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.

 

 

OTW Birthday Week: In a New York State of Mind

Introduction by Mark MacAdam, Public Relations Research

Not only did Americans name NYC as the #1 city they would like to live in or near if they could so chose, but they have also made NYC their #1 travel destination in 2009 for the first time since 1990.  This is according to a recent study by NYC & Company, NYC’s official marketing and tourism organization, who estimate 36.7 million domestic visitors and 8.6 million international visitors came to NYC in 2009.

Original Post by Whitney Heckathorne, Public Relations Research, October 13, 2009

For 10 out of the past 12 years, the Big Apple has been named the #1 city Americans say they would like to live in or near, if they could live in any city in the country except the one they currently live in or nearest to, a recent Harris Poll reveals. And this year is no exception: NYC continues its reign.

Perhaps the “why” needs no explanation; New York City has something for everyone (except cheap apartments!). And so, since we began asking this question in 1997, “the city so nice, they named it twice” has remained virtually unchallenged in the top spot.

More interesting, however, are the rest of the Top Ten rankings and the rise or fall in popularity of these cities.

• #2 (tied) Denver, CO—↑ from #9 in 2007
• #2 (tied) San Francisco, CA –↑ from #4
• #4 San Diego, CA—↓ from #2
• #5 Seattle, WA—↓from #3
• #6 Chicago, IL—↑ from #11
• #7 Boston, MA—↑ from #12
• #8 Las Vegas, NV—↓from #5
• #9 Washington, DC—New to the list since 1997
• #10 Dallas, TX—New to the list since 2002, when it ranked #9

What has caused a supreme jump in popularity for Denver since 2007? (Surely it was the Democratic National Convention being hosted there and not The Real World: Denver). And I’m taken aback that seemingly American staple cities such as Chicago, Boston and D.C. weren’t even in the top 10 in 2007...(were we really so over Bush that D.C. couldn’t be included in the top FIFTEEN, even??)

In terms of cities in the top ten that dropped since 2007, none of them fell too drastically in comparison to their previous spots. I don’t really have hypotheses as to why San Diego or Vegas dipped but, as for Seattle, well, Grey’s Anatomy has taken a ratings bashing and, call me crazy, but Americans seem to want to live where their favorite TV stars reside… (think Friends, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos and you’ll get my drift…).

But that’s another blog entry for another day.

If YOU were given the option to live in ANY American city but the one in which you currently live, which would you choose? And why?

• #2 (tied) Denver, CO—↑ from #9 in 2007
• #2 (tied) San Francisco, CA –↑ from #4
• #4 San Diego, CA—↓ from #2
• #5 Seattle, WA—↓from #3
• #6 Chicago, IL—↑ from #11
• #7 Boston, MA—↑ from #12
• #8 Las Vegas, NV—↓from #5
• #9 Washington, DC—New to the list since 1997
• #10 Dallas, TX—New to the list since 2002, when it ranked #9

What has caused a supreme jump in popularity for Denver since 2007? (Surely it was the Democratic National Convention being hosted there and not The Real World: Denver). And I’m taken aback that seemingly American staple cities such as Chicago, Boston and D.C. weren’t even in the top 10 in 2007...(were we really so over Bush that D.C. couldn’t be included in the top FIFTEEN, even??)

In terms of cities in the top ten that dropped since 2007, none of them fell too drastically in comparison to their previous spots. I don’t really have hypotheses as to why San Diego or Vegas dipped but, as for Seattle, well, Grey’s Anatomy has taken a ratings bashing and, call me crazy, but Americans seem to want to live where their favorite TV stars reside… (think Friends, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos and you’ll get my drift…).

But that’s another blog entry for another day.

If YOU were given the option to live in ANY American city but the one in which you currently live, which would you choose? And why?

2009: A Year in Data

To close out 2009, let’s discuss the America we are now – after a year of health care non-reform, iconic marital infidelity, and the rise of America’s favorite baseball team AGAIN.  We opened the year with the inauguration of our celebu-Prez, and here’s a chronology of where we’ve been since then, according to the data:

• January: Jay Leno was our favorite TV personality and Ellen Degeneres was #3 – but that was before Ellen became America’s newest Idol judge.
• February: Obama was America’s hero followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King Jr – but that was before, depending on your point of view, change had(n’t) come to America.
• April: CSI was the favorite TV show of all time – but that was before The Sing Off and MTV’s Jersey Shore.
• June: Cliff Huxtable was our favorite TV dad in a sitcom about America’s model family – but that was before Modern Family and Big Love. 
• July: The Yankees were America’s favorite baseball team – but that was before, oh right, the Yankees won the World Series.
• July: Tiger Woods was our #1 favorite sports star – but that was before his infidelity became water cooler conversation. 
• July: Australia was our favorite destination outside of U.S. – but that was before we realized the recession would never ever end.
• October: The Cowboys were our favorite football team and the Saints a measly 24th – but that was before the Saints started the season a bruising 13-1.
• December: Obama’s approval rating slid to 41% positive (from 59% back in May) – but that was before the 2nd yet-to-be-seen year of his presidency.

Besides the sure lock of the Yankees to come in #1 in 2010 (any doubters?), any predictions for next year on the status of Obama or Ellen or Tiger or the Saints?

Happy New Year!

Data Snapshot

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans who drive a vehicle say they have walked to destinations more than usual, instead of driving, in the last 6 months. ---The Harris Poll, conducted online between September 8th-19th, 2009 among 2,334 U.S. adults 18+

In a New York State of Mind

Post by Whitney Heckathorne, Public Relations Research

For 10 out of the past 12 years, the Big Apple has been named the #1 city Americans say they would like to live in or near, if they could live in any city in the country except the one they currently live in or nearest to, a recent Harris Poll reveals. And this year is no exception: NYC continues its reign.
 
Perhaps the “why” needs no explanation; New York City has something for everyone (except cheap apartments!). And so, since we began asking this question in 1997, “the city so nice, they named it twice” has remained virtually unchallenged in the top spot.

More interesting, however, are the rest of the Top Ten rankings and the rise or fall in popularity of these cities.

• #2 (tied) Denver, CO—↑ from #9 in 2007
• #2 (tied) San Francisco, CA –↑ from #4
• #4 San Diego, CA—↓ from #2
• #5 Seattle, WA—↓from #3
• #6 Chicago, IL—↑ from #11
• #7 Boston, MA—↑ from #12
• #8 Las Vegas, NV—↓from #5
• #9 Washington, DC—New to the list since 1997
• #10 Dallas, TX—New to the list since 2002, when it ranked #9

What has caused a supreme jump in popularity for Denver since 2007? (Surely it was the Democratic National Convention being hosted there and not The Real World: Denver). And I’m taken aback that seemingly American staple cities such as Chicago, Boston and D.C. weren’t even in the top 10 in 2007...(were we really so over Bush that D.C. couldn’t be included in the top FIFTEEN, even??)

In terms of cities in the top ten that dropped since 2007, none of them fell too drastically in comparison to their previous spots. I don’t really have hypotheses as to why San Diego or Vegas dipped but, as for Seattle, well, Grey’s Anatomy has taken a ratings bashing and, call me crazy, but Americans seem to want to live where their favorite TV stars reside… (think Friends, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos and you’ll get my drift…).

But that’s another blog entry for another day.

If YOU were given the option to live in ANY American city but the one in which you currently live, which would you choose? And why?

Data Snapshot

Honolulu, Phoenix, Charlotte, Portland (Oregon) and Miami, FL all dropped out of the top 15 list of cities Americans would choose to live in, if they could reside in any U.S. city other than their own. --- The Harris Poll, conducted online between August 10th - 18th, 2009, among 2,984 U.S. adults 18+

You Are My Sunshine

Where we choose to live is so personal…that it’s hard to say what makes a community or a state or a country a “perfect” fit.  I filled out a survey once that told me that the ideal spot for me was Rehoboth Beach, DE, but that clearly didn’t account for where I would get my hair straightened or my obsession with Korean food?

That said, it turns out that we Americans appear to agree on a few characteristics that make certain states more desirable than others – we like warm weather and access to water.  Just a few examples, from a recent Harris Poll in which Americans were asked to choose a different state to live in (other than their current place of residence):

• California tops the list for the 6th year in a row – and has been in the top 5 since 1997 when we began asking the question.
• Florida has consistently been in the top 3 for the past 11 years.
• Texas is ranked #4, its highest ever spot on the list.
• South Carolina made its inaugural debut in the top 15 rankings this year.

Otherwise, it’s a pretty balanced list – with about half of our favorite states in the South and half in the North…some coastal as above, but others in the desert or forest or mountains…and some densely populated while others not so much…

But here are the two most interesting editorial points, if you ask me…. 

1) Geographically, we have a noticeable predisposition to states that border or are near-ish to where we already live.  So we might move away, but it appears not too far away.

• In the East - Massachusetts, New York and Florida are all tied for #1.
• In the Midwest - California is #1, but Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota are all a close second.
• In the South - Florida is #1, followed by Texas.
• In the West - California is #1 by far, with Oregon a distant second.

2) Of the 22 red states from the last presidential election, only 6 made our top states list, compared to 9 (out of 28) blue states.  California was the #1 fave among Democrats and Independents, and Florida (also a blue state, though a very light shade) was #1 among Republicans.  With boundaries continuing to blur due to innovation in technology, employment and transportation, we can live where we want to live, not where we have to live.  So, might the blue states someday turn purple? 

Are you happy with where you live right now?  Where would you move if money were no object? 

Data Snapshot

New York City is the #1 city Americans would choose to live in, if they could live in or near any city in the country except the one they live in or nearest to now. ---The Harris Poll, conducted online between August 10th and 18th, 2009, among 2,984 U.S. adults 18+

Data Snapshot

California is the #1 state that Americans would choose to live in if they did not live in the states where they are now. ---The Harris Poll, conducted online between August 10th and 18th, 2009, among 2,984 U.S. adults 18+

Rules Are Made To Be Broken (by Me, Not by You)

According to a recent study we conducted for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, majorities of U.S. adults support laws that ban the use of cell phones or text messaging while driving.  Almost 3 in 4 adults who support at least one aspect of the ban believe these laws should apply to all drivers, but about 1 in 4 think certain drivers should be singled out, for example teenagers, taxi drivers or bus drivers.  So, I dedicate this post to the substantial minority above who think these laws shouldn’t apply to them:

• Most drivers who have cell phones – not solely the teenager-y or chauffeur-y ones – choose to ignore the advice of safety experts and talk on their cell phones anyway while driving (72%, according to this summer’s Harris Poll).
• The use of cell phones (or at least the perception of use) is on the rise.  Most American drivers say they observe it more now than one year ago, and about 3 in 4 say they often or always notice drivers using cell phones when they are on the road.
• According to a recent article, there is similar risk involved in using a cell phone while driving as drinking alcohol while driving. 
• If laws were enacted, most drivers (82%) who own cell phones (and use them to talk or text while driving) say they would stop. 

Incidentally, almost 1 in 5 adults who say they text or talk on a cell phone now while driving say they would continue to do it.  Laws be @#%!#$.