even higher, with 55%
believing that Germany has been a reliable partner for their country on
global issues; only 14% think it has not. Net agreement ranges from 57 points
in India to 15 points in Japan. (Ipsos Canada) 15 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/global-views-angela-merkel-and-german-leadership As Delta Spreads, Global Consumer
Confidence Is Frozen In Place The Global Consumer Confidence Index is the
average of 24 countries’ National Indices. It is based on a monthly survey of
more than 17,500 adults under the age of 75 conducted on Ipsos’ Global
Advisor online platform. This survey was fielded between August 20 and
September 3, 2021. India is the only country out of the 24 surveyed to show
significant change in its National Index score – an increase of 2.1 points
since last month. At a global level, the Jobs Index sees its ninth
consecutive month of growth (+0.5 point), but the Investment and Expectations
Indices remain nearly the same (both -0.1). (Ipsos Canada) 16 September
2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/delta-spreads-global-consumer-confidence-frozen-place ASIA
708-43-01/Polls 55% Of
Pakistanis Are Happy With The Taliban Rule In Afghanistan
According to a survey conducted by Gallup
& Gilani Pakistan, 55% of Pakistanis claim that they are happy that the
Taliban will now rule Afghanistan. A nationally representative sample of
adult men and women from across the four provinces was asked the following
question, “Some people are happy that the Taliban will now rule Afghanistan.
Some are not happy about that. What is your opinion?” In response to this
question, 55% said they are happy, 25% said they are unhappy, 16% did not
know and 4% did not response.
Urban-rural breakdown More people from rural areas (28%) feel
unhappy about the Taliban now ruling Afghanistan as compared to those from
urban areas (20%).
Provincial Breakdown Relatively more people from KPK (65%) are
happy that the Taliban are now ruling Afghanistan as compared to the other
provinces.
Gender Breakdown Higher number of males (58%) are happy
about the Taliban now ruling Afghanistan as compared to females (36%).
Age Breakdown A greater number older aged people i.e.
those above 50 years of age (68%) are happy about the Taliban ruling
Afghanistan as compared to those aged under 30 (52%) or those aged between 30
to 50 years old (55%).
(Gallup Pakistan) September 14, 2021 Source: https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/14th-Sept-happy-with-taliban-rule.pdf AFRICA
708-43-02/Polls Unemployment
Is Zimbabweans’ Biggest Concern, Cited By 38% Of Respondents As One Of Their
Top Three Priorities For Government Action
Unemployment remains the most important
problem that Zimbabweans want their government to address, according to the
latest Afrobarometer survey. Infrastructure/roads, education, management
of the economy, and water supply follow as top priorities on citizens’
agenda. While rankings vary somewhat by
respondents’ location, gender, generation, and education levels, the major
concerns are fairly consistent across demographic groups. Key findings ▪ Unemployment is Zimbabweans’
biggest concern, cited by 38% of respondents as one of their top three
priorities for government action. Infrastructure/roads (33%), education
(31%), management of the economy (26%), and water supply (20%) round out the
top five (Figure 1). ▪A lack of jobs is more widely seen
as a priority in the cities (45%) than in rural areas (33%), as is management of the economy (36%
vs. 19%) (Figure 2). o Rural residents are more likely than
their urban counterparts to prioritize health (25% vs. 11%) and water supply (23% vs.
16%). ▪ Men are somewhat more likely than
women to rank unemployment and infrastructure/roads among the most important
problems that government should address. More women than men cite food
shortage as a top concern (Figure 3). ▪Among youth, unemployment (40%) and
education (35%) top the list of priorities (Table 1). o Among respondents with primary schooling
or less, education (33%) ranks as the No. 1 concern. (Afrobarometer) 14 September 2021 WEST
EUROPE
708-43-03/Polls Two-Thirds Of Public Say Firms Should Be Allowed To Tackle Worker
Shortages By Recruiting From Overseas
The report, Immigration: a changing
debate, by
the independent think tank British Future, draws on the latest findings from Ipsos
MORI research that has tracked changing public attitudes to immigration
across twelve waves of research since 2015. It finds:
This year sees a new balance in immigration attitudes. Roughly twice
a year since 2015 this survey has asked the public if they would prefer
immigration to increase, decrease or remain at its current level. The number
of people who want to reduce immigration is now at its lowest level in the
series (45%), while more people than ever before would be happy for
immigration to increase (17%). For the first time, the proportion of people
wanting to reduce immigration (45%) is on a par with the 46% who either want
to keep it at current levels (29%) or higher (17%). The research also notes a continuing trend of the public feeling that
immigration has a positive impact (46%) more than a negative impact (28%) on
Britain. When the tracker survey was conducted in February 2015, by
comparison, it found only 35% were positive and 41% were negative.
Sunder Katwala, Director of the independent
think tank British Future that led the
research, said: Public attitudes to immigration are warmer
today than at any point since 2015, as opinion has gradually shifted since
2016. Gideon Skinner, Research Director at Ipsos
MORI, said: As recent stories have highlighted, even
though it may have slipped down the public agenda in recent years,
immigration continues to have important social and economic implications for
the country, and understanding public views as the situation changes is vital
– with many still thinking it is discussed too little. Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the
Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), said: The UK is experiencing a serious shortage
of labour right now, affecting every sector across the country. Re-opening
the economy has created a short-term crisis, but a number of factors mean
that the jobs market will remain tight for years to come. The report also finds that only 12% of the public say they are
currently satisfied with how the government is handling immigration, compared
to 55% who say they are dissatisfied. It also includes sections on public
attitudes to new immigration from Hong Kong and to UK refugee protection,
though fieldwork was conducted prior to the refugee crisis in Afghanistan. (Ipsos MORI) 14 September 2021 708-43-04/Polls One In Three Non-Retired Britons Think They’ll Never Be Able To
Afford To Give Up Work
Many Britons don’t think they will be able to retire and are not
confident that they could cover their elderly care costs, a new YouGov survey
shows. A third of the public who have not retired (36%) don’t think they’ll
ever be able to afford to retire completely. Those in the C2DE demographic
group – many of whom do manual work – are much more likely than those in the
ABC1 social group – who tend to hold managerial or administrative positions –
to believe they won’t have enough money to give up work later in life (45% to
31%). Only two in five (41%) non-retired people believe they either already
can or will afford to give up work. Among this group, the median age at
which they think they will have enough to retire on is 65. While this is the
same age as those in ABC1 positions, it rises to 67 among those in the C2DE
social grade. Many people are not confident they’ll be able to cover living or care
costs in old age The government is facing increasing pressure to
reform social care and devote enough funding to ensure elderly
people’s savings are not depleted by care costs. YouGov’s research suggests
that three in five (61%) say they’re ‘not confident’ they will have saved up
enough to cover their own care costs in old age, while one in five are
uncertain (20%). Only a fifth (20%) are confident that they could cover them. People in the C2DE social group are less confident than those in the
ABC1 category to think they’ll be able to afford care costs (70% versus 55%). YouGov’s research also asked about how non-retired people feel about
being able to cover the cost of living later in life. Britons are split on
this, with 45% being confident they will have enough to cover the cost of
living while 43% are not confident. Another 11% remain unsure. Moreover, half (52%) of those who are not yet retired are not convinced
they will be able to live comfortably in old age while only a third (36%)
feel confident they will. A further 12% are uncertain. (YouGov UK) September 15, 2021 708-43-05/Polls Six In Ten Brits Oppose Climate Change Protesters Blocking The M25
This week climate change protesters have brought
key sections of the M25 to a halt by blocking major junctions,
including those to Heathrow Terminal 4 and Lakeside shopping centre in Essex.
The protesters are aiming to bring attention to the issue of climate change,
specifically campaigning for more investment in making homes energy
efficient. New YouGov polling shows that four in ten Britons have heard “a great
deal” or “a fair amount” about the protests (42%), with Londoners and
Southerners most likely to be aware (48% and 47%, respectively). Nevertheless, most Britons have heard little (33%) to nothing (21%)
about the demonstrations. There is, however, limited support for the protests. Six in ten
adults (59%) oppose the protesters' actions, with just a quarter of adults
(25%) backing them. While many are unaware of the protests, those who have
heard much about them are even more negative: opposition to the action grows
to 70% amongst Brits who had heard a great deal or fair amount about the
protests. Support does, however, rise to 49% amongst adults who listed
pollution, the environment and climate change as one of their top three most
important issues facing the country (higher than the 39% of this group who
are opposed). A majority of Brits (64%) also feel that this kind of action actually
hinders the cause of the wider climate change movement. Older adults hold
this view particularly strongly, with 73% saying this action is damaging to
public perceptions of the climate change movement. Just 15% think this sort
of behaviour endears the cause to the public. While those who rank the environment highly as an important issue
tend to be more supportive of the protests, they do not think it is helpful
for the environmentalist cause overall. By 55% to 16%, this group feel that
this kind of action hinders garnering public support for the fight against
climate change.
(YouGov UK) September 17, 2021 708-43-06/Polls 4 In 10 Britons Considering A Holiday Abroad Next Year While 8 In 10
Will Stick To The UK
New research by Ipsos MORI shows Britons are divided at the thought
of travelling abroad with 2 in 5 (42%) considering a foreign holiday in the
next 12 months, given the current situation. However, twice as many (81%) are
likely to plan ‘staycations’ or holidays elsewhere in the UK.
This still means more people are considering holidays abroad and at
home over the next 12 months than were able to take them this year.
This year, only around 1 in 10 (8%) of Britons have been on holiday
abroad (6% within Europe while 3% have gone elsewhere). Younger Britons are
most likely to have gone abroad: 15% of 16-34-year olds have been away
compared with only 7% of 35-54s and 4% of 55-75s. The middle classes are also
more likely to have been away: 11% of ABC1s have gone abroad this year while
only 5% of C2DEs have done the same. Only 4 in 10 (39%) of Britons have stayed somewhere in the UK for at
least one night away from home, while a quarter have done various day trips.
Four in 10 (40%) did not take any of these types of holidays.
This year has still seen the effect of the
pandemic with UK holidays and staycations much more popular than trips
abroad. Looking ahead to next 12 months, there are some signs that
Britons are becoming slightly more optimistic about returning to their
foreign travels, obviously depending on the situation, but the domestic
staycation appears to be here to stay. (Ipsos MORI) 19 September 2021 708-43-07/Polls Only 1 In 5 French People Are In Favor Of Hunting
The key lessons of the study:
More than one in two French people are now opposed to hunting (51%,
stable compared to 2018), a quarter of them (26%) being completely
opposed to it. At the same time, only one in five French people (20%, +1 point) is in favor. Nevertheless,
a not insignificant part of the population does not express an opinion with
regard to hunting: 29% of the French
are indifferent to it.
Despite their opposition to hunting, the French nevertheless
attribute certain qualities to the practice. Six in ten people consider
that hunting is essential to manage animal populations and 58% think that hunting is part of the French
cultural heritage. However, this last figure is down
sharply: -6 points compared to 2018. In
addition, only a minority consider that hunting is a hobby like any other
(39%). The proportion of French people who agree with the arguments against
hunting is much higher. They are 83% (-1 point) to declare hunting as a
source of safety problems for walkers and they are a clear majority to say that it is a cruel practice (65%,
+2 points) and of another age (56%,
+2 points). For the moment, they are less inclined to consider that it
is a polluting practice (41%) but this figure - like the two previous ones -
is up compared to 2018 (+2 points).
Contrary to what the campaign published by the National Federation of
Hunters affirmed, namely that hunters were the first environmentalists in
France, two in three French people (66%) do not agree with this idea.
The French are very supportive
of an in-depth reform of hunting . 93% of them want the
introduction of a compulsory annual medical examination for the hunting
license with sight control and 83% want to ban hunting in enclosures (new
item).
Finally, while 39% of them say they have already been confronted with
shocking facts related to hunting in their area, the majority of people living near a
hunting area have already been worried
about the idea of hunting. walking in the forest (75%, 56% of whom were several times)
and even avoiding these areas because of the presence of hunters (76%, 60% of
whom were several times).
(Ipsos French) September 16, 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/seul-1-francais-sur-5-est-favorable-la-chasse 708-43-08/Polls 20 Percent Of The German Citizens Entitled To Vote State That They
Will Vote For The CDU / CSU If There Would Be A General Election Next Sunday
20 percent of the German citizens entitled to vote state that they
will vote for the CDU / CSU if there would be a general election next
Sunday. This value is 1 percentage point lower compared to the previous
week and is identical to the value from 14 days ago. The SPD also lost 1
percentage point compared to the beginning of September and landed at 25
percent. The gap between the two parties therefore remains at 5
percentage points again. Alliance 90 / The Greens remain unchanged at 15
percent for the third week in a row.
The FDP also remains unchanged at 10 percent. The left, on the
other hand, could gain 2 percentage points and land again at 8 percent (cf. 6
percent in the previous week). The AfD ends up at 11 percent. The
free voters reach 3 percent for the first time in this election
campaign. 7 percent of the German eligible voters who intend to vote
would vote for other parties this week if there were to be a federal election
next Sunday.
That is the result of the current Sunday question, for which 1,816
people out of 2,089 survey participants who are eligible to vote submitted
their voting intention between 09.09.2021 and 14.09.2021. Environmental and climate protection the
most important topic for Germans According to the respondents, the most important topic that
politicians in Germany should be concerned about at the moment is
environmental and climate protection. This is what one in four of the
eligible voters surveyed said (25 percent). The respondents most often
agree that the Greens have problem-solving skills on this issue (38 percent),
with CDU / CSU mentioned by 10 percent. The SPD achieved 9 percent on
this question. A total of 16 percent of all respondents say that they do
not attribute solution competence to any party when it comes to environmental
and climate protection. Red-Green would be the most popular
coalition Regardless of the actual election result, 30 percent of those
surveyed indicated that they were in favor of a coalition between the SPD and
the Greens. One in four (25 percent) is in favor of a red-red-green
coalition between the SPD, the Greens and the Left. 24 percent each
support a grand coalition (CDU / CSU + SPD) and a black-yellow coalition made
up of the Union and FDP. A traffic light coalition made up of the SPD,
the Greens and the FDP achieved 22 percent approval among German voters.
Olaf Scholz remains the most popular among
the respondents If they could elect the Federal Chancellor directly, 30 percent of
Germans eligible to vote would currently vote for the SPD Chancellor
candidate Olaf Scholz. 12 percent say this about Annalena Baerbock from
the Greens and 11 percent about Armin Laschet as CDU / CSU candidate for
chancellor. 36 percent of those surveyed said that they would not vote
for any of the three chancellor candidates asked. (YouGov Germany) September 16, 2021 Source: https://yougov.de/news/2021/09/16/sonntagsfrage-spd-bleibt-weiter-5-prozentpunkte-vo/ NORTH
AMERICA
708-43-09/Polls 73% Americans Say They Are Vaccinated, But At Least Half Express
Confusion
More than a year and a half into the coronavirus outbreak, large
shares of Americans continue to see the coronavirus as a major threat to
public health and the U.S. economy. And despite widespread vaccination
efforts, 54% of U.S. adults say the worst of the outbreak is still to come.
The toll of restrictions on public activities in order to slow the
spread of the coronavirus is deeply felt across groups: Overwhelming
majorities say restrictions have done a lot or some to hurt businesses and
economic activity and keep people from living their lives the way they want.
Smaller majorities say these restrictions have helped at least some to
prevent hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus and to slow the
spread of the virus. Still, when asked to issue an overall judgment,
Americans on balance view the public health benefits of these restrictions as
having been worth the costs (62% to 37%). A new national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted from Aug. 23
to 29 among 10,348 U.S. adults, prior to President Joe Biden’s announcement
of COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employers, finds that 73% of those ages 18
and older say they’ve received at least one dose of a vaccine for COVID-19,
with the vast majority of this group saying they have received all the shots
they need to be fully vaccinated. About a quarter of adults (26%) say they
have not received a vaccine. Vaccination rates vary significantly across demographic groups, with
smaller majorities of younger adults, those with lower family incomes and
those living in rural areas saying they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine. No
more than six-in-ten of those without health insurance and White evangelical
Protestants say they’ve been vaccinated (57% each). Notably, Black adults are
now about as likely as White adults to say they’ve received a vaccine.
Earlier in the outbreak, Black adults were less likely than White adults to
say they planned to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Partisan affiliation remains one of the widest differences in
vaccination status: 86% of Democrats and independents who lean toward the
Democratic Party have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,
compared with 60% of Republicans and Republican leaners. Americans express a range of sometimes cross-pressured sentiments
toward vaccines. Overall, 73% say the statement “vaccines are the best way to
protect Americans from COVID-19” describes their views very or somewhat well;
60% say their views are described at least somewhat well by the statement
“people who choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccine are hurting the country.” At the same time, 51% of the public says that the phrase “there’s too
much pressure on Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine” describes their own
views very or somewhat well. And 61% say the same about the statement “we
don’t really know yet if there are serious health risks from COVID-19
vaccines.” Vaccinated adults and those who have not received a vaccine differ
widely in their views of vaccines – as well as other elements of the broader
coronavirus outbreak. For instance, 77% of vaccinated adults say the
statement “people who choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccine are hurting the
country” describes them at least somewhat well. By contrast, 88% of those who
have not received a vaccine say that “there’s too much pressure on Americans
to get a COVID-19 vaccine” describes their own views very or somewhat well. However, vaccinated adults are not without anxieties and concerns
surrounding vaccines: 54% of this group says the statement “we don’t really
know yet if there are serious health risks from COVID-19 vaccines” describes
them very or somewhat well, and 50% say the same about the statement “it’s
hard to make sense of all the information about COVID-19 vaccines.”
With the delta variant having changed the trajectory of the outbreak
in the United States and around the world, large majorities continue to see a
number of steps as necessary to address the coronavirus, including requiring
masks for travelers on airplanes and public transportation (80%), restricting
international travel (79%) and asking people to avoid gathering in large
groups (73%).
The public is closely divided over limiting restaurants to carry-out
and closing K-12 schools for in-person learning: About as many adults say
these steps are unnecessary as say they are necessary. Vaccination requirements for in-person activities have gone into
effect in a number of U.S. cities, including New Orleans, New York City and
San Francisco. A 61% majority of Americans favor requiring adults to show
proof of vaccination before being allowed to travel by airplane. More than
half also say proof of vaccination should be required to attend public
colleges and universities (57%) and to go to sporting events and concerts
(56%). However, the public is less convinced that vaccine requirements are
needed in other settings. Equal shares of Americans favor and oppose requiring
proof of vaccination to eat inside of a restaurant (50% vs. 50%), and 54% say
they oppose a vaccination requirement to shop inside stores and businesses. The intertwined dynamics of partisan affiliation and vaccination
status are visible in views of policies to limit the spread of the
coronavirus and vaccine requirements. Democrats offer broad support for most
measures, while Republicans back select steps – like limiting international
travel and requiring masks on public transportation – while opposing others
and offering very little support for vaccine mandates. Similarly, vaccinated
adults are far more supportive of policy steps aimed at limiting the spread
of the coronavirus – and vaccine requirements – than are those who have not
received a COVID-19 vaccine. Changes to public health guidance over
course of outbreak: understandable, but also a source of concern for at least
half of Americans Over the course of the pandemic, public health officials have changed
their recommendations about how to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the
U.S.
A majority of Americans (61%) say changes to public health
recommendations since the start of the outbreak have made sense because
scientific knowledge is always being updated. About half (51%) say these
changes have reassured them that public health officials are staying on top
of new information. However, changes to public health guidance have also sparked
confusion and skepticism among significant shares of the public: 55% say
changes made them wonder if public health officials were holding back
important information, 53% say it made them feel confused and 51% say it made
them less confident in officials’ recommendations. Taken together, 63% of U.S. adults say they’ve felt at least one of
two negative reactions regarding public health officials because of changing
guidance: wondering if they were holding back important information or
feeling less confident in their recommendations. Mask wearing – among the most visible examples of shifting public
health guidance, as well as a policy flashpoint at the state and local level
– has become less frequent since earlier this year. Overall, 53% of U.S.
adults say they’ve been wearing a mask or face covering all or most of the
time when in stores and businesses over the last month, down 35 percentage
points from 88% who said this in February (when mask requirements around the
country were more widespread). The practice of mask wearing is now far more common among Democrats
and those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Democrats are now more
than twice as likely as Republicans to say they’ve been wearing a mask in
stores and businesses all or most of the time in recent weeks (71% vs. 30%).
In February, large shares of both Democrats and Republicans had reported
frequent mask wearing (93% and 83%, respectively). People who have received a COVID-19 vaccine (59%) are more likely
than those who have not (37%) to say they’ve been wearing a mask all or most
of the time when inside stores or businesses. Frequent mask wearing is
especially high among those who say they are very concerned about getting a
serious case of the disease (80%). Black adults about as likely as White
adults to have received a COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccination rates differ across key demographic groups and traits,
including age, family income, partisanship, health insurance status,
community type and religious affiliation. Comparable majorities of Black (70%) and White (72%) adults have
received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Among Hispanic adults, 76%
say they have received a vaccine, as do an overwhelming majority of
English-speaking Asian adults (94%). At earlier stages of the outbreak, Black adults had expressed
significantly lower levels of intent to get a COVID-19 vaccine than White adults. The vaccination rate among White evangelical Protestants continues to
lag behind those of other major religious groups: 57% of White evangelicals
say they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with
73% of White Protestants who are not evangelicals, 75% of religiously
unaffiliated adults and 82% of Catholics. For more details on vaccination
status by religion, see the Appendix. Older adults remain more likely than younger adults to have received
at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Age differences in vaccination
status are much more pronounced among Republicans and Republican leaners than
among Democrats and Democratic leaners. See the Appendix for
more details. These are among the principal findings from Pew Research Center’s
survey of 10,348 U.S. adults conducted from Aug. 23 to 29, 2021, on the
coronavirus outbreak and Americans’ views of a COVID-19 vaccine. The survey
also finds: 39% say most businesses in the U.S. should
require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Another
35% say businesses should encourage employees to get a vaccine, but not
require it. A quarter of the public says most businesses should neither
require nor encourage employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The survey was
fielded before President Joe Biden’s announcement that employers with more
than 100 workers will be required to have their workers vaccinated or tested
weekly for the coronavirus. 72% say they personally know someone who
has been hospitalized or died from COVID-19. As
has been the case throughout the outbreak, larger shares of Black (82%) and
Hispanic (78%) adults than White (70%) and English-speaking Asian adults
(64%) say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died as a
result of the coronavirus. A relatively small share of Americans (26%)
are aware that few adults in developing countries have access to COVID-19
vaccines. A majority (76%) places importance on
the U.S. providing large numbers of COVID-19 vaccines to developing
countries, though just 26% call this a top
priority for the U.S. Biden’s job ratings for handling the
outbreak have declined. Larger shares now say
Joe Biden is doing an only fair or poor job (52%) responding to the
coronavirus outbreak than say he is doing an excellent or good job (47%). In
February, 54% said he was doing an excellent or good job. By contrast,
Americans continue to give very high marks to hospitals and medical centers
in their area: 85% say they are doing an excellent or good job responding to
the coronavirus outbreak. Republicans grow more skeptical of
scientists’ judgment. Nearly seven-in-ten
Republicans (68%) say scientists’ judgments are just as likely to be biased
as other people’s, up from 55% who said this in January 2019. By contrast, a
growing share of Democrats take the opposite view and say scientists make
judgments solely on the facts (73% of Democrats say this today, up from 62%
in 2019). Large partisan gap persists in whether
COVID-19 poses serious public health threat A majority of Americans (61%) continue to say the coronavirus
outbreak poses a major threat to the health of the U.S. population as a
whole. Another 33% say the virus is a minor threat, while just 6% say it is
not a threat. The share that views the coronavirus as a major threat to public
health has largely held steady since late March of 2020, following the declaration
of a national public health emergency in the U.S. The current share that
views the coronavirus as a major threat to public health is about the same as
it was in February 2021 (63%), when the country was coming out of a
peak of cases and COVID-19-related deaths, and before widespread
rollout of the vaccine. A larger majority of U.S. adults (72%) say the coronavirus outbreak
is a major threat to the U.S. economy. This is down slightly from February of
this year, when 81% saw the outbreak as a major threat to the economy.
Large partisan divides persist in views of the public health threat
posed by COVID-19. Eight-in-ten Democrats and independents who lean toward
the Democratic Party say the outbreak is a major threat to the health of the
U.S. population, while just 38% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the
same. The partisan gap on this question is as wide as it has been at any
point during the pandemic.
By contrast, majorities of both Democrats (75%) and Republicans (69%)
see the COVID-19 outbreak as a major threat to the country’s economy. While
economic concerns remain high, the shares of both parties who see the virus
as a serious concern for the economy have moved lower since February, when
83% of Democrats and 81% of Republicans said it was a major threat. Vaccination status is closely tied to perceptions of the public
health threat posed by the coronavirus outbreak: 70% of vaccinated adults
view it as a major threat to the health of the U.S. population, compared with
just 37% of adults who have not received a vaccine. There is shared concern
over the impact on the economy, however: Majorities of both vaccinated (74%)
and unvaccinated (67%) adults say the coronavirus poses a major threat to the
U.S. economy. Hospitals, medical centers continue to
receive positive ratings for their outbreak response; Biden’s ratings decline
The public continues to rate the job their local hospitals have done
responding to the coronavirus very positively; these ratings have been
consistently high since the early days of the pandemic. Ratings for President
Joe Biden’s handling of the outbreak have declined since February and now tilt
more negative than positive. Assessments of other groups, including public
health officials and state and local elected officials, are steady since
February, but remain lower than they were in the early stages of the
outbreak. Overall, 47% say Biden is doing an excellent or good job responding
to the coronavirus outbreak, while slightly more (52%) say he is doing an
only fair or poor job. Ratings for Biden have declined since February,
shortly after he took office, when 54% said he was doing an excellent or good
job. A large majority of Americans (85%) say their hospitals and medical
centers are doing an excellent or good job responding to the coronavirus
outbreak, identical to the share who said this in February 2021. Six-in-ten say public health officials, such as those at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are doing an excellent or good job
in their coronavirus response. This rating is lower than it was during the
early months of the outbreak, but about the same as it was in February of
this year (62%).
A majority of Americans (56%) also say that their local elected
officials are doing an excellent or good job responding to the outbreak. A
slightly smaller share (50%) rate their state elected officials’ responses as
excellent or good. As with ratings of public health officials, assessments of
local and state elected officials are lower than they were early in the
outbreak, but are about the same as they were when the questions were last
asked six months ago. Republicans and Democrats share positive assessments of the COVID-19
response from their local hospitals and medical centers but differ widely on
the job public health officials and Biden are doing. Large majorities of Republicans (83%) and Democrats (88%) say
hospitals and medical centers in their area are doing an excellent or good
job responding to the coronavirus outbreak. By contrast, a much larger share of Democrats (79%) than Republicans
(37%) give positive ratings to the job public health officials, such as those
at the CDC, have done responding to the outbreak. Ratings of public health
officials among Republicans are down 7 percentage points since February; as a
result, the partisan gap in assessments of public health officials has grown
even wider (from 35 points to 42 points in the current survey). Partisan divides are even larger for ratings of Biden. About
three-quarters of Democrats (74%) say he is doing an excellent or good job
responding to the coronavirus pandemic, compared with just 15% of Republicans
– a 59-point gap. Ratings of Biden are down among both parties since
February, when 84% of Democrats and 20% of Republicans rated his performance
highly. The size of the partisan gap in ratings of Biden is similar to
differences seen in ratings of former President Donald Trump at the end of
his administration. In
February, 71% of Republicans said he did an excellent or good job
responding to the pandemic during his time in office, compared with just 7%
of Democrats. There are modest differences between Republicans and Democrats in
assessments of how their local and state elected officials are handling the
outbreak. Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to rate the job
being done by local officials (60% vs. 53%) and state elected officials (55%
vs. 45%) as excellent or good. 54% of Americans say worst still to come
from coronavirus outbreak Thinking about the problems the country is facing from the outbreak,
a narrow majority (54%) says they think the worst is still to come, while 45%
say the worst is behind us.
Views are more positive than they were in November 2020 – before
COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use in the U.S. – when just 28% of
Americans thought the worst was behind us and 71% said the worst was still
yet to come. Republicans and Republican leaners are slightly more optimistic about
the state of the outbreak than Democrats and Democratic leaners: 53% of
Republicans say the worst is behind us, while 59% of Democrats take the
opposing view and think the worst is still to come. Adults who have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine
and those who have not view the state of the coronavirus outbreak in similar
terms: 53% of vaccinated and 56% of unvaccinated adults say the worst of the
problems from the outbreak are still to come. The toll of restrictions on public activity
are widely felt, but majority in U.S. sees public health benefits as worth
the cost Nearly all adults in the U.S. say that coronavirus-related
restrictions on public activity have hurt businesses and economic activity
either a lot (69%) or some (26%); just 5% say these restrictions have hurt
businesses not too much or not at all.
Large shares also say restrictions on public activity have kept
people from living their lives the way they want either a lot (58%) or some
(31%). Americans are less convinced of how much the restrictions have helped
to prevent hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus and helped to
slow its spread. Majorities say the restrictions have helped at least some in
each regard, but only about three-in-ten say they have done a lot to help
prevent hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 (32%) or slow the spread of
the coronavirus (31%). Nonetheless, when asked to assess the overall impact of the
restrictions on public activity, a majority of Americans (62%) say the public
health benefits have been worth the costs; significantly fewer (37%) say they
have not been worth the costs.
Vaccinated adults (those who have received at least one dose of a
coronavirus vaccine) are less likely than those who have not received a
vaccine to say restrictions on public activity have done a lot to hurt
businesses and keep people from living their lives, and they are more likely
to say restrictions have done a lot to help prevent serious illnesses and
slow the virus’s spread. For example, 40% of vaccinated adults say restrictions
have helped a lot to prevent hospitalizations and deaths from the virus,
compared with just 12% of unvaccinated adults who say the same.
These two groups arrive at differing conclusions about the overall
impact of the restrictions: 73% of vaccinated adults say the public health
benefits of the restrictions have been worth the costs, while 33% of those
not vaccinated say this. A majority of those not vaccinated (65%) say the
health benefits of the restrictions have not been worth the costs. There are also wide differences in views of the public health
restrictions by partisanship, with Republicans being more likely than
Democrats to say the restrictions have had negative impacts, and less likely
to say they have helped a lot to prevent severe illnesses and slow the spread
of the coronavirus. Majorities in U.S. back proof of
vaccination for air travel, college students
As several cities and
businesses around the country have begun requiring customers to show proof of
COVID-19 vaccination to do things like eat at restaurants or attend
concerts, Americans offer mixed views of these requirements, with opinion
ranging from majority support to opposition, depending on the setting. About six-in-ten Americans (61%) say they favor requiring adults in
the U.S. to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before being allowed to travel
by airplane, while 38% would oppose such a requirement. While some U.S.
airlines have required
their employees to get vaccinated, they have so far stopped short of
requiring proof of vaccination from travelers – although some destinations,
such as Hawaii,
require visitors to either show proof of vaccination or a negative
coronavirus test result, or else quarantine for 10 days after arrival. As the school year begins around the country, just under six-in-ten
Americans (57%) say they favor requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for
students to attend public colleges and universities in person. More than 800
U.S. colleges are requiring
vaccinations for students and staff to be on campus, and more are
strongly encouraging vaccination. A narrow majority of adults (56%) also support requiring proof of
COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend sporting events or concerts. The public is evenly split over whether they would support or oppose
being made to show proof of vaccination to eat inside of a restaurant. Some
cities, such as New
York, have required restaurants and bars to ask for proof of vaccination
in response to rising infections and hospitalizations.
On balance, the public leans against requiring proof of vaccination
to shop inside stores and businesses: 54% say they are opposed to this, while
45% support such a requirement. Partisanship, as well as vaccination status, plays a large role in
views about requiring coronavirus vaccines. Majorities of Democrats favor
requiring adults to show proof of vaccination before doing all five of the
activities included in the survey; by contrast, majorities of Republicans
oppose each of these measures. For example, 77% of Democrats and independents who lean toward the
Democratic Party favor requiring those going to a sporting event or concert
to show proof of vaccination, while 68% of Republicans and Republican leaners
oppose requiring spectators to prove they’ve received a coronavirus vaccine. Not surprisingly, adults who have not received a vaccine
overwhelmingly oppose requiring proof of vaccination in these settings;
roughly eight-in-ten or more oppose each of the five activities requiring
proof of vaccination. Among those who have received at least one dose of a
vaccine, majorities support requiring proof of vaccination, though the level
of support varies from 56% for shopping inside stores and businesses to 77%
for travel by airplane. Differences in views by vaccination status exist within partisan
groups. Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 55% of vaccinated
Republicans favor requiring proof of vaccination for air travel, compared
with 12% of unvaccinated Republicans. Just under half of vaccinated
Republicans back proof of vaccination for attending events and public
colleges and universities (compared with only about 10% of unvaccinated
Republicans). However, when it comes to requirements to eat inside
restaurants or shop, majorities of Republicans, regardless of vaccination
status, oppose having to provide proof of vaccination. (60% of Republicans
and Republican leaners are vaccinated; 38% are not.) Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, differences are even wider,
with majorities of vaccinated Democrats in favor of requiring proof of
vaccination in all five settings and majorities of unvaccinated Democrats
opposed to all five requirements. However, those who have not received a
vaccine represent a small share of all Democrats (14%), compared with 38%
among Republicans. Requiring masks on transit, restricting
international travel, avoiding large gatherings widely seen as necessary
steps to address coronavirus
When asked about policies in place in some areas of the country to
address the coronavirus outbreak, 80% of Americans say they think it is
necessary to require masks for people traveling on airplanes or public
transportation. A similar majority (79%) says it is necessary to restrict
international travel to the U.S. About three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) also think asking people to
avoid gathering in large groups is a necessary step to deal with the
outbreak. The public is closely divided on the necessity of two other policies:
limiting restaurants to carry-out only (50% necessary, 50% unnecessary) and
closing K-12 schools for in-person learning (48% necessary, 51% unnecessary).
In-person learning has recently restarted at most schools around the country
– although some schools have had to temporarily revert
to remote instruction due to coronavirus outbreaks among students or
staff. The shares of Americans that support each of these measures have
stayed relatively stable since the questions were last asked in February
2021.
Vaccinated adults (including those who have received one of two
vaccine doses) are more likely to see each of these five policies as
necessary to address the outbreak than adults who have not received a vaccine. For instance, 82% of vaccinated Americans think it is necessary to
ask people to avoid gathering in large groups. About half of unvaccinated
adults (49%) say this policy is necessary, while 51% say it is unnecessary.
There also are wide differences in views of policies aimed at
addressing the coronavirus outbreak by partisanship, with Democrats
expressing significantly more support for each policy than Republicans. However, the magnitude of the partisan gap varies by policy. For instance, majorities of Democrats (85%) and Republicans (73%) say
it’s necessary to restrict international travel to the U.S. in order to
address the coronavirus outbreak (a 12-point partisan gap). By contrast, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say it
is necessary to limit restaurants to carry-out only (68% vs 26%) and to close
K-12 schools for in-person learning (67% vs. 25%). Decline in share of U.S. adults who report
frequent mask wearing
Public health guidance on mask wearing has changed over the course of
the outbreak, and policies requiring masks – or preventing mask requirements
– have varied widely at the state and local level. In the current survey, 53% of adults say that in the past month they
have worn a mask or face covering all or most of the time when in stores and
businesses; 21% say they have worn one some of the time and 25% say they’ve
worn a mask in these public places hardly ever or never. The share of U.S. adults who say they’ve been wearing a mask all or
most of the time is down 35 points since February, when mask mandates were
more widely in place around the country than they are today. The decline in
frequent mask wearing has been much greater among Republicans (down 53
points) than among Democrats (down 22 points). In February, there was a
modest partisan divide on this question as large majorities of both
Republicans (83%) and Democrats (93%) said they had been wearing a mask all
or most of the time in public. Today, the partisan gap has grown dramatically
to 41 points as Democrats are now far more likely than Republicans to report
wearing a mask all or most of the time when in stores and businesses (71% vs.
30%).
Vaccinated adults are significantly more likely than those who have
not received a COVID-19 vaccine to report frequently wearing a mask in public
places. About six-in-ten (59%) of those who have received at least one dose
of a vaccine say they have been wearing a mask all or most of the time in
stores and businesses over the last month. A much smaller share (37%) of
those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine report this level of mask
wearing; 45% of this group say they have been wearing a mask in stores and
businesses hardly ever or never in the last month. There is a strong link between personal concern about getting a serious
case of the coronavirus and mask wearing. Eight-in-ten of those who are very
concerned about getting the coronavirus and requiring hospitalization say
they’ve been wearing a mask all or most of the time in stores and businesses.
The share who report frequent mask wearing falls to 64% among those who are
somewhat concerned about getting a serious case of the coronavirus and to 38%
among those who are not too or not at all about getting the coronavirus and
requiring hospitalization. Mask-wearing habits also differ significantly by the type of
community where people live. Nearly seven-in-ten adults who live in urban
areas (68%) say they’ve been wearing a mask all or most of the time in stores
and businesses, compared with 51% of those in suburban areas and 42% of those
in rural areas. 58% of Americans express concern about
unknowingly spreading the coronavirus
A majority of Americans say they are either very (27%) or somewhat
(32%) concerned that they might spread the coronavirus to other people
without knowing that they have it. A smaller share (45%) say they are very
(19%) or somewhat (26%) concerned that they will get the coronavirus and
require hospitalization. Concern over getting and unknowingly spreading the coronavirus has
gradually edged lower since the start of the pandemic. In April 2020, 66% of
U.S. adults were at least somewhat concerned about unknowingly spreading the
coronavirus (including 33% who were very concerned); at that time, 55% were
at least somewhat concerned about getting a serious case themselves (24% very
concerned).
There are wide differences in levels of concern over getting and
spreading the coronavirus by vaccination status as well as by other
characteristics such as party affiliation and race and ethnicity. About two-thirds of vaccinated adults are very (31%) or somewhat
(35%) concerned about unknowingly spreading COVID-19 to others. Half are at
least somewhat concerned about getting a serious case themselves. By
contrast, among those who have not received a vaccine, fewer than half
express concern about unknowingly spreading the coronavirus (38%) or getting
a serious case themselves (32%), including relatively small shares who say
they are very concerned about this (16% and 13%, respectively). Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are far more likely
than Republicans and Republican leaners to say they are very or somewhat
concerned about spreading the coronavirus to other people without knowing
they have it (76% vs. 38%) and to say they are concerned about getting a
serious case of the coronavirus themselves (56% vs. 30%). White adults are much less likely than Black, Hispanic and
English-speaking Asian adults to express concern over spreading the
coronavirus or getting the coronavirus and requiring hospitalization.
Eight-in-ten English-speaking Asian adults, 73% of Hispanic adults and 65% of
Black adults say they are very or somewhat concerned about unknowingly
spreading the coronavirus to others, compared with 52% of White adults. Among White adults, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to
express concern about getting or spreading COVID-19. For instance, nearly
three-quarters of White Democrats (74%) say they are very or somewhat
concerned about unknowingly spreading the coronavirus, compared with 35% of
White Republicans. (Overall, larger shares of White adults than Black,
Hispanic and English-speaking Asian adults identify with or lean toward the
Republican Party.) About seven-in-ten Americans have at least
a fair amount of confidence in COVID-19 vaccine research and development
process
Strong confidence in the vaccine research and development process has
risen steadily over the past year. The share saying they have a great deal of confidence that
the research and development process has produced safe and effective COVID-19
vaccines has increased 20 percentage points (to 39%) over the past year and
is up 6 points since February. A majority of Americans (72%) continue to say they have at least a
fair amount of confidence that the research and development process has
produced safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. As with earlier Center surveys, levels of confidence in the COVID-19
vaccine research and development process are strongly tied to vaccination
status. Nearly all of those who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine (91%) say they have at least a fair amount of confidence in the
vaccine R&D process, including 52% who say they have a great deal of
confidence.
By contrast, only 21% of those who are not vaccinated say they have
at least a fair amount of confidence in the vaccine R&D process
(including just 3% who have a great
deal of confidence). A larger majority of Democrats than Republicans say they have at
least a fair amount of confidence in the vaccine research and development
process (86% vs. 55%). Among Democrats, 54% express a great deal of confidence (just 22%
of Republicans say the same). Americans who are vaccinated and not
vaccinated see COVID-19 vaccines in starkly different lights The development of COVID-19 vaccines and their uptake among the U.S.
public are the center of the public health strategy to combat the coronavirus
outbreak.
When asked how well various statements about coronavirus vaccines
describe them, the public expresses a mix of positive and negative
sentiments. Overall, 73% of adults say that the statement “vaccines are the
best way to protect Americans from COVID-19” describes their own views very
or somewhat well; 27% say it describes their views not too or not at all
well. A majority (60%) also say the statement “people who choose not to get a
COVID-19 vaccine are hurting the country” describes their views at least
somewhat well. At the same time, sizable shares of the public express concerns
regarding COVID-19 vaccines. About six-in-ten (61%) say the statement “we
don’t really know yet if there are serious health risks from COVID-19
vaccines” describes their views very or somewhat well. When it comes to information about vaccines, 54% align with the
statement “public health officials are not telling us everything they know
about COVID-19 vaccines,” and 55% say that “it’s hard to make sense of all
the information about COVID-19 vaccines” describes their views well. The public is about evenly split over the statement “there is too
much pressure on Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine”: 51% say this describes
their views very or somewhat well, while 48% say it describes how they feel
not too or not at all well.
Vaccinated adults are much more likely than those who are not
vaccinated to say the sentiment that vaccines are the best way to protect
Americans from COVID-19 describes them at least somewhat well (91% vs. 23%).
There is a similarly large gap when it comes to expressing alignment with
that view that people who choose not to get vaccinated are hurting the
country (77% vs. 13%). However, even among those who are vaccinated, some concerns about
COVID-19 vaccines resonate: 54% of vaccinated adults say the statement “we
don’t really know yet if there are serious health risks from COVID-19 vaccines”
describes their views very or somewhat well. Taken together, 70% of
vaccinated adults express alignment with at least one of four sentiments of
confusion or concern about COVID-19 vaccines. Those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine are less likely to
express cross-cutting attitudes about vaccines. Fewer than 25% say they are
described at least somewhat well by the statements that vaccines are the best
way to protect Americans from COVID-19 and that people who choose not to get
a COVID-19 vaccine are hurting the country. Vaccination status also matters within
partisan coalitions when assessing views toward vaccines.
Among Republicans who have received a vaccine, 83% say the statement
“vaccines are the best way to protect Americans from COVID-19” describes
their views very or somewhat well, and 56% say this about the statement
“people who choose not to get a COVID-19 vaccine are hurting the country.”
Republicans who have not received a vaccine express very low levels of
alignment with these two statements. (Six-in-ten Republicans and Republican
leaners have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 38% have not.)
More than half of Republicans, regardless of vaccination status, say
each of the four statements of confusion or concern regarding vaccines
describes their views well, though larger majorities of unvaccinated than
vaccinated Republicans express alignment with these statements. There also are differences in these views by vaccination status among
Democrats, with vaccinated Democrats more likely than unvaccinated Democrats
to say they’re described well by positive sentiments toward vaccines; the
opposite pattern is seen for sentiments expressing confusion or concern.
However, unvaccinated adults make up a relatively small share of all Democrats
and Democratic leaners: Just 14% of Democrats say they have not received at
least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Fewer than half think businesses should
require vaccines for employees, but a majority think they should at least
encourage it
Asked to think about workplaces and COVID-19 vaccines, 39% of the
public says most businesses should require their employees to get a vaccine,
while another 35% say businesses should encourage employees to get a COVID-19
vaccine, but not require it. A quarter of the public says employers should
neither require nor encourage employees to get vaccinated. Views on this question differ only modestly by employment status. And
among adults under 50, the same share of those employed and not employed say
most businesses should require workers to get a vaccine (34%). A majority of Democrats (59%) say most businesses should require
employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 17% of Republicans. Those with higher levels of education are more likely to favor a
vaccination requirement. Adults with a postgraduate education are 20 points
more likely than those with high school or less education to support
requirements (55% vs. 35%). Most vaccinated adults are open to getting
a COVID-19 booster shot
The share of the adult public that says they’ve received at least one
dose of a vaccine for COVID-19 rose dramatically between February and June of
this year (from 19% to 67%), as vaccines became more widely available. Since
June, the share of adults who say they’ve received at least one dose of a
COVID-19 vaccine has increased 6 points to 73%. In recent weeks the Food and Drug Administration has approved booster
shots – an additional dose of a COVID-19 vaccine – for people with weakened
immune systems, and the FDA and CDC continue to evaluate the potential need
for booster shots among the general public. Adults who have already received at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine express broad openness to receiving a booster shot. A large majority
of vaccinated adults (62% of the total public) say they would probably get a
vaccine booster, if public health officials recommend an additional dose. A
far smaller share of vaccinated adults (10% of the total public) say they
would probably not get a vaccine booster. Divides over vaccines play out among family
and friends Adults who have received a COVID-19 vaccine and those who have not
report distinctly different input from their friends and family when it comes
to the vaccination decision.
A majority of vaccinated adults (59%) say their close friends and
family have mostly encouraged them to get a coronavirus vaccine. Just 3% of
vaccinated adults say their close friends and family have mostly discouraged
them from doing this; 26% say the input has been mixed and 12% say they haven’t
heard much from friends and family about vaccines. By contrast, among those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine,
just 11% say their close friends and family have mostly encouraged them to
get a coronavirus vaccine; another 11% say they have been mostly discouraged
by friends and family from getting a vaccine. Among those who have not been
vaccinated, about half (49%) describe the input from their close friends and
family as mixed, with some encouraging them to get a vaccine and some
discouraging them from doing so; 28% say their close friends and family
haven’t said much about vaccines. There are also wide differences on this question by partisanship.
Six-in-ten Democrats and Democratic leaners say their close friends and
family have mostly encouraged them to get a vaccine, while 25% say they’ve
received mixed input and just 4% say they’ve mostly been discouraged from
getting a vaccine. Republicans and Republican leaners are much less likely than
Democrats and Democratic leaners to say their close friends and family have
mostly encouraged them to get a coronavirus vaccine (31% vs. 60%). Among
Republicans, 40% say the input they received from close friends and family
has been mixed, while 22% say their friends and family haven’t said much.
Relatively few (7%) say they’ve mostly been discouraged from getting a
vaccine. Americans hold mixed reactions to changing
public health guidance during the coronavirus outbreak
Over the course of the outbreak, public health guidance on how to
deal with the coronavirus has changed, including information on core concepts
such as how the coronavirus spreads and how effective masks are at limiting
the spread of the virus. Americans express a mix of both positive and negative reactions when
asked how this changing guidance has made them feel. A majority (61%) says changes to public health recommendations since
the start of the outbreak made sense because scientific knowledge is always
being updated. About half (51%) say the changing guidance reassured them that
public health officials are staying on top of new information. At the same time, the public also expresses negative reactions: 55%
say the changing guidance made them wonder if public health officials were
holding back important information, and 51% say these changes made them feel
less confident in public health officials’ recommendations. Taken together,
63% of U.S. adults express at least one of two negative reactions to changing
public health guidance. Confusion was also a reaction experienced by just over half of
adults: 53% say changing recommendations over the course of the outbreak made
them feel confused.
There are wide differences in reactions to changing guidance from
public health officials by vaccination status and partisan affiliation. U.S. adults who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 are far
more likely to express negative reactions to changes in guidance from public
health officials than vaccinated adults. Large majorities of those who are
not vaccinated say changing recommendations made them wonder if public health
officials were holding back important information (78%) and say it made them
feel less confident in public health officials’ recommendations (75%). Fewer
than half of vaccinated adults express either of these two sentiments (47%
and 43%, respectively). Those who have been vaccinated are far more likely than those who
have not to say changes to recommendations made sense because scientific
knowledge is always being updated (72% vs. 32%). There are comparably large differences by partisan affiliation in
reactions to changes in public health recommendations, with Democrats more
likely to express positive feelings and Republicans more likely to express
negative reactions. For instance, Democrats are 41 points more likely than
Republicans to say changes in recommendations made sense because scientific
knowledge is always being updated (80% vs. 39%). When it comes to negative
reactions, Republicans are 35 points more likely than Democrats to say that
changing guidance made them wonder if public health officials were holding
back important information (74% vs. 39%). But Democrats do not express
exclusively positive responses to shifts in public health recommendations:
47% say they’ve experienced at least one of the two negative reactions to
changing guidance, and 44% say they’ve felt confused. Higher educational attainment is also connected with more positive
reactions to changing health guidance. For example, about three-quarters of
Americans with a postgraduate degree (76%) say changing guidance made sense
because scientific understanding is always being updated. This compares with
66% of college graduates, 59% of those with some college experience and 54%
of those with a high school diploma or less education. Educational
differences occur on this question among both Republicans and Democrats. Those with lower levels of education are especially likely to express
negative reactions to changing guidance: For instance, 60% of those with a
high school diploma or less and 58% of those with some college say changing
recommendations about how to slow the spread of the coronavirus made them
wonder if health officials were holding back important information; this view
is less widely held among college graduates (50%) and postgraduates (41%). However, there is little difference across levels of education in
having felt confused by changing guidance from public health officials, with
between 49% and 55% of all groups expressing this view. See the Appendix for
details. Majority of Americans know someone who has
been hospitalized or died from COVID-19
More than 600,000 Americans have died as a result of COVID-19, and
millions have been hospitalized from the disease. In the current survey, 72%
of U.S. adults say they personally know someone who has been hospitalized or
died as a result of having COVID-19. As has been the case throughout the outbreak, Black (82%) and
Hispanic (78%) adults are especially likely to say they know someone who has
been hospitalized or died as a result of the coronavirus. Majorities of White
(70%) and English-speaking Asian adults (64%) also say they know someone who
has been hospitalized or died. Across other major demographic groups, there are modest or no
differences in the shares who say they know someone who has been hospitalized
or died as a result of COVID-19. Democrats and Republicans are about equally
likely to say this (74% and 71%, respectively); there is a modest difference
in this experience between adults who have received a COVID-19 vaccine and
those who have not (74% vs. 68%). A year and a half into the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.,
three-in-ten U.S. adults say they have tested positive for COVID-19 or been
“pretty sure” they had it.
There are differences by age, race and ethnicity, income and partisan
affiliation when it comes to having had COVID-19. Younger Americans are more
likely than their older counterparts to say they have had the coronavirus.
Those ages 18 to 29 are about twice as likely as those 65 and older to report
they tested positive or were “pretty sure” they had COVID-19 (36% vs. 17%). Hispanic adults (39%) are more likely than Black (29%), White (28%)
or Asian (21%) adults to say they have had COVID-19. One-third of adults with lower incomes say they have tested positive
for COVID-19 or been pretty sure they had it, compared with 24% of
upper-income adults. Republicans are modestly more likely than Democrats to say they have
had COVID-19 (35% vs 27%). Few Americans know access to vaccines is
limited in developing countries
Many developing countries continue to have a
low supply of COVID-19 vaccines, with small shares of their
populations currently vaccinated. In African countries, for instance, it is
estimated that just about
3% of the adult population has received a COVID-19 vaccination. Asked about the status of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries,
about a quarter of Americans (26%) correctly say that very few adults in
developing countries can currently get a vaccine, if they want one. Roughly
four-in-ten Americans (42%) say that about half or most adults in developing
countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines, while 32% say they aren’t sure.
When asked about the U.S. role in the global distribution of
vaccines, about three-quarters of Americans (76%) say providing COVID-19
vaccines to developing countries should be at least an important priority,
though only 26% of U.S. adults say it’s a “top” priority. About a quarter
(23%) say this should be a lower priority or should not be done at all. Those who are vaccinated are more likely to favor providing large
numbers of vaccines to developing countries, a pattern that holds among both
Republicans and Democrats. Overall, Democrats place a higher priority on
providing vaccines to developing countries than Republicans. Americans who are aware that most people in developing countries do
not have access to COVID-19 vaccines, and those who see COVID-19 as a major
threat to public health in the U.S., are relatively more likely to prioritize
providing COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries.
Infectious disease researchers have
argued that countries with low vaccination rates are more likely to
develop new coronavirus variants. Reducing the risk of new coronavirus
variants spreading to the country is seen as the main reason why the U.S.
should provide vaccines to developing countries (among those who give this at
least some level of priority). Among the 90% of adults who say providing vaccines to developing
countries is a top, important or lower priority, 72% say the main reason to
do this is to reduce the risk of new variants spreading to the U.S. About
two-in-ten (17%) say the main reason to do this is because the U.S. has an
obligation to help people around the world get vaccinated. About one-in-ten (9%) volunteer another rationale for why the U.S.
should provide vaccines to developing countries. Common volunteered responses
include that both reducing the risk of variants and a U.S. obligation to help
are equally important reasons, that providing vaccines is the humanitarian
choice, and that the U.S. should provide vaccines due to the country’s excess
supply. Republicans grow more skeptical that
scientists base judgments solely on the facts
Americans are closely divided over whether scientists’ judgments are
based solely on the facts or are just as likely to be biased as other
people’s. In the current survey, 54% say scientists’ judgments are based
solely on the facts, compared with 45% who think scientists’ judgments are
just as likely to be biased as those of other people. These overall views are
about the same as they were in 2019, the last time this question was asked. However, Democrats have become more likely – and Republicans less
likely – to say scientists’ judgments are based solely on the facts over the
past two years. About three-in-ten Republicans and Republican leaners (31%)
now say scientists’ judgments are based solely on the facts, down 13
percentage points since 2019. About seven-in-ten (68%) Republicans think
scientists’ judgments are just as likely to be biased as those of other
people. Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, 73% say scientists’ judgments
are based solely on the facts, up 11 points since 2019. The partisan gap in
the share saying scientists’ judgments are based solely on the facts is now
42 points, much larger than the 18-point gap seen in 2019. Recent Center surveys have also found growing political divides
in confidence
in scientists and views of the
effect of science on society. About seven-in-ten Americans see the
scientific method as an iterative process The survey also looked at Americans’ understanding of the scientific
process. About seven-in-ten U.S. adults (71%) say the scientific method is an
iterative process, with findings that are meant to be continually tested and
updated, while 9% say the scientific method produces unchanging core
principles and truths; 20% say they aren’t sure.
The share of Americans who see the scientific method as iterative is
up slightly from November 2020 when 66% said this. Americans with higher levels of education are more likely to say the
scientific method produces findings meant to be continually tested and
updated. About nine-in-ten (88%) of those with a postgraduate degree say
this, compared with just 56% of those with a high school diploma or less.
There are large educational differences on this question among both Democrats
and Republicans. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 708-43-10/Polls Simone Biles Was Mentioned In More Than 650,000 Tweets, Or 31% Of The
Total
Although gymnast Simone Biles’ medal count fell slightly short of the
sports world’s lofty
expectations in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, she dominated among
U.S. Olympians in the number of times her handle, @Simone_Biles, was
mentioned on Twitter. Pew Research Center captured the Twitter handles of every athlete who
listed a profile on the official Team USA page and looked at
tweets from the broader Twitter audience that directly mentioned those
handles during the Games. Here are some key takeaways for how the public
engaged with Team USA on Twitter. Twitter users directly mentioned the
accounts of U.S. Olympians more than 2.1 million times during the Games All told, 598 athletes were listed on the Team USA website at the
start of the Games. And 438 of them (73% of the total) included a Twitter
handle in their athlete profile. From July 21 through Aug. 9, 2021 – the
Games themselves, postponed from the year before, were held July 23 to Aug. 8
– more than 900,000 different Twitter accounts directly mentioned the handles
of U.S. Olympians in more than 2.1 million tweets. The vast majority (90%) of
those athlete accounts were mentioned at least once during that time. These mentions were especially concentrated on a few key dates.
Nearly a third (31%) of all athlete mentions occurred during the three days
of July 27-29, a period that included the women’s team and individual
gymnastics finals and swimmer Katie Ledecky winning the gold medal in the
1,500-meter freestyle. Simone Biles alone made up 31% of all
mentions of U.S. Olympians
One athlete in particular – gymnast Simone Biles – stood out above
all others in the number of times she was mentioned by the Twitter audience.
Of the more than 2.1 million tweets that mentioned the handle of any U.S.
Olympians during the Games, @Simone_Biles was referenced in more than 650,000
tweets, or 31% of the total. Biles was even more omnipresent from July 27-29,
when her handle accounted for 64% of all athlete mentions. (It’s worth noting
that many individual tweets mentioned multiple athletes.) Mentions of Biles included expressions of
support as well as discussion of her withdrawal from competition Original tweets and replies mentioning Biles’ handle during the Games
tended to disproportionately use certain terms and phrases relative to tweets
that mentioned other Olympians. Many of these terms appear to be in reference
to Biles’ decision to withdraw
from competition in some events. Some of the most distinctive terms included supportive phrases like
“love [and] support,” “courage” and “brave.” Other phrases (such as “quitter”
or “quitting”) referenced her withdrawal in a more negative light, while
others referred to issues like “mental health” and “abuse.” These terms were up to 52 times more prevalent in tweets mentioning
Biles than in those mentioning other athletes. Even so, these “distinctive”
terms were relatively rare. For instance, just 4% of original tweets that
tagged @Simone_Biles directly used the terms “quit,” “quitter” or “quitting.” Nearly 80% of athlete mentions referenced
members of the gymnastics, basketball, and track and field teams
The Twitter handles collected from the Team USA website included
athletes from 32 different sports. But just three of those sports –
gymnastics, basketball, and track and field – produced the vast majority of
individual athlete mentions on Twitter. Athletes from these three sports
accounted for 79% of all mentions of U.S. Olympians during the Games, while
athletes from the other 29 sports accounted for just 21% of all mentions. A majority of tweets mentioning U.S. Olympians offered no original
commentary: 62% were direct retweets, often of tweets posted by athletes
themselves. The remaining tweets included replies in which the poster
included an athlete’s handle (18%), original tweets (14%) and direct replies
to tweets from the accounts of Team USA members (7%). Other frequently mentioned athletes
included Kevin Durant, Sunisa Lee
In addition to Biles, a small group of prominent athletes accounted
for a significant share of mentions of all U.S. Olympian handles during the
Games. The 10 most-mentioned handles accounted for 62% of all individual athlete
mentions. The most-mentioned athletes tended to be drawn from the
most-mentioned sports – specifically gymnastics (Biles and Sunisa Lee),
basketball (Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, A’ja Wilson and
Devin Booker) and track and field (Allyson Felix). But they also included a
soccer player (Megan Rapinoe) and swimmer (Ledecky). The 10 most-mentioned athletes included six women and four men. All
four male athletes are professional NBA basketball players. But the
most-mentioned women come from a variety of sports: gymnastics, basketball,
swimming, track and field, and soccer. (PEW) SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 708-43-11/Polls Canadians Increasingly Worried About Covid-19 Variants (88%, +7),
Fourth Wave (71%, +2)
Toronto, ON, September 13, 2021 — As
Canada continues through the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians
remain worried about what the COVID-19 variants might mean for getting back
to normal but are somewhat more accepting of the idea of living with the
virus into the fall. A recent Ipsos poll on conducted on behalf of Global News finds that
Canadians are more worried about the fourth wave than they were when it was
only a possibility (71%, +2) and are especially more concerned about COVID-19
variants delaying things getting back to normal (88%, +7). Furthermore,
Canadians are now less likely to agree that the spread of less-serious
COVID-19 cases is acceptable in order to live without restrictions (52%, -4),
which could include mask or distancing mandates. Given the growing level of
worry about COVID-19 and its impact on the country, it is no surprise that 68%
of Canadians also agree that we should not be
holding an election during a pandemic,[1] which
has seen a 10-point increase since the end of August.[2] Despite this, more Canadians feel we should learn to live with active
COVID-19 cases as long as hospitals are not overwhelmed (70%, +3) and support
for lockdown measures in light of the fourth wave has decreased (63%, -6).
Taken together, this suggests that, overall, Canadians are approaching what
could be considered the ever-discussed “new normal.”
While just over half (53%) of Canadians agree that the fourth wave
will be worse than the others, there remains another nearly half of Canadians
who do not feel the
fourth wave will be worse. Just over one-third of Canadians agree that people
are overreacting about the fourth wave of the pandemic (37%). That said, there are key demographic differences and variance by vote
intention when it comes to these issues. Younger Canadians are more likely to
agree that the spread of less-serious COVID-19 cases is acceptable in order
to live without restrictions (59% 18-34, 55% 35-54, 44% 55+). In fact, those
aged 55+ are more worried than those under 55 when it comes to the fourth
wave (81% 55+. 68% 35-54, 60% 18-34) variants delaying things getting back to
normal (93% 55+. 87% 35-54, 82% 18-34), and the fourth wave being worse than
the previous waves (60% 55+. 51% 35-54, 46% 18-34). Older Canadians are also
significantly more likely to support further lockdowns (69% 55+. 61% 35-54,
57% 18-34). Consistent with polling in July, those from BC (81%) and Atlantic
Canada (75%) remain the most supportive of lockdown measures in light of the
fourth wave (65% SK/MB, 64% ON, 57% AB, 49% QC). Those from Quebec appear to
be most in favour of opening back up and least worried: they are
significantly more likely than those in other regions to feel we should learn
to live with active cases (81%, compared to 73% AB, 72% ATL, 68% SK/MB, 67%
ON, 58% BC) and to feel people are overreacting about the fourth wave (48%,
compared to 41% AB, 36% ON, 35% SK/MB, 31% ATL, 27% BC), continuing a trend
of optimism among this group seen in Ipsos research throughout this year. Conservative Voters More Comfortable with
Living with COVID Conservative voters are more likely to feel that the spread of less-serious
cases in order to live without restrictions is acceptable (60%). In fact,
Conservatives are, overall, more supportive of learning to live with active
cases as long as hospitals are not overwhelmed (77%), and more likely to feel
people are overreacting about the fourth wave (44%). By contrast, Liberal and
NDP voters appear more worried overall, and are less supportive of learning
to live with active cases or the spread of less-serious COVID-19 cases. In
particular, NDP voters are least likely to see living with active cases as an
acceptable future (55%) and are most worried about the variants delaying
things getting back to normal (94%). Given the tight race between
Conservative and Liberal federal parties, it remains to be seen whether the
outcome of the election will mark a dramatic change in the handling of the
pandemic. Agreement by Stated Vote Intention
(Ipsos Canada) 13 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/canadians-increasingly-worried-covid-variants-fourth-wave 708-43-12/Polls Dead Heat Down The Home Stretch: In Final Days Of Campaign, Liberals
(32%, Unchanged) And Tories (32%, -3) Are Neck And Neck While NDP (21%,
Unchanged) Vote Holds Steady
Toronto, ON, Sep 15, 2021 — As
we enter the final days of the federal election campaign, the Liberals and
Conservatives are in a dead heat, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on
behalf of Global News. The momentum that the Conservatives have enjoyed
throughout most of the race has been halted and even somewhat reversed (down
3 points), while support for the NDP and Liberals has held steady. If the election were held tomorrow, the Conservatives and the
Liberals would both receive 32% of the decided national popular vote, while
the NDP would receive 21% of the vote. On a national basis, the Bloc would
receive 7% of the vote (unchanged), (32% of the vote within Quebec), while
the Green Party (4%, +2) and PPC (3%, +1) would receive a smaller share of
the vote. One percent (1%, +1) would vote for some other party, and 4% would
not vote. One in ten (11%, -1) Canadians remain undecided. A federal election is not one national race, but rather a series of
regional races. In each of the seat-rich regions of the country, the
vote is razor thin:
The close race is also reflected in the key age and gender
demographic groups studied:
A majority (53%) of Canadians say they’re absolutely certain about
their vote choice or that they’ve already voted, up 4 points since last week.
Bloc (61%), and Conservative (58%) supporters are most likely to be committed
to their vote choice, while Liberal (55%), PPC (53%), Green (45%) and NDP
(44%) voters are less certain of their choice. With vote intentions for the Liberals holding steady, it’s not
surprising to see that approval ratings of the Prime Minister’s performance
are also unchanged. Fewer than half (45%, -1 since last week) of Canadians
approve (11% strongly/34% somewhat) of the performance of the Liberal
government, while just over half (55%, +1) disapprove. Mirroring these figures,
45% believe things in Canada are heading in the right direction (down 3
points since the start of the election campaign), while 54% believe things
are off on the wrong track (up 4 points). One percent (1%) is undecided. Moreover, four in ten (38%) believe that the Liberal government under
Justin Trudeau has done a good job and deserves re-election (unchanged since
last week), while 60% (down 2 points) believe that it’s time for another
party to take over in Ottawa. Two percent (2%) don’t know or refused to say
either way. (Ipsos Canada) 15 September 2021 708-43-13/Polls 67% Of Gen Z In Canada Is “Certain” They Will Vote In This Election
Toronto, ON, September 15, 2021 — According
to Statistics Canada, 7.3 million people were born between 1993 and 2011.[1] Generation
Z[2],
as they are colloquially known, will become Canada’s largest generation and
with more Gen Zers turning 18 every day they will become Canada’s largest
voting block. Ipsos polling shows that at least a quarter of this generation
who will be eligible to vote in this election did not vote in 2019, likely as
they were not yet eligible voters. This means that for many the 44th federal
election will be their first opportunity to vote since coming of age. And if
Gen Z is to be believed, they will be
voting: 67% of Gen Z is “certain” they will vote in this election,
an improvement from 2019 when only 52% of eligible Gen Zers voted.[3] Using
the most recent polling carried out exclusively for Global News, Ipsos takes
a closer look at the political preferences of Gen Z Canadians during the 2021
federal election campaign. Gen Z- the Strategic Voter During an election campaign, especially one where parties are polling
so closely, we often hear discussion of “voting strategically”. While young
people are often characterized by their optimism and to some extent their
naiveté, Ipsos polling shows that Gen Z voters are in fact considering their
votes strategically. The idea behind strategic voting is that you set aside
your ideals and vote for someone who has the best chance to win, thereby
holding at bay the person you really
don’t want to become Prime Minister. Gen Z is considering voting strategically this election cycle: four
in ten (41%) say they will vote for a candidate they think could win but is
not their first choice, compared to 25% of the general population who says
the same thing. Who is the candidate Gen Z thinks could win? It seems many
have not decided or are waffling on their decision: 10% of Gen Z are
undecided voters. Even among those who provided a preferred party, 68% aren’t
absolutely certain that their stated party is who they’ll actually vote for.
Their desire to vote strategically coupled with the fact that many Gen Zers
remain undecided makes them prime targets for campaign advertisement and thus
far Gen Zers have been swayed: a third (28%) say that campaign announcements
made so far have changed their intended vote, higher than the 16% average. In
the 2019 Federal Election, a quarter (26%) of Gen Z voters said they decided
their votes in the last week of the campaign, meaning that it is now or never
for parties and leaders to make their appeal to this generation. So how will
this all play out in the 2021? Gen Z Wants to Vote Green, But Likely Won’t The foundation of strategic voting is that who you want to vote for is not necessarily
who you’re going to
vote for. The data shows that Gen Z is currently allocating their votes
between the three major parties. But beneath the statistics that show Gen Z
will vote Conservative, Liberal, or NDP, are figures that show that Gen Z is
engaged with the Green Party and its leader Annamie Paul. In fact, on many
metrics, Gen Z is more likely than any other generation to show support for
the Greens and Ms. Paul. Given that climate change is a major election issue for nearly a
third (29%) of Gen Zers, it may seem unsurprising that this generation wants
to support the Greens. Perhaps more interesting is Gen Z’s interest in
Annamie Paul given that this is her first election as party leader. When asked who would make the best Prime Minister of Canada,
mainstream leaders Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh both receive high marks
from Gen Z (38% and 35% respectively). But it is the leader of the Greens who
has resonated with Gen Z more than any other generation: Gen Zers are more
than twice as likely than any other generation to say that Annamie Paul would
be the best Prime Minister (10% Gen Z vs.4% Millennial, 4% Gen X, 3% Boomer). What goes into considering someone the “best prime minister”? Ipsos
asked Canadians which party leader best suited a variety of traits. The
leader of the Greens received relatively low scores across the board at the
national level- likely reflecting that this is her first federal election as
a party leader and she is relatively unknown. Intergenerationally however,
Gen Z shows they have stronger feelings towards Ms. Paul than other
generations. Gen Z is significantly more likely to highlight Ms. Paul as: Annamie Paul is someone who:
These proportions are not large, but what is it that has led Gen Z to
connect with Annamie Paul in a way that other generations have not? Perhaps
Gen Zers are attracted to someone who looks and sounds like them? Gen Z is
Canada’s most ethnically diverse cohort- in the 2016 Census, 27.5% identified
themselves as a visible minority, more than any generation before them. Is
Gen Z attracted to someone who could bring more gender and racial diversity
to parliament? Or is it that Gen Zers feel a connection with Paul as public
figure who has fought against racism and sexism in politics as Gen Z is more
likely than any other generation to highlight racism and discrimination (14%
Gen Z vs. 6% Millennials, 3% Gen X, 4% Boomers) or women’s issues (12% Gen Z
vs. 4% Millennial, 2% Gen X, 1% Boomer) as a top campaign issue. While Gen Z connects with Annamie Paul and the Green party more than
any other generation, they are not voting for her in 2021. If the election
were held tomorrow, 31% of Gen Z would vote Liberal, 27% Conservative, and
27% NDP. Only 6% say they would actually cast a ballot for the Greens. Gen Z Votes Up for Grabs? If we acknowledge that Gen Z won’t be voting Green, but that they
likely will be voting, then the next question is which major party will get
their votes? Justin Trudeau may be the only Prime Minister Gen Z have any
memories of, and they are generally satisfied with the job he has done- 52%
say they approve of his performance, compared to 47% of the general
population, while 57% say things in Canada are currently on the right track,
compared to 48% of the general population. But the Liberals don’t have the Gen Z vote locked in- 32% of Gen Zers
say they are more likely to vote NDP since the campaign began, fully 10
points higher than the national average. While the Liberals and NDP both have
a chance at the Gen Z vote, Conservatives should not despair- Gen Z is nearly
as likely as Boomers to say there is a potential that they would vote
Conservative in 2021 (31% Gen Z, 20% Millennial, 27% Gen X, 38% Boomer). So despite their commitment to climate change and affinity for
Annamie Paul, Gen Z is not going to vote Green in 2021.They’re either
undecided or uncertain if they will actually vote for their preferred party.
Gen Z is a generation who has not yet made up their minds who they will be
voting for, but they’re committed to voting. What makes Gen Z different from
other demographics is that their political sway will only become more evident
in future elections. As more Gen Zers turn 18 and become eligible to vote,
their voices will take up increasing market share in the political sphere. The
data suggest that Annamie Paul has made inroads with this population early.
However, Gen Z votes are still up for grabs as evidenced by the figures that
show how divided their votes are. Given how tight the race is between the
three major parties there remains an opportunity to capitalize on the Gen Z
vote. (Ipsos Canada) 15 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/canadas-youngest-voters-setting-aside-ideals-for-strategy 708-43-14/Polls Poll Finds Trudeau (32%, -2) Narrowly Remains Best Choice For Prime
Minister, Over O’Toole (29%, Unchanged) And Singh (25%, -4)
Toronto, ON, September 16, 2021 — Heading
into the final days of the campaign, a new Ipsos poll conducted exclusively
for Global News reveals that Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau narrowly
remains the best choice for Prime Minister according to Canadians. His lead
over Erin O’Toole has eroded to just three points, while at the start of the
campaign it was 14 points. Trudeau Remains Best Candidate for PM, But
Lead over O’Toole Shrinks Despite continued decreases since the start of the campaign,
Canadians still feel that Justin Trudeau would make the best Prime Minister
of Canada (32%, -2 since last week), but only marginally so. Perceptions of
Erin O’Toole have remained stable (29%, unchanged), but belief that Jagmeet
Singh would make the best leader of Canada has experienced a decrease (25%,
-4). Fewer Canadians see Annamie Paul (4%, unchanged) and Yves-François
Blanchet (5% +1, 23% in Quebec, +7) as the best candidate for Prime Minster
of Canada. Based on current Ipsos polling data, Trudeau and Singh continue to
poll on par or ahead of the overall vote intention for their respective
parties (32% of Canadians say they intend to vote for the Liberal party, and
32% of Canadians say Trudeau is the best fit to be the Prime Minister; 21% of
Canadians intend to vote for the NDP, and 25% of Canadians say Singh is the
best fit to be the Prime Minister). O’Toole and Blanchet continue to trail
their parties.
Just in time for election day, Trudeau has regained confidence among
Ontarians for the best candidate for Prime Minister (35%, +2), ahead of
O’Toole (31%) and Singh (26%). Trudeau remains the preferred candidate in
Quebec (36%), ahead of Yves-François Blanchet (23%), and in Atlantic Canada
(35%). The Prairie provinces remain skeptical of Trudeau’s leadership (16%,
-11 AB, 21%, +6 SK/MB), favouring O’Toole as the best fit for Prime Minister
(43%, unchanged AB, 40%, -3 SK/MB). Younger voters remain more likely to
support Singh, with Trudeau having a slight edge over O’Toole among those
aged 35+. Which Federal Party Leader Would Make the
Best Prime Minister? By Region
Which Federal Party Leader Would Make the
Best Prime Minister? By Age
Trudeau Continues to Lead on All Negative
Traits Skepticism persists around the federal party leaders and their role
in the future of Canada, with four in ten (41%, +1) Canadians feeling that
none of the leaders will keep their election promises, and a third (34%, +1)
who feel that none of the candidates will make things more affordable, a key
policy issue of the campaign. The pessimism that surrounds Canadians could
lead to lower turnout rates at the polling booths, which was already a
possibility due to a pandemic-election. With less than a week to go until election day, Trudeau remains the
leader who Canadians feel will best represent the country on the world stage
(30%, unchanged), is best to manage Canada during tough economic times (28%,
+1), and has the right temperament and maturity to be the Prime Minister
(27%, -1). However, Trudeau continues to lead on the negative traits, including
that 43% (-3) of Canadians feel Trudeau will say anything to get elected, and
36% (unchanged) feel he has a hidden agenda, a trait which is typically
attributed to the Conservative leader of the day. Only one in five (20%, -2)
feel he is a leader they can most trust, and a third think he is in over his
head (33%, -1), the highest among all the candidates. Although support for the NDP has cooled off ahead of election day,
Singh remains the leader for nearly
all positive traits, more than Trudeau and O’Toole. Notably,
O’Toole has surpassed Singh for the top candidate who would spend taxpayers’
money wisely (22%, unchanged vs 20%, -2 Singh). Party Leader Attributes: Which Major
Federal Party Leader is Someone Who Is/Will…
(Ipsos Canada) 16 September 2021 AUSTRALIA
708-43-15/Polls Almost 3 Million New Zealanders Read Newspapers And Nearly 1.8
Million Read Magazines In 2021
2.96 million, or 71.7%, of New Zealanders aged 14+ now read or access
newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app)
platforms. In addition, almost 1.8 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (42.5%)
read magazines whether in print or online either via the web or an app. These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single
Source survey of 6,609 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to June
2021. Cross-platform audience for New Zealand
Herald holds steady above 1.8 million people The standout performer during the pandemic at a masthead level has
clearly been New Zealand’s most widely read publication the New Zealand Herald. The Herald had a total cross-platform
audience of 1,844,000 in the 12 months to June 2021, unchanged on a year ago. Stuff.co.nz retains
the position as New Zealand’s leading news website for those on the lookout
for the latest news on COVID-19 and what is going on in the country, bringing
together leading newspapers the Dominion
Post, The Press and Sunday Star-Times, and magazines such as
the TV Guide and NZ Gardener. The total digital audience
for Stuff in an
average 7 days is nearly 1.72 million New Zealanders, well ahead of main
rival NZHerald.co.nz on 1.56 million. Two of the top ten titles grew their total cross-platform audience
over the past year - the Otago Daily
Times, which was up an impressive 32,000 (+12.7%) to an audience
of 285,000 and the Taranaki Daily News,
up 14,000 (+11.6%) to an audience of 132,000. Filling out the top ten are the Sunday Star-Times in fifth place with 230,000 readers
ahead of the Waikato Times on
184,000, Hawke’s Bay Today on
151,000, Bay of Plenty Times on
146,000 and the Northern Advocate on
121,000. Despite the challenges of the past year Stuff’s newspapers have
recorded a promising 2021 so far with six growing their total cross-platform audiences
over the past year and an even more impressive nine growing their
cross-platform audiences so far in 2021. The nine Stuff newspapers which grew their total cross-platform
audiences in the year to June 2021 compared to the year to December 2020 included
the Dominion Post in
Wellington, The Press, Sunday Star-Times, Taranaki Daily News, Southland Times, Manawatu Standard, Nelson Mail, Sunday News and the Timaru Herald. Top 10 Newspapers – Total 7 Day
Cross-Platform Audience (Print & Online)
Full Newspaper Readership Results available
to view here.
Full Readership Results for over 90 New
Zealand Magazines available to view here. New Zealand Listener leads cross-platform*
audience growth – up over 6% on a year ago Of the top ten magazines the ‘re-booted’ New Zealand Listener had the biggest
cross-platform audience growth over the past year, up by 16,000 (+6.9%) to
243,000 in the 12 months to June 2021.
However, motoring magazine AA
Directions is still easily New Zealand’s most widely read magazine
with a market-leading total cross-platform audience of 447,000 – over 200,000
ahead of any other magazine.
Full Newspaper Readership Results available
to view here. *Cross-platform audience is the number of
New Zealanders who have read or accessed individual magazine content via
print or online. Print is average issue readership. Digital is average
website visitation and app usage (if available) in last 7 days for weekly
titles (National Business Review, New Idea, NZ Listener, NZ Woman's Day, NZ
Woman's Weekly, Property Press, That's Life, Time, TV Guide) and last 4 weeks
for all other non-weekly titles.
New Zealand’s Leading Newspaper Inserted
Magazines by Print Readership
“The latest Roy Morgan readership figures
for New Zealand covering the year to June 2021 show nearly 3 million New
Zealanders (71.7% of the population aged 14+) now read or access newspapers
in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app). “The standout performer is again the New Zealand Herald with a total
cross-platform audience of over 1.84 million, unchanged on a year ago.
The New Zealand Herald is
read by over four times as many people as any other newspaper. “Leading newspapers to grow their
cross-platform audiences over the last year, despite all the disruptions to
normal life caused by COVID-19, were the Otago Daily Times, up 12.7% to 285,000, Taranaki Daily News, up 11.6% to 132,000
and Southland Times, up
14.8% to 116,000. “However, in the purely digital realm Stuff holds the advantage. Over 1.71
million New Zealanders access the Stuff platform in an average 7 days.
The Stuff group of
newspapers brings together ten of the country’s leading newspapers such as
the Dominion Post, The Press, Sunday Star-Times and the Waikato Times through their news
portal Stuff.co.nz. “In the latest figures nine out of Stuff’s ten newspapers grew their total
cross-platform audiences in the year to June 2021 compared to the figures for
the year to December 2020. Those newspapers to grow their audiences included
the Dominion Post in
Wellington, The Press,
the Sunday Star-Times, Taranaki Daily News, Southland Times and the Manawatu Standard. “New Zealand’s magazines have faced a
similarly challenging period over the past 18 months since the pandemic began
with intermittent lockdowns disrupting the normal course of activities and
the latest lockdown centred on Auckland now extending for over a month to
deal with the highly contagious Delta variant. There were several magazines
that suspended their publishing during periods of the pandemic, especially in
the period from April 2020 to September 2020. “Despite these challenges the audiences for
New Zealand’s magazines are holding steady and in the year to June 2021
nearly 1.8 million New Zealanders (42.5% of the population aged 14+) read
magazines whether in print or online either via the web or an app. “Magazines to grow their digital audiences
over the past year include the relaunched New Zealand Listener, Dish, Fish & Game NZ, Kiwi Gardener and the National Business Review. There were also
several magazines to grow their print readership led by New Zealand Listener, Fish & Game NZ¸ NZ Fishing News, NZ Outdoor Hunting, Home NZ, Kiwi Gardener and Homestyle NZ.” (Roy Morgan) September 13 2021 708-43-16/Polls 57% Of Australians Approve Of The Federal Government’s Agreement To
Purchase Nuclear Submarines From The USA
There are large differences based on voting intention on this
question with 89% of L-NP supporters approving of the agreement to buy
nuclear-powered submarines from the United States compared to 47% of ALP
supporters and only 14% of Greens supporters. Supporters of One Nation (79%)
and the United Australia Party (71%) are also clearly in approval of the
agreement. There is also a clear gender gap with over two-thirds of men (68%)
approving of the agreement to buy nuclear-powered submarines compared to only
46% of women. There is also a clear ‘age gap’ on views of the agreement. There is
strong approval for the agreement to buy nuclear-powered submarines among
people aged 50-64 (60%) and those aged 65+ (72%). In contrast people aged 35-49 are evenly split (50% 50%) on the
agreement and a small majority of younger people, (53% aged 18-24, and 51%
aged 25-34) disapprove of the agreement. Analysis by States shows there is clear majority approval across all
States led by South Australia (61%). South Australia is set to be the
location of where the submarines will be built. Just behind are Queensland
(60%), Tasmania (60%), Western Australia (56%), New South Wales (55%) and
Victoria (55%). Michele Levine CEO Roy Morgan, says the
Federal Government’s announcement today that Australia will be buying
nuclear-powered submarines from the United States has won the approval of a
clear majority of 57% of Australians in a special Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey: “Australians woke up this morning to a
special three-way joint press conference between Prime Minister Scott
Morrison, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to
announce Australia had made an agreement to purchase nuclear-powered
submarines from the United States. “The announcement has created a clear
political divide with the vast majority of L-NP supporters (89%) approving of
the agreement. There is also strong support from One Nation supporters (79%)
and supporters of the United Australia Party (71%). “However, the issue does create a clear
split amongst ALP supporters with a slim majority of 53% disapproving of the
agreement compared to 47% approving. The almost 50:50 split amongst ALP
supporters provides the Government with a potential ‘wedge’ issue to divide
ALP supporters on national security grounds in the upcoming Federal Election.
ALP Leader Anthony Albanese will have to be very careful with how he explains
the ALP’s position on the agreement. “In contrast, Greens supporters are almost
uniformly opposed to the agreement with 86% of Greens supporters disapproving
and only 14% approving. Greens Leader Adam Bandt has already made their position
clear today by asserting that ‘this dangerous nuclear submarines move puts
floating Chernobyls in the heart of Australian cities’ “As well as the political split there are
also clear divides based on gender and age. Over two-thirds of men (68%)
approve of the agreement compared to only 46% of women. And while there is
strong support amongst Australians aged 50-64 (60%) and 65+ (72%), in
contrast among Australians aged under 35 a slim majority disapprove. Australians surveyed were each asked the following question: ● Question 1: “Today the Federal Government announced an agreement to buy
nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, do you approve or
disapprove?” Approve 57% cf.
Disapprove 43%. This special Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an
Australia-wide cross-section of 1,714 Australians aged 18+ on Thursday
September 16, 2021. Nuclear submarines for Australia. Today the Federal Government announced an agreement
to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, do you approve or
disapprove? By Gender & Age
Today the Federal Government announced an
agreement to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, do you
approve or disapprove? By States & City/Country
Today the Federal Government announced an agreement
to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, do you approve or
disapprove? By Party Vote
(Roy Morgan) September 16 2021 MULTICOUNTRY
STUDIES
708-43-17/Polls Six-In-Ten U S Adults Say That They Are Concerned That Global Climate
Change Will Harm Them Personally
As the next United Nations Climate Change Conference approaches (COP26), people in advanced economies are
highly concerned about the personal impact of climate change and are willing
to make changes to address the issue with personal and international action,
according to a
new Pew Research Center survey. Americans are also worried about the
personal impacts of climate change, but they are not as concerned as other
publics surveyed. There is minimal praise from other societies for how the United
States and China – both leading
carbon dioxide emitters – are handling climate change, even as the
European Union and the UN are given high marks for their actions. But within
American society, there are sharp ideological divides on the issue, more so
than in other nations. Here are four charts that highlight how Americans’ views on climate
change differ from views in other advanced economies. In general, a smaller share of U.S. adults
are concerned about the personal impacts of climate change than are people in
other advanced economies surveyed in spring
2021. Six-in-ten U.S. adults say that they are concerned that global climate
change will harm them personally, compared with a median of 72% who say the
same across the 17 publics. However, 74% of Americans are willing to make a
lot or some changes in their lifestyles to deal with climate change, closer
to the eight-in-ten median who say that elsewhere.
When it comes to rating their own society’s role in dealing with
climate change, Americans are slightly less likely than people elsewhere to
say their own government is handling it well. But there are similar levels of
confidence among Americans and their counterparts abroad about the
international community’s ability to deal with the climate crisis. And while a third of Americans say that actions taken internationally
to combat climate change, like the Paris climate agreement, will harm the
economy, about a third say these actions will benefit it and around a third
say there will be no impact. However, Americans are the most likely across
the 17 publics surveyed to say that actions like those envisioned by
the Paris
climate accord, which President
Joe Biden recently rejoined, will harm their economy.
Americans are more positive on the United
States’ track record on climate change than people in the other advanced
economies surveyed. A median of 36% across the 17
societies surveyed say the U.S. is doing a good job of dealing with climate
change, compared with the 47% of Americans who say the same. Interestingly,
only in Singapore do more people give the U.S. high marks for its actions
(53% say this). Americans are much closer to the rest of the world on how they rate
the actions of the EU, the UN and China on their climate actions. In general,
more Americans than not say that the EU and the UN are doing a good job
dealing with the climate issue, and most in the other publics surveyed agree.
However, only 18% of Americans and people in advanced economies say that
China is doing a good job of dealing with climate change.
U.S. adults on different sides of the
ideological spectrum are often sharply divided in their views of how
different countries and international actors are responding to climate change.
The ideological difference is most stark when evaluating how the U.S. is
handling climate change. While 67% of conservatives in the U.S. say the
country is doing a good job, only 26% of liberals agree. This is the largest
ideological difference among all the countries surveyed and much larger than
the median difference across the 14 countries where there are comparable
ideological categories. However, on China, the ideological differences are
virtually nonexistent, both
in the U.S. and around the world. U.S. conservatives are less enthusiastic about how the EU and the UN
are responding to climate change than liberals. Conservatives are 18
percentage points less likely than U.S. adults on the left to say the EU is
doing a good job responding to climate change, and 22 points less likely to
say the UN is doing a good job. In comparison, adults on either side of the
ideological spectrum in other countries generally give both international
organizations similarly positive ratings. Confidence in the international community
to reduce the effects of climate change is divided sharply along partisan
lines in the U.S. Democrats and independents
who lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than Republicans and GOP
leaners to express confidence that actions taken by the international
community will significantly reduce the effects of global climate change.
While 45% of the U.S. public holds this view, roughly two-thirds (65%) of
Democrats say they are very or somewhat confident in international action.
Similar shares of both liberal Democrats and their conservative and moderate
counterparts hold this view.
In comparison, just 23% of Republicans are confident the
international community’s actions will reduce the effects of climate change.
However, about four-in-ten moderate and liberal Republicans say they are
confident in international action, while just 14% of conservative Republicans
say the same. Similarly, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say that
international actions such as the Paris climate agreement will mostly benefit
the American economy (50% vs. 11%, respectively). Republicans are more likely
than Democrats to say the opposite: that international action to address
climate change will mostly harm the domestic economy (63% vs. 11%,
respectively). (PEW) SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 708-43-18/Polls Most Adults Vaccinated Against Covid-19 In All 13 Countries Surveyed
Intend To Get A Booster Shot
A new 13-country Ipsos survey conducted in partnership with the World Economic Forum finds
large majorities of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19 saying they
would get a booster shot if it were available to them. Booster uptake intent
ranges from 62% in Russia to 96% in Brazil. It is higher among those aged 55
and older in many countries. In all but one of the 13 countries, most citizens surveyed expect
vaccine booster shots to be required at least annually to maintain protection
against COVID-19. However, majorities of adults in every country agree that
the priority for vaccines should be first doses for those who want them
before making booster shots available. The survey was conducted August 26-30, 2021 on Ipsos’ Global Advisor
online platform among 9,521 adults under the age of 75, including
5,977 who have already received two doses of a COVID-19. Detailed Findings High levels of booster uptake intent levels
among fully vaccinated adults in all 13 countries In each of the 13 countries surveyed, a large majority of adults who
have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine strongly or somewhat agree they
would get a booster shot if it were available today:
While it varies widely across countries, COVID-19 booster uptake
intent among the fully vaccinated does not differ significantly within any of
the 13 countries along gender lines. However, it is notably higher among
those aged 55-74 than it is among younger adults in Canada, France, Germany,
and the U.K. In every country except Russia, fully vaccinated adults are more
likely to disagree than to agree with the suggestion that, once the rates of
COVID-19 are low and their country has returned to pre-COVID life, there will
be no reason to get another vaccine booster shot. Agreement ranges from 16%
in Mexico and 17% in Australia to 37% in Italy and 51% in Russia. In several countries, younger people are significantly more likely
than their elders to agree that vaccine booster shots will not be needed when
the incidence of COVID-19 has receded, and life has returned to normal. This
pattern is very clear in Australia, Germany, Russia, the U.K., and the U.S.
Also, in Spain and the U.S., men are more likely to share this view than are
women. Widespread expectation that booster shots
will be needed at least annually Majorities of citizens surveyed in 12 of the 13 countries strongly or
somewhat agree that vaccine booster shots will be required at least every
year to maintain protection against COVID-19. The expectation that booster
shots will be needed annually or more often is highest in Mexico (85%),
Brazil (83%), and the U.K. (77%), and lowest in Russia (43%). Agreement that vaccine booster shots will be needed at least every
year increases with age. In France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the
U.K., it is at least 10 percentage points higher among those aged 55-74 than
it is both among those under age 35 and those aged 35-54. While it is
significantly more prevalent among females than it is among males in Brazil,
Mexico, and the U.K., the opposite is true in Germany. Getting first doses remains a priority over
booster shots Despite high levels of booster shot uptake intent, majorities of
adults in all 13 countries (from 83% in China and Japan to 56% in France)
agree that the priority for vaccines should be to give first doses to those
who want them before making booster shots available. No more than one-quarter
in any of the 13 countries – and as few as only one in ten in some of them –
disagree. While agreement with making first doses of COVID-19 vaccines a
priority over making booster shots available varies in intensity from one
country to the other, it tends to be very consistent across age groups and
gender lines within each country. France and the U.S., where agreement is
higher among males than it is among females, are the only exceptions. (Ipsos MORI) 13 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/global-attitudes-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots 708-43-19/Polls More Than Half Of Respondents (53%) Agree That Germany Has Been A
Trustworthy Partner For Their Country On European Issues Under Angela Merkel
After 16 years in office, Angela Merkel is not running again as a
candidate for chancellor in Germany's upcoming federal election on September
26. As a long political era comes to an end, a new global study by
Ipsos' Global
Advisor online platform, conducted online among nearly 20,000 adults
across 28 countries, examines people's views on Merkel's impact on their own
country, Europe, and the world. Top findings: On average, across 11 European countries, more than half of
respondents (53%) agree that Germany
has been a trustworthy partner for their country on European issues under Angela
Merkel, with only a quarter (25%) disagreeing. Net agreement (% in
agreement minus % in disagreement) is highest in the Netherlands (+58),
Sweden (+50), and France (+44), but it is barely positive in Hungary (+4),
Turkey (+7), and Italy (+9). Across 16 non-European countries, agreement is
even higher, with 55% believing that Germany has been a reliable partner for
their country on global issues; only 14% think it has not. Net agreement
ranges from 57 points in India to 15 points in Japan. Across the same 11 European countries, excluding Germany, more agree
(40%) than disagree (31%) that Merkel’s
policies have had a positive impact on their country. However,
sentiment varies widely, with net agreement ranging from +41 points in the
Netherlands to -9 in Italy. Countries where people who think Merkel’s actions
during her 16-year tenure have had a positive impact on their nation
outnumber those who disagree by more than 20 points also include Spain (+31),
Belgium (+22), and Sweden (+21). In addition to Italy, countries where fewer
agree than disagree include Russia (-8), Hungary (-3), and Great Britain
(-1). Opinions on whether the future of Europe depends on strong German
leadership show a similar pattern. On average, four out of ten (40%) European
adults agree that it does while 33% disagree. Agreement is highest in Spain
(52%), France (45%), and the Netherlands (45%), and lowest in Great Britain
(36%), Hungary (31%), and Poland (29%). On average, across all countries where those surveyed were asked about
their opinion of Angela Merkel,
more than half (58%) have a very or somewhat favourable opinion of her while
only one in five (20%) view her very or somewhat unfavourably. The outgoing
German chancellor wins the highest approval ratings in neighbouring European
countries – the Netherlands (77%), France (75%), and Belgium (75%) – and her
lowest ones in Japan (42%), the United States (41%), and Malaysia (37%),
largely due to lack of familiarity. In Germany, more than two-thirds (67%)
have a favourable opinion of their current head of government, while three in
ten (30%) think poorly of her. Also of note, Angela Merkel enjoys positive
net favourability in every country surveyed (+38 on average globally); only
in Italy (+13), Poland (+10), and Hungary (+5) do positive and negative views
of her almost balance each other out. Vast majorities around the world favour
strong political leaders – but also limits on power. In addition to people's views on Angela Merkel and Germany's role in
Europe and the world, the Ipsos study examined more general attitudes on
global leadership. Here are the top findings: High level of support for female leadership:
On average, twice as many agree as disagree (54% vs. 28%) that the world
would be more peaceful and successful if we had more female political
leaders. This view is held by majorities in 18 of the 28 countries surveyed
with the greatest support in Brazil, (72%), Peru (70%), and Colombia (70%).
In Germany, which has now been governed by a woman for 16 years, less than
half (46%) of adults agree that female leaders would make the world more
peaceful and successful; almost one in three (32%) disagree. Americans (42%),
Russians (41%), and South Koreans (33%) are those least likely to be
convinced of the merits of female leadership. In every country, women display
a higher level of agreement than men (by an average difference of 13
percentage points). Strong leaders wanted:
Four out of five adults (81%) on average across all countries surveyed agree
that the world needs strong leaders to solve global challenges. Agreement is
highest in China (90%), Australia (88%), and Russia (87%), and lowest in
South Korea (68%), Japan (67%), and Italy (67%). Time-limited power:
At the same time, more than two-thirds in all but one of the 28 countries
surveyed agree it is important that political leaders are replaced regularly,
so they do not become too powerful. This opinion is most prevalent throughout
Latin America, especially in Colombia (87%), Chile (82%), Peru (81%), and
Brazil (81), as well as in South Africa (83%) and the U.S. (81%). These are the results of a 28-country survey conducted by Ipsos on
its Global Advisor online platform. Ipsos interviewed a total of 19,514
adults, aged 18-74 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, and
Turkey, and aged 16-74 in 23 other countries, between Friday, July 23, and
Friday, August 6, 2021. (Ipsos Canada) 15 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/global-views-angela-merkel-and-german-leadership 708-43-20/Polls As Delta Spreads, Global Consumer Confidence Is Frozen In Place
Ipsos’ Global Consumer Confidence Index is now reading at 48.6, up
just 0.1 point from last month. As the Delta variant spreads across the
globe, global consumer sentiment remains frozen in place, with the September
reading marking three consecutive months with nearly no change in consumer
confidence. The Global Consumer Confidence Index is the average of 24 countries’
National Indices. It is based on a monthly survey of more than 17,500 adults
under the age of 75 conducted on Ipsos’ Global Advisor online platform. This
survey was fielded between August 20 and September 3, 2021. India is the only country out of the 24 surveyed to show significant
change in its National Index score – an increase of 2.1 points since last
month. At a global level, the Jobs Index sees its ninth consecutive month of
growth (+0.5 point), but the Investment and Expectations Indices remain
nearly the same (both -0.1). National Index Trends The spread of the Delta variant has brought global consumer
confidence to a halt. The Global Consumer Confidence Index reads at 48.6,
remaining nearly the same since July (48.3). This month’s reading is the same
as in January 2020 and is 0.1 point higher than it was in March 2020, days
before the global pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization.
Jobs, Expectations, and Investment Index
Trends The global Jobs Index is up by 0.5 point from August while the
Expectations and Investment Indices have hardly changed (both -0.1). Few
countries show significant changes (at least +/- 1.5 points) from last month
on any of the sub-indices. India is the only country to experience meaningful
change across multiple sub-indices (Jobs and Investment).
Visit our interactive portal, Consolidated
Economic Indicators for graphic comparisons and trended data
pertaining to the Ipsos Global Consumer Confidence Index and sub-indices—and
all the questions on which they are based. (Ipsos Canada) 16 September 2021 Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/delta-spreads-global-consumer-confidence-frozen-place |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
