Over the Wire

Saving Green on the Little Things

The Harris Poll Wrap-Up is back! This time, Dan and Whitney hit the streets of New York City, asking folks what little things they are cutting back on to save money.

 

 

Data Snapshot

For the seventh straight year, Subway Restaurants ranks highest in brand equity in the quick service area, according to Harris' Equitrend study.

For full data and methodology, click here.

The Morning After

Post by Kathy Steinberg, Research Manager, Public Relations Research

If you’re one of the 13% of U.S. adults who planned to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by drinking a pint of Irish beer or taking a shot of whiskey, you may be feeling the ramifications this morning… in which case, my condolences are with you. Thankfully, the plurality of adults (50%) planned to commemorate the holiday simply by wearing green, according to a survey commissioned by CafePress.com, a website specializing in custom T-shirts and gifts.

The CafePress.com survey found that the majority of U.S. adults (64%) planned to observe St. Patrick’s Day somehow this year, with adults of Irish descent being significantly more likely to do so (80% Irish vs. 56% not Irish). Among adults who planned to celebrate, Irish and non-Irish adults were equally likely to say they would celebrate by:

• Wearing something green (78% Irish and 76% non-Irish);
• Eating corned beef and cabbage (38% and 32%, respectively);
• Going out to a bar or pub (19% and 17%, respectively);
• Attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade (8% and 5%, respectively);
• Carrying a lucky charm (7% and 4%, respectively); and,
• Playing hooky from work or school (3% and 1%, respectively).

However, Irish adults were more likely than non-Irish adults to plan to celebrate by:

• Drinking a pint of Irish beer (19% Irish vs. 12% non-Irish);
• Taking a shot of whiskey (13% vs. 8%, respectively); and,
• Kissing someone Irish (16% vs. 7%, respectively).

So, I guess you don’t have to be Irish to wear green, but it may help if you’re trying to catch the eye of that lass at the other end of the bar. 

What about you? Did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? How? And perhaps more importantly, why?

Where is Richard Simmons When You Need Him?

So I have some good news and some bad news…

With health care non-reform front and cent(rist) as it is, it seems like we could all stand to modify our habits along with our public policies. 

Let’s start with the glass is half-empty (of cigarette smoke)… Americans have seen the truth and embraced it.  We appear less likely to smoke cigarettes now than any other year since Harris Interactive began measuring our healthy behaviors, according to a recent Harris Poll.  Today, only 17% of Americans say they smoke cigarettes – the same as in 2008 – but less than any other year on Harris’ record since 1983.  Now, to be accurate, all the publicity about the harmful impact of nicotine has either been overlooked or disregarded by adults who chew tobacco and smoke cigars who still use in the same proportion as they did 5 years ago… perhaps a promotional hole in our anti-smoking campaign?  And still 17% of Americans (nearly 1 in 5) admit to smoking cigarettes… 

So let’s move on to the glass is half full (of sugary soda), it turns out that as a country, we are becoming more and more overweight (not to mention obese).

• In 1983, only (?) 58% of Americans ages 25+ were overweight with 15% who were obese.  Today, 78% are overweight and 34% are obese.  In other words, obesity has more than doubled (!) in the past 25 years. 
• In fact, almost every year, the figures for obesity have either plateaued or increased.  There have only been *3* years out of the past 25 in which the figures have fallen by more than one percentage point.  So, bring it on, Jamie Oliver...We need you!

How have your health habits changed in the past decade?  Are you (am I) one to talk?

Nutritional Labels Be Damned

According to a Harris Poll released last week, most Americans say they aren’t very knowledgeable about the food choices their family makes.  And we wonder why we have an obesity epidemic. 

When asked to choose why the majority of Americans are overweight or obese, more Americans attribute blame to our sedentary lifestyles and our lack of physical activity than to our individual food choices and our poor eating habits.  Now, I am sure the right answer is really both.

But while waiting for the first 40 of the 45 minutes that I sat on my doctor’s paper-thin-covered- piece of lumber-he-calls-a-bed, I had plenty of time to stare resentfully at his BMI chart (since all the signs artfully displayed said I couldn’t use my cell phone and it was the only non-pharma sponsored wall hanging in the room).  And since I go to the gym more than I often than I go to religious services (sorry Mom!), I do actually blame my diet of  "What?! sweet potato fries and ketchup aren’t vegetables??" for any extra pounds I still have from pregnancy. 

Clearly, I am hardly one to talk.  But I am not alone; only 27% of Americans say they feel extremely or very knowledgeable about the health and nutritional values of the food they and their families eat on a regular basis.  And, it appears even Mayor Bloomberg himself (that is, the mayor who forced fast-food chains to eliminate trans fats, post calorie counts and cut their use of salt) could use some paternalistic guidance now and then.

What do you think? How knowledgeable do you feel about the food you put into your body?

Second Thoughts

According to a recent Harris Poll, 42% of Americans say they have become sick from something they ate over the past two years.  And most know (or think they know) the culprit.  The perception that a food has made you sick can change your food habits irrevocably.  I mean it’s tough to shake the memories of an upset stomach. 

[Since my first pregnancy, I still haven’t been able to look at a swordfish the same way again.] 

26% of Americans who say they have experienced food poisoning of some flavor say they have eliminated that food from their diet ENTIRELY, and 15% say they will advise their friends and family to avoid it as well.  So the bad PR alone is enough for food manufacturers/suppliers to make sure that no food misconduct happens on their watch, lest they be the subject of intense media scrutiny, loss of clients and increased legislative action.

[The sushi restaurant in our town must still be marveling at why it’s take-home has plummeted in the past few months – ever since my husband’s “stomach flu”.]

There is slightly more concern over the safety of fresh foods (like fruits, vegetables, meats and poultry) than there is over canned, frozen or other packaged food.  But actually, I still wouldn’t describe the concern as overwhelming.  Only 21% of Americans are extremely/very concerned that fresh foods are safe for their family to eat (although on the flip side, I suppose about 1 in 5 Americans being really concerned is nothing to belittle).  And, 73% admit they have at least some concern.  So, perhaps this latest figure is what’s most telling.  How do Americans react who have a little bit of anxiety (but not much) about the fresh foods they eat – do they avoid it entirely?  Eat it occasionally or only when offered?  Or eat it without hesitation?

[Spinach still isn’t on my grocery list though I’ll eat the spinach burrito at Tomatillo and happily down my best friend’s spinach and artichoke dip.]

How about you?  Have you ever eaten something that you can’t shake? 

Data Snapshot

Just over 4 in 10 (42%) Americans indicate they have become sick or ill over the past two years from what they attribute (at least in part) to something they ate. ---The Harris Poll, conducted online between January 13th and 15th, 2010 among 2,010 U.S. adults 18+

Advertisements: Friend or Foe?

Post by Whitney Heckathorne, Public Relations Research

In your opinion, what makes an advertisement trustworthy? Is it the humor? The sentiment? The endorser?

For me, and I'm sure many of you, it's the brand itself. And not just the longevity of the brand, but also how much comfort and pleasure I derive from the brand's products.

According to a recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll, Americans view the soft drink industry as having ads they trust most, among the five industries listed.

• Soft drink ads (34% say most trusted)
• Fast food ads (22%)
• Pharmaceutical ads (18%)
• Automotive ads (14%)
• Financial services ads (13%)

But are the ads from these industries actually trusted by the public? In other words, I'm more curious how much we trust certain industries' ads. Though we didn't ask this question, I imagine America's response given this list would be "not so much."

Let's face it-- all of these industries have faced at least some scrutiny in the recent past, whether it was a car recall, too much high fructose corn syrup, or receiving a government buyout (the industries to remain nameless).

But, to quote my cubemate (and frequent OTW contributor) Mark MacAdam, "What industries HAVEN'T been in question recently?"

Fair point.

So let me ask you the question the poll left me pondering--how much do you trust (or distrust) the advertisements for these industries?

Data Snapshot

Among five major industries, approximately one-third of Americans (34%) say that they consider soft-drink companies' advertising as the most trustworthy. ---Adweek Media/Harris Poll, conducted online between December 14th and 16th, 2009 among 2,136 U.S. adults 18+

Vegging Out for the New Year

Post by Whitney Heckathorne, Public Relations Research

Happy New Year!!

We are 5 days into 2010 and I, like millions of Americans, made a resolution to eat more healthfully this year…but how to go about doing this is the real question.

Following some investigation that included watching Food, Inc., and reading Michael Pollen’s In Defense of Food, my NYR (New Year’s Rez) is to only eat real foods and eliminate processed junk from my diet completely (though at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, I was practically shoving as many Doritos in my mouth as humanly possible).

In addition, one of the main points of healthful eating I’ve come across again and again in my research, should be no surprise to anyone: we need to eat more plants and consume fewer animal products. And, like many Americans, I am in desperate need to amp up my fruit and vegetable intake (and NO, the ketchup on my street vendor hot dog will no longer count as one of my daily vegetable servings).

According to a study Harris conducted back in May 2009 for the Vegetarian Resource Group, 8% of Americans said they never eat meat and 3% indicated they never eat meat, poultry or seafood, classifying the latter folks as vegetarians. About 1% say they are vegans, indicating they don’t eat ANY type of animal product, including meat, dairy, eggs, poultry, seafood or honey (….really? We’re grouping honey in with the other animal products? Learn something new every day!).

So, should we all be transitioning to completely vegetarian/vegan diets to live more healthfully? Or should we just be making sure the animal products we eat were raised and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way (i.e., not industrialized and processed the way most are now)?

As the popularity for cruelty-free and sustainably raised animal products increases in the future (as I likely suspect it will) I will be interested in seeing if the number of vegetarians rises or falls...I suppose what I mean is: how many vegetarians currently maintain the diet they do because they don't like the way animals are raised for industrial food? And if more meat and dairy turn grass fed and organic, are vegetarians likely to begin re-incorporating these foods into their diets?

And going back to processed foods vs. real foods, do you think vegetarians are likely to eat more "real foods" than omnivores or, perhaps, do they eat even MORE processed foods…just processed foods that are sans meat?

Whew, lots of questions—share your answers! Happy New Year!