Will you get the vaccine?

"Less than half of American adults say they would get a government-approved [rushed, deadly] coronavirus vaccine if one becomes widely available, new data from the NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Tracking Poll show, with the majority unsure about getting the vaccine or saying they're ruling it out entirely. Forty-four percent of American adults say they would get the vaccine, with 22 percent saying they wouldn't and 32 percent saying they aren't sure... Among Republicans and those who lean Republican, 31 percent say they aren't sure whether they would get a vaccine, while 36 percent say they would and 33 percent say they wouldn't. While a majority of Democrats and those who lean

Democratic -- 58 percent -- say they would get a vaccine, 30 percent say they're unsure and just 12 percent say they wouldn't get vaccinated. Independents align more closely with the Republican groups. Thirty-seven percent say they and their families would get vaccinated, 25 percent say they wouldn't and 38 percent say they aren't sure."

Are NBC news survey Monkeys that reliable, or do they get primarily Democrats? And look at the numbers, the vast majority say yes, or unsure (probably waiting on the "science" to settle a little instead of changing week to week).

I will get a vaccine eventually--but like a first year model of a car, I'd want the bugs worked out.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/poll-less-than-half-of-americans-say-theyll-get-a-coronavirus-vaccine/ar-BB185CwG

Least patriotic states

Wallet Hub’s survey.  “In looking at such factors as the percentage of resident volunteers, voters, veterans, and enlistees, the site’s annual study—just in time for the Fourth of July—named Massachusetts America’s least patriotic state (New Jersey and Rhode Island follow close behind; Virginia tops the list [as most patriotic]). As a Bay Stater, this makes me sad. As an American, it makes me sad, too. The American Revolution started here. We celebrate Patriots Day. We root for the UMass Minutemen and the New England Patriots. We make tourism dollars off the Freedom Trail and Boston Tea Party reenactments. Unfortunately, all that history is just that—history. Past isn’t prologue.”

Ohio ranks 32nd in patriotism.

https://wallethub.com/edu/most-patriotic-states/13680/

Wallet Hub has many “best” and “worst” articles.  Some facts about July 4 and the various celebrations https://wallethub.com/blog/4th-of-july-facts/22075/

Communications survey results

Our church provided a very nice analysis of a survey today on how each congregation (three campuses, multiple services based on music style) communicates.  The service we attend (traditional with liturgy, hymns, and choir, communion twice a month) is 83% of adults over age 55. 39% is over 75. The age survey starts at age 18, and all services together at UALC  are 56% over 55, with 13% over 75. (If the survey included children, the results would be different.) One feature showed the number at each service that uses smartphones, and I was surprised that our traditional service had so many with smartphones.  Must be that under 65 group. Still, our printed newsletter and church announcements were the winners in communication with e-mail next.  At first I was puzzled by that, but realized almost all the small groups and committees communicate by e-mail.  The traditional service also scored the highest in feeling connected, and had the longest attendance length--68% had attended 20 years or longer.

How cell phones have changed surveys

“Historically, phone-based surveys dominated as the method of choice among those looking for a representative sample of U.S. residents. However, the prevalence of cell-only households has changed that approach dramatically. In 2013, the CDC estimated that 39.4% of American households were cell only, a lifestyle particularly prevalent among the young and those in lower socioeconomic status groups.

Given the prevalence of cell-only homes, online panels specifically built to represent the U.S. population are now the standard approach. The Pew Research Center estimated that 86% of adults used in the Internet in 2013. Online panels do have biases, but these can be mitigated with an appropriate sampling and weighting strategy.” FAQ People for bikes survey

“Because of these limitations [bias, lack of access and no standard list], researchers use two main strategies for surveying the general population using the internet. One strategy is to randomly sample and contact people using another mode (mail, telephone or face-to-face) and ask them to complete a survey on the web. Some of the surveys may allow respondents to complete the survey by a variety of modes and therefore potentially avoid the undercoverage problem created by the fact that not everyone has access to the web. This method is used for one-time surveys and for creating survey panels where all or a portion of the panelists take surveys via the web (such as the GfK KnowledgePanel and more recently the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel). Contacting respondents using probability-based sampling via another mode allows surveyors to estimate a margin of error for the survey (see Why probability sampling for more information).” Internet surveys, Pew Research

What do CFOs think will happen with a minimum wage increase?

Recent survey by Duke on minimum wage. Findings include:

• Few affected firms would lay off current employees if the minimum wage is increased to $8.75 but 46 percent would lay off employees at $15.
• Future employment growth would be curtailed at 35 percent of affected firms if the wage were set at $8.75, while two-thirds would curtail future hiring at $15....
• Nearly 20 percent of affected firms would reduce employee benefits or increase product prices if the minimum wage were increased to $8.75; approximately half would do both at $15.
• About 30 percent of affected companies think their ability to attract higher quality workers and reduce turnover would improve if the minimum wage were increased to $10, while about 40 percent feel the same at $15.
• In general, firms indicate they could reasonably accommodate a modest hike in the minimum wage to $8.75 but substantial negative consequences would kick in as the wage approaches $10.
• An ongoing shift away from labor and towards machinery will accelerate if the minimum wage is increased.

http://www.cfosurvey.org/2014q3/press-release.pdf

“It is important to put these findings in perspective,” said John Graham, a finance professor at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and director of the survey. “For one thing, these results primarily apply to employees who currently earn less than $10 per hour, which is about
one-fourth of the U.S. workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among firms employing these low-wage workers, the expected effects of proposed minimum wage hikes are dramatic. According to CFOs at these firms, the low-wage employees that increases are designed to help will also bear significant employment risk, potentially losing their jobs as firms implement labor-saving technologies.”

Telephone surveys on health care

I know why Americans sound so stupid on these surveys. I got one last night, and because of the complexity of the questions finally had to interrupt the woman and tell her to call the next person on her list. She wasn't a very good reader, had difficulty pronouncing the words and I doubt she understood the questions either. It was about Comparative Effectiveness Research which preceded Obamacare (never used this word in the survey), but is now incorporated in it. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/04/comparative-effectiveness-research-under-obamacare-a-slippery-slope-to-health-care-rationing

Career Management Inventory

Do you keep books in the bathroom? The other day my husband suggested I needed to change the books in my bathroom (which he occasionally uses). Books that sit on the toilet tank are seen more by men than by women, if you get my drift. I thought it was funny. But I did take a look at the titles again, and decided to keep them all. One title is "No more blue Mondays; four keys to finding fulfillment at work" by Robin A. Sheerer. I don't know how long I've had it or why I bought it (used book for $1.00) because I'm retired. As I leafed through it, though, I found an interesting survey to help someone unhappy at work. So I took it--based on what I remembered of my last position ca. 1999-2000. Interestingly, it didn't cover anything I didn't like about those last two years--planning a new library for the veterinary college. I guess I didn't see those interminable hours of looking at electrical and plumbing sheets, choosing furniture and shelving, and attending endless meetings seeing my space cut as part of "my job." Questions 47-59 were on personal appearance, which sort of surprised me (I didn't copy the last page but it was teeth, weight, exercise, etc.) I gave myself a green star for true, lime green for mostly true, and red for needed a lot of work (hate to set goals). I'm a bit obsessive about time, so I gave myself 2 stars for being on time. In fact, when I was the chair of a committee, we didn't wait for the slug-a-beds.

Click to enlarge so you can read the print (pages were gray).

Not exactly me, but close

After seeing the less than flattering article about bloggers' brains in Scientific American, I decided to check PubMed (National Library of Medicine). I had a little problem with my search strategy--it kept changing "blogging" to "logging," a topic I don't care much about. So finally I went for KISS and typed in, B L O G, and it took that. So of course, I found an article about medical bloggers (I have a list of my own favorites, too). "Examining the medical blogosphere: an online survey of medical bloggers." J Med Internet Res. 2008 Sep 23;10(3):e28.

A total of 80 (42%) of 197 eligible participants responded. The majority of responding bloggers were white (75%), highly educated (71% with a Masters degree or doctorate), male (59%), residents of the United States (72%), between the ages of 30 and 49 (58%), and working in the healthcare industry (67%). Most of them were experienced bloggers, with 23% (18/80) blogging for 4 or more years, 38% (30/80) for 2 or 3 years, 32% (26/80) for about a year, and only 7% (6/80) for 6 months or less. Those who received attention from the news media numbered 66% (53/80). When it comes to best practices associated with journalism, the participants most frequently reported including links to original source of material and spending extra time verifying facts, while rarely seeking permission to post copyrighted material. Bloggers who have published a scientific paper were more likely to quote other people or media than those who have never published such a paper (U= 506.5, n(1)= 41, n(2)= 35, P= .016). Those blogging under their real name more often included links to original sources than those writing under a pseudonym (U= 446.5, n(1)= 58, n(2)= 19, P= .01). Major motivations for blogging were sharing practical knowledge or skills with others, influencing the way others think, and expressing oneself creatively. CONCLUSIONS: Medical bloggers are highly educated* and devoted blog writers*, faithful to their sources* and readers*. Sharing practical knowledge* and skills, as well as influencing the way other people think, were major motivations for blogging among our medical bloggers. Medical blogs are frequently picked up by mainstream media; thus, blogs are an important vehicle to influence medical and health policy.

There. That sounds more like me*. Except for being picked up by the mainstream media and I don't think I've influenced any health policy. But I am a published author in both the science and library fields; I use my real name; I verify my facts and link to sources. However, I am a tad older than the survey median. That must be why. No one's called or contacted me.

Who helped in the emergency

Columbus got hit hard by the hurricane winds of Ike. We are still watching the clean up, although the power has been restored. Here's the note I've sent Panera's attached to their survey of customer service (www.panerasurvey.com).

I just wanted to let you know what an outstanding job the 2 Paneras I visit did during the recent electric outage (Hurricane Ike) here in Columbus, OH. I go to both the one on Bethel and the one on Tremont Rd in UA.

Just this morning I heard another customer complimenting the manager(?) at Tremont on the outstanding service they provided to the community last week when that neighborhood was without power about 6 days. The lines went out to the parking lot, but the Panera's staff were helpful, patient and friendly with a clientele that was really frazzled.

Just thought you'd like to know what great people you have working there. Give them all a bonus, because they really went above and beyond what is usually asked of a restaurant!

I'm just reading my script

was her response to my interrupting her "just 4 quick" questions about what did I think about middle class families getting squeezed by American companies getting tax breaks to go overseas. Wow. How many times have we seen that ad on TV? It is Ohio, you know. Well, I threw it right back at her and asked where did she think these companies were supposed to go when our unions and environmentalists have driven them out of our major cities. I told her I was a pensioner, and where did she think my income was supposed to come from, yada yada. Poor thing. "I'm just reading my script" she whimpered. I hope she's getting minimum wage and not being paid under the table or working as a volunteer.

Dear Carly

Thank you for your "Dear Friend" Victory 2008 letter dated simply "Tuesday Morning." Nice, personal touch.

I filled out your CRITICAL ISSUES SURVEY, although I hate those kind of "when did you stop beating your spouse" questions whether done by Republicans, Democrats or Libertarians. However, I didn't enclose any money, the purpose behind the survey (when a politician asks for my opinion, I know the next question will be about money). We gave during the primaries--which were not apparently decided by conservatives, but by RINOS and Democrats in cahoots with the media. Right now we have a RINO/Democrat, a Socialist, and a Marxist (and now a Libertarian who will drain votes from both the final 2 candidates) running for the White House. Your survey did indicate that McCain has learned to mouth the global alarmist rhetoric, and that he is ignoring the serious border security problems funneling drugs, disease and dysfunctional racists into our country. When you send out some literature explaining how he will help our energy situation by using the vast resources we already have, and how he'll respect the sovereignty of the nation, issues important to conservatives, maybe I'll open my wallet.

Good to Great

Among Democrats, 56% rate their own financial situation as good to excellent, but only 7% think the rest of us are doing OK according to a story in the week-end WSJ. Those Democrats. Don't they have just the biggest, softest hearts? It makes a great campaign issue, because perception trumps facts every time. To be fair, it isn't just Democrats. About a decade ago I remember reading a happiness survey. The people surveyed scored very high on their own satisfaction and happiness scale, but felt so badly for everyone else whom they perceived as not doing as well. Then I noticed a story about the family leave act. Most people are satisfied with the law--they like being able to use up to 12 weeks when THEY need it, but they think others are abusing it and the laws should be tightened up.

4577

How can I tell?

A customer satisfaction questionnaire that pops up before I've been able to read anything is a bit off putting. For instance:

"Thank you for visiting US Census Bureau

You have been selected to take part in a customer satisfaction survey. This survey is conducted by an independent company.

The feedback obtained from this survey will help us to enhance our website. All results are strictly confidential."

I was visiting the U.S. Census Bureau site for mining, manufacturing and construction statistics. I selected a newsletter that I thought looked interesting. No longer published. So I moved on to a pollution abatement survey that hadn't been updated in 18 months. Then I looked at a 2003 Remodeling Data Research report that said it was published every 2 years, but I didn't see any for 2005 or 2007, and the report said the data for 2000/2001 wasn't correct and there would be information reissued in 2004. Didn't see it.

Our tax dollars at work. I'll pass on taking the survey until I find something to read.

The definition of rich

According to a new survey, the Republicans get it right.

Rich" to a Republican isn't quite the same thing as it is to a Democrat or independent. Only 28% of Republicans associate "rich" with having money, material goods and power, compared with 41.5% of Democrats and 51% of independents. Republicans were much more inclined to define "rich" as having family, friends, freedom, faith and peace of mind.

Click on the thumb nail to read the entire survey.

4310

Women of the Me Generation--focus on self instead of others

I suppose it's the logical result of the constant drumbeat of the importance of self-esteem we've been hearing for 35 years.

The not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center's (NWHRC) new third annual Women Talk survey has uncovered a newfound sense of self-empowerment in regard to women's health and their priorities. An overwhelming ninety-four percent of women state that "Making time for myself is one of the best ways I can help to take care of me and my family" and seventy-five percent of women went a step further to say that "Taking care of myself is my top priority."

Read about it at It's a Survey

Even though most of the women taking the survey rated their physical and mental health to be good to excellent and rated their physical health very high and older women actually rated their mental health higher at a 9.1 verses 7.9 for women aged 18-39, the article still includes mind-shattering breakthroughs like having a cup of aromatic tea instead of a latte.

What would we do without surveys?

Are the smartest and best educated becoming more helpless?

or do they just expect more? In a survey of faculty and staff at Ohio State, the staff rated higher on job satisfaction than faculty. 68% of staff said they were satisfied; 65% of faculty were. The faculty (43%) also had more problems finding backup child care or temporary child care than the staff (38%).

When you think benefits, you're probably out of date--vacation, health, holidays. Both the faculty and staff have bunches of benefits--many of which I never used at all when I was faculty (but our net salaries are reduced to pay for all of these):

same sex domestic partner health benefits
sponsored dependent health benefits (I think that means they live in the household)
child care facilities
state of the art recreation facilities
special rooms for nursing parents
paid parental leave
lunch and learn programs
weight and tobacco management programs
elder care resource and referral
tuition assistance
adoption assistance
relocation assistance
and so forth

But they can't find back up child care. Tsk. Tsk.

Why I won't answer a library survey

Your library or mine, it's a waste of time, so I don't even bother. I got an e-mail last week suggesting I go on-line and respond to a survey (isn't it too soon for another bond issue?) Gracious! I've composed enough surveys in my career to know how to word them so you look good! But more importantly, the staff (director) of my PL won't listen. I've made suggestions for purchase and complaints about problems with the on-line catalog; I've written the local paper; I've blogged. I've even complimented them when they do something I like (on-line genealogy sources, excellent art instruction collection, great book sales). The Diddly Squat retreat is the only movement or direction this group knows.

Here's today's example. I've only spent 5 minutes researching it, but you'll get the idea of my level of frustration. My husband just walked in from his Wednesday morning men's group. The current study (by the leader, not the group) is from Josh McDowell's The new tolerance, a 1998 imprint by one of the best known, popular conservative authors in Christendom--not a favorite of mine, but thorough and well researched stuff the last I checked, with oodles of references and a Christian world view. My poor husband has been assigned the "old and new absolutes about women" in the church.

So I googled the title, find out McDowell wrote it and check my library catalog. First, it tells me "there is no exact match for McDowell, Josh, please try Josh McDowell." Next, I'm about to move on thinking they are more anti-Christian than I thought, when I scan the list that did appear and see, "McDowell, Josh 5 titles." I haven't a clue why this glitch shows up--surely the hostility doesn't work its way into the query!

Then, I look at the 5 titles. McDowell is probably best known for a title he wrote about 30 years ago for youth called Evidence that demands a verdict. I used to have a copy, but loaned it, and it never returned. Yes, the library has that title and 4 others from the 1980s. 1980s? This author even gets reviewed in Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal (public librarians find it difficult to move beyond their own safe bible for reviews). He has a marketing machine! Where is Evidence for Christianity (2006) or American idols (2006) or Handbook of todays religions (1992)? He has produced tapes and CDs and DVDs. Why can my library buy every book and format for Michael Moore and 16 copies of anti-Bush titles, and continue to deny the Christian taxpayers their due? Actually, that is a rhetorical question--librarians are 223:1, liberal to conservative, and the place books get banned is during the selection process, not after they are on the shelves after parents or old ladies complain.

In today's multicultural, PC world, "tolerance," not honesty, or bravery or patriotism, or truth, or hard work, is the primary virture--tolerance for everyone except those in the Western Christian world.