Ethics Newsline®

“Most say upper-income households pay too little in taxes”

From Gallup:

“Slightly over half of Americans believe the government should redistribute wealth by heavy taxes on the rich.

“The percentage holding this view, similar to that found in Gallup polling last year, is up from 1998….

“Other recent Gallup Poll questions underscore the finding that Americans are generally open to the idea of some type of effort to distribute wealth more evenly.

“Asked if the distribution of money and wealth in this country is fair or if they need to be distributed more evenly, about two-thirds of Americans agree with the latter response. This is up slightly from last year and, by two points, is the highest ‘more evenly distributed’ response to this question that Gallup has found over the eight times it has been asked since 1984….

“One reason it may be easy for Americans to readily agree with wealth redistribution and increased taxes on the rich is that most Americans do not perceive themselves to be rich and therefore presumably assume they have nothing to fear — financially — from such new policies.

“Analysis of the responses to these two questions by income shows that there are some differences by respondents’ income, but these differences are not large….

“The possibility of some type of political policy that would institute higher tax rates on high-income households was discussed in the recent Philadelphia debate between the two Democratic contenders, and both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama appeared to agree with some variant of this type of policy (although both are multimillionaires, according to their recently released tax statements). The public opinion data reviewed here suggest a majority of Americans would be receptive to such a possibility….”

For the full press release from Gallup, Apr. 25, click here.

Looking to the future, “Democratic candidates are perceived to be better than Senator McCain,” poll finds

From Harris Interactive:

“With the arrival of Earth Day 2008 and the ongoing presidential election, it is interesting to compare how the current president is perceived as handling the environment and how his possible replacements are perceived as handling it if they were president. Just over one-quarter of Americans (28%) give President Bush positive ratings on his handling of the environment over his term while almost two-thirds (64%) give him negative ratings.

“Not surprisingly, Republicans are more likely to give him positive ratings (58% positive versus 35% negative) and Democrats negative ratings (83% negative and 10% positive). Independents, however, are more closely aligned with Democrats on this issue. Seven in ten Independents (71%) give the president negative marks on his handling of the environment while one in five (22%) give him positive ones….

“Looking at the three Senators vying to replace President Bush, the two Democrats are perceived as doing a better job on the environment if they were elected president. Just under half say Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (47% each) would do a positive job on the environment while one-third (33%) say John McCain would do a positive job. One-third (32%) give a possible Obama presidency negative ratings on the environment, while a possible Clinton presidency and the environment is perceived negatively by 35 percent of Americans. Just under half (45%) give a possible McCain presidency negative ratings on the environment….

“The environment and global warming are issues that concern many people but, at this time, they are not nearly as important as the economy, Iraq or health care. In so far as they become significant issues in the election, these findings suggest they will be somewhat helpful to the Democratic candidate. This poll does not tell us whether Senator McCain’s lower scores reflect perceptions of Republicans in general or of McCain personally or if he is hurt by President Bush’s negative ratings on the environment….”

For the full press release, Apr. 21, click here.

Survey finds mixed support for boycott of Olympics; majority doubts Olympics broadcaster NBC will be aggressive in reporting negative news on China

From Zogby Interactive:

“As thousands of pro-Tibet protesters cut short the Olympic torch relay Monday in Paris, a new Zogby Interactive poll finds 70% of likely voters believe the International Olympic Committee was wrong to award this year’s summer Olympic Games to China because of its poor record on human rights. Dissatisfaction with the IOC’s choice is strong across the political spectrum, with 70% of Democrats and Republicans, and 68% of political independents who said they disagree with the decision to have China host the summer games….

“…The online survey finds nearly half — 48% — think U.S. political officials should not attend the opening ceremony of the games because of China’s poor human rights record, while 33% believe U.S. officials should attend and 19% are unsure. Most Democrats (52%) and independents (51%) would support U.S. political officials boycotting the opening ceremony, while Republicans are more divided — 42% believe U.S. officials should not attend, while 41% believe they should be present at the opening ceremony….

“Support for an outright boycott of the games is less strong, although nearly a third (31%) believe the United States Olympic Committee should boycott the Olympic Games and 23% believe President Bush should order a U.S. boycott of the games to protest China’s human rights record….

“While 46% agree a political boycott by world leaders of the Olympics would be an effective way for them to express their unhappiness with China’s human rights record, nearly as many (40%) disagree. Regardless of their support for a boycott, most question how likely it would be to bring about change — 70% believe a boycott of the Olympic Games in China would amount to grandstanding by world leaders that might help them politically in their own countries, but will have no effect on how China’s leaders treat their own citizens. Just 13% believe a boycott would embarrass the Chinese leadership so much they would change how they treat Chinese citizens.

“Regardless of how they view the effectiveness of a boycott to change how Chinese leaders treat their citizens, 71% believe any boycott of the Olympic Games in China by the U.S. would be hypocritical because the U.S. imports so many products from China and retains relatively close diplomatic ties with China that the U.S. has essentially endorsed China’s human rights record. Sixty-one percent also believe that U.S. political leaders may oppose a boycott against the China Olympics out of fear of a financial backlash from China….

“Despite recent media coverage of China’s human rights issues, nearly half of Americans (48%) believe the U.S. and international media will ignore negative stories about China before and during the Olympic Games out of fear of retribution from the Chinese government. The vast majority (94%) believes the Chinese government will try to prevent international news media from covering stories about China that put the government or country in a bad light….

“When asked about their expectations of coverage from NBC — the network contracted to televise the Olympic Games in China this summer — most (54%) don’t believe the network will be as aggressive about covering any possible negative stories about China leading up to and during the Olympics as it would be if not contracted to broadcast the games….”

For more information, see: Full press release from Zogby, Apr. 7 — Related Newsline story, Apr. 7.

“But majority of Americans support the government helping people stay in their homes,” Gallup says

From Gallup:

“A new Gallup Poll, conducted March 24-27, shows that 6 in 10 Americans oppose the federal government taking steps to help prevent major Wall Street investment companies from failing.

“On March 13, Bear Stearns told the Federal Reserve it would file for bankruptcy the next day and as a result, the Fed voted on March 14 to extend the investment company emergency credit to keep it from failing. On Sunday, March 16, the Fed, with the support of the U.S. Treasury, extended a $29 billion loan against Bear Stearns assets to facilitate its merger with JP Morgan.

“On Wednesday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke defended this highly unusual emergency action by stating, ‘Given the current exceptional pressures on the global economy and financial system, the damage caused by a default by Bear Stearns could have been severe and extremely difficult to contain.’…

“While the Fed’s effort to maintain financial stability is clearly justified when viewed in economic terms, it is opposed by a surprisingly uniform 6 in 10 Americans across a wide variety of demographic groups: men (61%) and women (60%); those in the East (55%), Midwest (60%), South (64%), and West (62%); those with annual incomes of less than $35,000 (61%), of $35,000 to $74,999 (59%), and of $75,000 or more (62%); and even those affiliated with political parties (or with no party): Republicans (61%), independents (64%), and Democrats (57%).

“In sharp contrast to their opposition to helping Wall Street investment companies, Americans — by a margin of 56% to 42% — support having the federal government take steps to help prevent people from losing their homes because they can’t pay their mortgages….

“While federal officials, the president, and the Congress may act against public opinion to preserve global financial stability, it seems hard to believe they will not also respond to help American homeowners. In fact, swooping in to rescue struggling homeowners could be crucial in offsetting consumer resentment toward the Fed over its Wall Street bailout….”

For the full Gallup press release, Apr. 3, click here.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Mar. 17.

Three in four now believe U.S. is in a recession

From Reuters/Zogby:

“With U.S. recession fears hitting new highs, the overall mood of Americans has taken a sharp turn for the worse, a new Reuters/Zogby poll shows. The Reuters/Zogby Index, which measures American confidence, has fallen to a new low of 87.7 from 99.3 last month, when the index boasted its highest rating since the baseline rating of 100 for the index was established in August.

“The report of public confidence in the economy and their nation comes after several days of dramatic economic headlines, but fieldwork for the survey was actually completed just as news was breaking Friday about the collapse of investment house Bear Stearns and the full percent cut of a key interest rate by the Federal Reserve — a quarter-point on Sunday and another three-quarters of a percent on Tuesday.

“The Reuters/Zogby index is comprised of 10 poll questions that gauge perceptions of the state of the country and the economy. Every one of the 10 data points declined in March compared to a month ago.

“Three in four Americans — 74% — believe the U.S. economy is currently in a recession, a sharp increase from the 54% surveyed last month who believed a recession could arrive sometime in the next year. Worries about the state of the nation’s economy may also be taking a toll on how Americans view their own economic circumstances — more than half (54%) give their personal financial situation a negative rating, up from 44% who said the same in last month’s survey….

“Likely voters are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the performance of U.S. economic policy, with 87% who rate it negatively — up 10 points from the 77% who said the same in February — with half (50%) who now rate the nation’s economic policy as ‘poor.’ Discontent over the nation’s economic policy cuts across party lines….

“Nearly three in four are also pessimistic about the overall direction the U.S. is headed — 73% believe the country is on the wrong track, up from 62% who said the same last month. Independents are most likely to feel this way (85%), but most Democrats (77%) and Republicans (60%) also believe the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction.

“The gains in job approval ratings made by President George W. Bush and Congress over the past few months from their all-time lows last year have reversed course in this latest poll. Approval ratings for the President stand at just 26% this month, down from 34% who gave him positive job approval marks in February. Bush has lost ground across the political spectrum, including among likely voters in his own party….

“Likely voters are even more dissatisfied with the job performance of Congress — job approval ratings for Congress have fallen to just 13%, down from 17% who gave Congress a positive rating last month….”

For the full press release, Mar. 19, click here.

“Ethanol research loses ground, continued division on ANWR,” Pew poll finds

From the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press:

“At a time of rising energy prices, the public continues to be conflicted in its overall approach toward energy and the environment. A majority of Americans say that developing new sources of energy, rather than protecting the environment, is the more important priority for the country. However, when asked specifically about energy policy priorities, 55% favor more conservation and regulation of energy, compared with 35% who support expanded energy exploration.

“As in recent years, specific policies that address both energy and the environment draw overwhelming support. Nine-in-ten Americans favor requiring better auto fuel efficiency standards, while substantial majorities also support increased federal funding for alternative energy (81%) and mass transportation (72%).

“By contrast, there is greater division over other energy policies. A majority (57%) favors increased federal funding on ethanol research, but support has fallen over the past two years (from 67% in February 2006).

“The public continues to be almost evenly split over the idea of promoting more nuclear power (48% oppose vs. 44% favor). And a majority (53%) opposes giving tax cuts to energy companies to do more oil exploration.

“With gas prices already high and expected to increase, the public overwhelmingly rejects boosting gas taxes to encourage carpooling and energy conservation. By greater than three-to-one (75% to 22%), Americans oppose raising gas taxes.

“The latest nationwide survey … finds continued public divisions over drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Currently, 50% oppose drilling in the Alaska refuge while 42% are in favor. As recently as September of 2005, 50% of Americans favored allowing drilling in ANWR, while 42% were opposed….

“Roughly 90% of Republicans, Democrats and independents support tougher auto fuel standards, and about 80% in each group favor more federal funding for research into alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar and hydrogen technology….

“Other energy policies are more divisive. Somewhat more independents (76%) and Democrats (73%) than Republicans (65%) favor increased funding for mass transit, including subway, rail and bus systems. Increased funding for mass transit also wins greater support from people living in urban (73%) and suburban areas (74%) than among those living in rural areas (62%).

“Roughly six-in-ten Republicans (59%), but just 46% of independents and 34% of Democrats, support promoting the increased use of nuclear power. Notably, there also is a substantial gender gap in views on the use of nuclear power: many more men than women support increased use of nuclear energy (58% vs. 31%, respectively).

“In addition, far more Republicans (52%) than Democrats (39%) favor giving tax cuts to energy companies to spur oil exploration….”

For the full press release from Pew, Mar. 6, click here.

Harris asks the public who has too much — or too little — power in U.S. politics

From Harris Interactive:

“When one thinks of Washington D.C. and the power corridors, smoke filled rooms and shady deals with lobbyists may come to mind. There are certain groups in particular which are singled out by large majorities of the American public as having too much power in those corridors. Leading the list are big companies, as 86 percent of Americans say they have too much power and influence in Washington. These are followed by Political Action Committees (PACs), which give money to political candidates; 83 percent of Americans cite them as having too much power and influence.

“Four in five Americans (80%) say political lobbyists have too much power, while almost three-quarters (74%) say the same about the news media. Rounding out the top five are entertainment and sports celebrities, as over two-thirds (69%) of Americans believe they have too much power and influence in D.C….

“Looking at this from the other side of the spectrum, 90 percent of Americans believe that small business has too little power and influence in Washington. Large majorities also believe public opinion (74%) and nonprofit organizations (65%) have too little power and influence….

“In addition to PACs and big companies, there are three other institutions which majorities of the public believe have too much power — TV and radio talk shows (57%), trade associations (57%) and labor unions (51%). Looking at the reverse side of the issue, just over half of the public believes racial minorities (51%) and churches and religious groups (52%) all have too little power and influence in Washington….

“There some interesting things to note when comparing this year to 1994, the first year The Harris Poll asked this question. First, PACs have seen a five point decrease in the number of people saying they have too much power. Perhaps this is a sign Americans perceive the legislative ethics and campaign finance changes as doing some good….

“Republicans, Democrats and Independents tend to agree on certain issues related to power and influence in Washington. Over 80 percent of all three groups believe that PACs have too much power and influence (83%, 84% and 89%, respectively). Furthermore, similar numbers of Republicans and Democrats believe TV and radio talk shows (55% and 59% respectively) and Trade associations (57% and 55% respectively) have too much power and influence….

“However, there are also some large differences. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to believe that labor unions have too much power (65% vs. 39%). They are also more likely to think that racial minorities (43% vs. 23%), opinion polls (51% vs. 37%), and the news media (80% vs. 69%) have too much power.

“Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely than Republicans to only think two groups have too much power and influence — churches and religious organization (48% vs. 28%) and big companies (91% vs. 80%)….”

For the full press release from Harris, Mar. 11, click here.

More people trust Internet news sites than television news, Harris poll finds

From Harris Interactive:

“During this political primary season, the media, especially cable news networks, have seen a large increase in viewers, listeners, and/or readers. But, with all this do people actually trust the media? The answer is not really. Looking at the press in general, over half (54%) of Americans say they tend not to trust them, with only 30 percent tending to trust the press. Just under half (46%) of Americans say they do not trust television, while one-third (36%) do trust them. Somewhat surprisingly, Internet news and information sites do slightly better as a plurality of Americans (41%) trust them while just one-third (34%) tend not to trust them. And, radio tends to do best among Americans as 44 percent say they tend to trust it and one-third (32%) tend not to trust radio….

“Overall, Democrats are more likely to trust the media than Republicans, even with regard to radio. Just over half of Democrats (51%) trust radio compared to 45 percent of Republicans, and 45 percent of Democrats tend to trust Internet news and information sites compared to 40 percent of Republicans. The largest differences are for television and the press. Half of Democrats (50%) say they tend to trust television compared to three in ten (31%) Republicans. When it comes to the press in general, a plurality of Democrats (43%) say they tend to trust them, but only one in five (19%) of Republicans say the same.

“In this election year, people are turning to various sources to get their news on politics — whether on candidates or on issues. When Americans are looking for political news, seven in ten (70%) of them turn to their local television news all the time or occasionally, followed by two-thirds (66%) who turn to cable television news stations like CNN, MSNBC or FOX all the time or occasionally. Two-thirds (65%) also go to their local newspapers for news on politics all the time or occasionally, while 64 percent turn to the network television news.

“While the media has spent a great deal of effort enhancing their various websites, these are not where people are turning. One-third (32%) of Americans say they never go to the websites for national newspapers for political news while three in ten (30%) say they never go to the websites for the cable news stations when looking for political news….

“One’s generation does impact where one goes for political news. The oldest generations, Matures (those aged 63 and older) are much more likely to turn to their local television news all the time or occasionally (83%) while Baby Boomers (those aged 44-62) are more likely to turn to cable television news (74%), local newspapers (74%) and network television news (73%). While one may expect the younger generations to be more likely to go to the websites of the various media, this is not the case. Baby Boomers are actually the generation most likely to use websites for national newspapers (40%) and the cable television networks (40%) all the time or occasionally….”

For the full press release from Harris, Mar. 6, click here.

Medicine, White House, and small business leaders suffer greatest declines in public confidence

From Harris Interactive:

“Over the past four decades, the Harris Poll has measured the confidence, or lack of confidence, in the leaders of major institutions. This year’s survey finds that confidence has declined substantially since last year. Fifteen of the sixteen items listed show a fall in confidence and the overall Harris Interactive Confidence Index has fallen nine points this year.

“The largest declines in those who have a ‘great deal of confidence’ are for medicine (down from 37% to 28%), leadership in the White House (down from 22% last year to 15%) and for the relatively highly rated small business leaders (down from 54% to 47%).

“Only one institution shows an improvement. Those who have a great deal of confidence in leaders of the military have increased from 46 percent to 51 percent. This almost certainly reflects a sense that the situation in Iraq is improving and the so-called ’surge’ has been somewhat successful. It may also reflect public confidence in General David Petraeus, the commander in Iraq….

“As a result of the fall in confidence levels, the Harris Interactive Confidence Index had dropped very sharply from 53 in 2007 to 44 this year. This is the lowest it has been in eleven years.

“This poll also shows significant declines in the number of people who have a great deal of confidence in:

• “Wall Street, down six points from 17 percent to only 11 percent…
• “Major Educational Institutions, down five points from 37 percent to 32 percent
• “The Courts and the Justice Systems, also down five points from 21 percent to 16 percent

“…Republicans tend to have more confidence than Democrats in the leaders of:

• “The military (76% vs. 37%)
• “Small business (58% vs. 40%)
• “Medicine (38% vs. 24%)
• “The Supreme Court (37% vs. 20%)
• “Organized religion (35% vs. 21%)
• “The White House (30% vs. 7%)
• “Major companies (21% vs. 12%)
• “Wall Street (15% vs. 9%)

“Democrats, on the other hand, tend to have more confidence in the leaders of:

• “Major educational institutions (39% vs. 25%)
• “Television news (22% vs. 13%)
• “Organized labor (17% vs. 6%)
• “The press (17% vs. 5%)
• “Congress (11% vs. 6%)

“The Harris Poll measures the changing levels of confidence from year to year but it does not explain why they change. We can provide plausible explanations for some, but not all of the changes.

“We believe that al least two forces change these numbers. One is specific events (or public perception of events). These would explain the higher level of confidence in the military and the lower level of confidence in the White House (parallel to the recent decline in President Bush’s ratings).

“Another explanation is the halo effect from general mood of the country that appears to raise or lower the levels of confidence in leaders generally when things seem to be going well, confidence rise — and vice versa….

“Public perceptions of different institutions and their leaders matter. They influence behavior. Legislators and regulators are probably more likely to take a tougher line with unpopular institutions than with popular ones. The influence of Corporate America is probably hurt by the low standing of major companies but helped by the high standing of small business. As confidence in Wall Street declines, legislators may be inclined to investigate or regulate financial markets. The unpopularity of organized labor may make it harder for unions to recruit new members. This year’s increased respect for our military leaders probably increases their influence on Capitol Hill. In a democracy, popularity and unpopularity often make a difference….”

For the full press release from Harris, Feb. 28, click here.

Report finds that most firms prefer a relatively hands-off approach when third parties’ ethics codes differ from their own

From the Conference Board:

“The most common method for handling third party ethics and compliance issues is to adopt and stick to a code of practice or policies that governs the manner in which a company’s own employees deal with third parties, according to a report released today by The Conference Board.

“Ninety-five percent of the 169 companies surveyed by The Conference Board and the Ethics and Compliance Officer Association (ECOA) for the report on the essentials of corporate third party ethics programs said that while it is vitally important to address third party ethics and compliance issues through codes of conduct for their own employees, they are less inclined to involve third parties directly in these programs.

“‘With the exception of helplines or whistle-blowing systems, the direct inclusion of third parties in companies’ ethics and compliance programs is the exception, not the rule,’ says Ronald E. Berenbeim, principal researcher at The Conference Board and author of the report with Rebecca Walker, an attorney specializing in corporate compliance and business ethics. ‘Nevertheless, companies are growing more dependent on third party relationships for the achievement of business objectives — either via joint venture, which may be mandated for entering into a new country, or working with suppliers or contractors.’…

“‘Companies struggle with the competing tensions that arise from developing business relationships with local partners that aren’t always mindful or responsive to a broad range of stakeholder concerns such as environmental compliance, health and safety, and human rights,’ according to Walker….

“Background or due diligence checks are also preferred to insisting that the third party adopt the company’s ethics and compliance programs or maintain its own system. Seventy-seven percent of respondents perform checks on certain third parties prior to entering into a business relationship; 74 percent scrutinize agents; and about half subject all categories of third parties to due diligence. Disabling financial or legal conditions are more likely than reputational impairments to be the subject matter of due diligence searches….

“Ethics and compliance training programs are the third most frequent step that survey participants take in extending their own program to third parties. Slightly more than one-third (38 percent) of survey participants offer but don’t insist on some kind of training program for third parties….

“Company audits of third party compliance with ethics policies and practices are infrequent, and a majority of the companies that audit don’t do so routinely. Slightly more than 35 percent of the survey participants perform audits or otherwise verify that third parties conduct themselves as required by the company’s own compliance and ethics policies. Of this group, slightly less than half conduct audits on a routine basis, while the remainder focuses their audits on specific concerns.

“The surveyed companies showed little interest in the third party’s own ethics programs. Slightly more than one quarter of the survey respondents ask third parties whether or not they have them, but only 14 percent of respondents ask for documentation. Companies are especially likely to seek information on the third party’s compliance program when considering an acquisition or a joint venture….

“The implementation of a means for third parties to report concerns or misconduct was ranked as the easiest means of ensuring appropriate third party compliance; monitoring third party behavior for compliance (arguably one of the key objectives for establishing such as system) was rated by far the most difficult….”

For the full press release from the Conference Board, Feb. 12, click here.

Survey examines expected demographic shifts as immigration accelerates

From the Pew Research Center:

“If current trends continue, the population of the United States will rise to 438 million in 2050, from 296 million in 2005, and 82% of the increase will be due to immigrants arriving from 2005 to 2050 and their U.S.-born descendants, according to new projections developed by the Pew Research Center.

“Of the 117 million people added to the population during this period due to the effect of new immigration, 67 million will be the immigrants themselves and 50 million will be their U.S.-born children or grandchildren.

“Among the other key population projections:

• “Nearly one in five Americans (19%) will be an immigrant in 2050, compared with one in eight (12%) in 2005. By 2025, the immigrant, or foreign-born, share of the population will surpass the peak during the last great wave of immigration a century ago….
• “The Latino population, already the nation’s largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the nation’s population growth from 2005 through 2050. Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005.
• “Births in the United States will play a growing role in Hispanic and Asian population growth; as a result, a smaller proportion of both groups will be foreign-born in 2050 than is the case now.
• “The non-Hispanic white population will increase more slowly than other racial and ethnic groups; whites will become a minority (47%) by 2050.
• “The nation’s elderly population will more than double in size from 2005 through 2050, as the baby boom generation enters the traditional retirement years. The number of working-age Americans and children will grow more slowly than the elderly population, and will shrink as a share of the total population.

“The Center’s projections are based on detailed assumptions about births, deaths and immigration levels — the three key components of population change. All these assumptions are built on recent trends. But it is important to note that these trends can change….”

For the full press release from the Pew Research Center, Feb. 11, click here.

Pew survey examines public’s priorities for coming year

From the Pew Research Center:

“With the economy slowing and the stock market reeling, there is greater agreement among Republicans and Democrats that strengthening the nation’s economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress in the coming year. By contrast, partisan differences over the importance of other domestic issues — such as dealing with global warming, helping the poor, and providing health insurance to the uninsured — have all increased substantially over the past year….

“The annual survey on the public’s policy agenda shows that substantially more Republicans and independents view strengthening the economy as a top priority than did so in January 2007. Partisan differences over the importance of bolstering the nation’s economy, which were fairly sizable at the start of last year, have disappeared.

“However, far fewer Republicans rate dealing with global warming, expanding access to health insurance, and helping the poor as top concerns — and partisan disagreements over the importance of those issues have increased considerably. Only about a quarter of Republicans (27%) say that providing health insurance to the uninsured should be a top priority, down 17 points from January 2007. More than twice as many Democrats (65%) and independents (58%) now rate this as a major policy goal.

“There is a similar pattern in views about the importance of dealing with the problems of the poor and global warming. A year ago, global warming was the lowest-ranking agenda item for Republicans of 23 issues mentioned; just 23% viewed it as a top priority. This year, it has fallen even further — just 12% of Republicans cite global warming as a top priority, less than half the proportion naming the next lowest rated issue (27% for providing health insurance to the uninsured).

“Democrats currently are about four times more likely than Republicans to rate global warming as a major priority (47% vs. 12%), a much greater gap than in January 2007 (48% Democrat vs. 23% Republican)….

“Economic problems now top the public’s list of national concerns, with roughly one-in-three (34%) citing economic problems as the nation’s most grave, compared with 27% who say the war in Iraq is the biggest problem facing the nation….

“Democrats remain more likely than Republicans to cite the economy as the nation’s greatest problem. Nearly four-in-ten Democrats (39%) list an economic concern, compared with 27% of Republicans. Democrats are also substantially more concerned about Iraq than are Republicans (36% vs. 21%). By contrast, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to name immigration, terrorism and national security as the biggest problems….

“Notably, 81% of Democrats say that reducing health care costs should be a top priority for policymakers — the highest percentage for any issue mentioned. Only about half of Republicans (53%) view this as a major priority….

“As he begins his final year in office, President Bush’s standing with the public continues to worsen. While his overall job approval ratings are holding steady, the balance of opinion is roughly two-to-one negative (31% approve, 59% disapprove)….

“A 59% majority of Americans believe that, in the long run, the failures of the Bush administration will outweigh the accomplishments, up from 53% a year ago. Half as many (28%) say Bush’s accomplishments will outweigh his failures….

“This dour view of the Bush presidency stands in contrast to public sentiment at the same point in Bill Clinton’s presidency. In January of 2000, 51% felt the Clinton administrations main legacy would be its accomplishments, while just 37% said the failures would stand out….

“…The most striking difference in views of the two presidents’ legacies is among independents. In January 2000, a majority of independents (53%) said that Clinton’s legacy would be marked by his administration’s accomplishments. Today, by a 64% to 23% margin, most independents say Bush’s legacy will be marked by his administration’s failures….”

For the full press release, Jan. 24, click here.

“Just under three in five Americans believe juries can be fair and impartial all or most of the time”

From Harris Interactive®:

“One of the civil duties many people dread, or try to get out of, is jury duty. And many do seem to get out of it — while two-thirds (65%) of Americans have been called to serve jury duty, two-thirds of that (68%) actually attended, leaving one-third (32%) who did not. Of those who have attended jury duty, just over half (55%) have actually served on a jury. Bringing this back to the population as a whole, a plurality of Americans (44%) has attended jury duty and one-quarter (24%) has actually sat on a jury….

“Of those who have been called, however, men and women have served in similar numbers (56% and 53% respectively). The more education one has, the more likely one seems able to avoid serving on a jury. Over half (57%) of both those with a high school or less education and some college who have attended jury duty have actually served on a jury. Yet this number drops to just over half (52%) of those with a college degree and 48 percent of those with a post graduate education.

“Most of the time, those who were on a jury deliberated. Just over three-quarters (78%) say they reached a verdict, while one in five (19%) said the case was settled before they had to deliberate….

“Overall, Americans believe juries are able to be fair and impartial. A majority (58%) of adults say people on trial have a jury that is fair and impartial all or most of the time while one in five (21%) say the jury is fair and impartial occasionally. Just eight percent say juries are rarely or never fair and impartial. There is a racial disparity in this belief. Almost two-thirds (63%) of Whites and over half (55%) of Hispanics believe people who are on trial have a jury that is fair and impartial all or most of the time compared to just 37 percent of Blacks.

“In looking at a judge versus a jury and who would give a fair verdict in a trial, half of Americans (50%) would trust a jury to give a fair verdict while just under one-quarter (23%) would trust a judge and 27 percent are not sure….”

For the full press release from Harris, Jan. 21, click here.

United States ranks 39th, “significantly behind other industrialized nations”

From Yale University and Columbia University:

“Switzerland tops the global list of countries ranked by environmental performance according to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by a team of environmental experts at Yale University and Columbia University.

“The 2008 EPI, released at the World Economic Forum in Davos ranks 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked across six established policy categories: Environmental Health, Air Pollution, Water Resources, Biodiversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Climate Change. The EPI identifies broadly-accepted targets for environmental performance and measures how close each country comes to these goals. As a quantitative gauge of pollution control and natural resource management results, the Index provides a powerful tool for improving policymaking and shifting environmental decisionmaking onto firmer analytic foundations.

“The 2008 EPI ranks Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Costa Rica two to five, respectively. Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Niger occupy the bottom five positions.

“The Index also provides ‘peer group’ rankings for each country showing how its performance stacks up against others facing similar environmental challenges. These benchmarks allow easy tracking of leaders and laggards on an issue-by-issue and aggregate basis. The data also support efforts to identify ‘best practices’ in the environmental realm.

“Analysis of the drivers underlying the 2008 rankings suggests that wealth is a major determinant of environmental success. At every level of development, however, some countries achieve results that far exceed their peers, demonstrating that policy choices also affect performance. For example, Costa Rica (5th), known for its substantial environmental efforts, significantly outperforms its neighbor Nicaragua (77^th)….

“Top-ranked countries have all invested in water and air pollution control and other elements of environmental infrastructure and have adopted policy measures to mitigate the pollution harms caused by economic activities. Low-ranked countries typically have not made investments in environmental public health and have weak policy regimes….

“The United States placed 39th in the rankings, significantly behind other industrialized nations like the United Kingdom (14^th) and Japan (21^st)….”

For more information, see: Environmental Performance Index home — New York Times, Jan. 23 — Reuters, Jan. 23 — Newsweek, Jan. 23.

“Survey reveals generational differences in views on marriage and commitment”

From AOL Personals and Zogby International:

“More than 4 in 10 Americans (44%), including 50% in their 20s don’t believe that they need to be married to validate the commitment of a long-term relationship, according to a survey from AOL Personals … and Zogby. This is just one of the many findings from a new interactive survey of Americans age 20 to 69 that tackles how different generations view a wide range of relationship issues — from love to soul mates, money and trust….

“Issues related to trust in relationships vary significantly among different generations. Younger respondents are more likely to want the truth from their partner, even if it hurts — more than 85% of respondents in their 20s said they always want the truth, compared to 79% of those in their 50s and 60s….

“Money is an important issue in any relationship, but different generations have varying views on managing money matters. Those in their 20s are less likely to be concerned with differences in income, with 88% saying they would date someone who makes significantly less money. Older respondents are less inclined to combine incomes in a romantic relationship, with 38% of respondents 40 and older likely to do so, compared with 50% of respondents in their 20s and 30s.

“When it comes to dating, most Americans are able to overlook flaws in potential partners — such as prospects with small bank accounts, job loss, or physical disabilities. Adults in their 20s are less likely to be concerned about differences between themselves and their partners, with respondents in the age group more likely than others to date someone who comes from a different racial or religious background. In addition, while more than half of respondents (51%) would date someone with opposing political beliefs, those in their 20s (60%) are most likely to leave politics at home while out on a date….”

For more information, see: Full press release from Zogby, Jan. 2 — Reuters, Jan. 3.

Poll finds public judging political candidates by their perceived character, not their position on controversial issues

From Harris Interactive:

“Political commentators and journalists often use the phrase ‘moral values’ to mean the issues of importance to some conservatives and members of the ‘Christian Right,’ issues such as abortion, gay rights, same-sex marriage and stem cell research. In fact, when the public uses the phrase, only a few people are referring to these issues. Most people who say that moral values are very important to them in deciding how to vote (46% of all adults) say that what they mean are the characters of the candidates — such as honesty, integrity, trustworthiness and their likelihood of ‘doing the right thing’.

“Using the phrase as the public understands it, moral values are important to most people (85%) when deciding whom to vote for, and are ‘very important’ to fully 46 percent of the public.

“Republicans (63%) are much more likely than Democrats (37%) or Independents (38%) to believe that moral values are very important in their choice of candidates — a finding that is consistent with the common assumption that ‘values voters’ tend to be an important part of the Republican base. Unsurprisingly, Conservatives (64%) are also more likely than Moderates (41%) or Liberals (33%) to believe moral values are very important criteria for their voting decisions….

“Of all the people who say moral values are very important in deciding how to vote, less than a third (30%) are referring to the candidates’ positions on issues, with by far the largest number (14%) referring to abortion. In addition, they mention gay rights (3%), that marriage is between a man and woman (3%) and gay marriage (3%). A few, but only a very few, mention homosexuality (1%), and stem cell research (1%).

“The greatest majority (78%) of these voters mentions personal characteristics of the candidates including their honesty (28%), integrity (11%), ethical values (8%), and someone who does the right thing (8%), is trustworthy (7%), truthful (6%) or keeps his/her word (6%).

“However it is not quite as clear cut as these numbers. Some, but not many, of these ‘moral values voters’ mention personal characteristics associated with the Christian Right such as ‘Christian/or believes in the Bible’ (6%), their religious views (5%), belief in God or Christ (4%), or the 10 Commandments (2%). Overall, however, it is very clear that when most people talk about the importance of moral values they are not referring to the agenda of the Christian Right….

“These findings show that pollsters, journalists and commentators must be very careful not to assume that voters who feel strongly about ‘moral values’ are primarily concerned with issues such as abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage, stem cell research, gun control or any of the other issues often associated with the Christian Right or the Conservative base of the Republican party….

“In 2004 many commentators assumed wrongly that voters who said moral values influenced their votes were referring to these issues, and as a result some pundits greatly overestimated their impact on the election….”

For the full press release from Harris Interactive, Jan. 9, click here.

Poll finds sinking expectations for the coming year

From the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press:

“The American public begins the new year with a highly negative view of national conditions and tempered expectations for 2008. Half of Americans say that as far as they are concerned, 2008 will be a better year than 2007, while 34% say it will be worse. In December 2006, and in several end-of-year surveys during the 1990s, there was greater optimism about the coming year.

“Public views of the state of the nation are even less positive than people’s personal expectations for the coming year. Just 27% say they are satisfied with national conditions, while 66% are dissatisfied. Positive views of the state of the nation have been mired at about 30% for most of the past two years….

“President Bush’s approval rating also remains at a low point at the start of his final year in office. Just 31% approve of the president’s job performance, while 60% disapprove. Bush’s approval rating has been below 40% since February 2006.

“The latest national survey … finds that the public is looking forward to the presidential election much more than several other major events on the 2008 calendar. Fully 70% say they are especially looking forward to the November election…. [T]his is slightly more than say they are looking forward to the Olympics (52%) or the Super Bowl (49%), and far more than are anticipating the World Series and the Academy Awards….

“A plurality of Americans (23%) cite Iraq as the single most important news event of 2007, but significantly fewer named Iraq as the year’s top event than did so in 2006 (34%). Pew surveys have shown that public attentiveness to the war, which was extensive early in 2007, declined later in the year.

“Aside from Iraq, no single event stood out in the public’s view as the most important in 2007. Overall, 4% volunteered natural disasters and the weather and 3% cited the home mortgage crisis, with smaller numbers naming other stories….”

For the full press release, Jan. 4, click here.

Survey finds 85 percent of privacy and security professionals ‘acknowledge a reportable data breach occurred within their organizations in the last year’

From Deloitte & Touche and the Ponemon Institute:

“Personally identifiable information (PII) of customers and employees is being exposed — frequently and repeatedly — potentially putting hundreds of thousands of individuals at risk and exposing organizations to increased liability, according to a new survey by Deloitte & Touche LLP (’Deloitte’) and the Ponemon Institute LLC.

“A shocking 85 percent of privacy and security professionals in North America surveyed acknowledged having at least one reportable data breach of PII within their organizations during the last 12 months, according to the ‘Enterprise@Risk: 2007 Privacy & Data Protection Survey.’ More alarming is the fact that 63 percent acknowledged multiple reportable data breaches occurred within their organizations during the same period. As a result, privacy and security professionals continue spending most of their privacy-focused time on incident response and relatively little time on more proactive activities, such as strategy, training and root cause analysis….

” ‘The astonishingly high rate of data breaches is undermining public trust in both commercial and governmental organizations and points to an urgent need for privacy and security to be elevated as a coordinated, strategic imperative within all organizations,’ said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder, Ponemon Institute. ‘Our research suggests that privacy and security are still largely reactive, siloed functions; this mindset needs to change immediately if we are to stem the swelling tide of data breaches plaguing consumers and enterprises.’

“Additional key findings and analysis include:

• “Only slightly more than 7 percent of a professional’s time is allocated to employee training and no more than 10 percent is allocated to establishing an incident response team, management reporting and conducting root cause analysis….

“The survey pointed out a couple of realities. The privacy function is siloed between legal and compliance on one hand, and IT security on the other hand. The privacy program itself is still immature. And, there does not appear to be real integration with the risk function and business processes of the enterprise. Until that integration occurs, it is likely that privacy incidents and reportable data breaches will continue….”

For the full press release, Dec. 11, click here.

Editor’s Note: Deloitte is a corporate sponsor of Ethics Newsline®.

Survey finds divergent views between many European countries and respondents in the United States.

From Harris Interactive:

“As the United States gets ready to enter an election year, there are interesting differences in the perceptions of adults in the five largest European countries, especially compared to Americans, as to what the election may mean and how important it is. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) and over half of Italians (55%), Germans (52%) and Spaniards (51%) think the U.S. election is extremely or very important to people in other countries as do a plurality (43%) of British adults. The French, however, disagree, as just over one-third (38%) say the election is extremely or very important to other countries….

“One of the interesting story lines with this U.S. election is the possibility of two firsts — a female president and a black president. Over half of adults in France (56%), Spain (56%), Germany (55%), and Italy (53%) as well as a plurality (43%) in Great Britain, believe that electing a woman as president would have a positive effect on the USA….The one exception is in the U.S. Just three in ten (29%) Americans believe electing a woman would have a positive effect on the USA while one-quarter (26%) say it would have a negative effect and 23 percent believe it would have equally positive and negative effects….

“Looking at the possibility of the first black president, the numbers are not as strong. Half of Spaniards (50%) and pluralities of French (49%), Italians (44%), Germans (43%) and Britons (43%) believe electing a black man would have a positive effect on the USA. Again, Americans are less positive as just one-third (33%) say this would have a positive effect while 28 percent say the effect would be equally positive and negative….

“In looking at who would make the best U.S. president (among 10 listed candidates) Hillary Clinton is the top choice in all six countries. Barack Obama is second in France and Germany and tied for second with Rudy Giuliani in the U.S. Rudy Giuliani comes in second in Italy, Spain, and Great Britain. When it comes to who will actually win the 2008 Presidential election, Hillary Clinton is again on top — in fact, over half of Italians (51%) believe she will win. The only other candidate in double digits in any of the countries is Rudy Giuliani and 11 percent of Americans believe he will actually win the election.

“Looking at the position of the U.S. in the world under President Bush, there is a consensus — the position of the U.S. is weaker in the world today then it was at the beginning of the Bush presidency. In fact, Americans are the ones leading this charge as almost three in five (58%) of them say weaker, followed by 57 percent of British adults and over half of Italians (53%) and Germans (52%). Just under half (49%) of French adults and 46 percent of Spaniards believe the same.

“The new president, whoever he or she might be, inherits a good deal of international concerns. As to the most urgent foreign policy issue for the new president, for adults in five of the countries, Iraq comes out as the top issue. Italy is the exception as Italians believe the Middle East settlement is the most urgent issue, followed by Iran….

“The role the new president should play is one where those in Europe agree on one idea, while those in the U.S. feel a little differently. Two-thirds or more in the five European countries (between 65% and 77%) believe the U.S. president should be an equal voice among all western leaders. In the U.S., just under half (46%) also agree with this idea….

“One reason the U.S. needs to have such an important role is many believe the U.S. poses a threat to world peace A majority in Spain (56%) and pluralities in France (49%), Great Britain (48%) and Germany (48%) as well as 37 percent in Italy believe the U.S. poses a major threat to world peace. Even one-quarter (28%) in the U.S. believe the U.S. poses a major threat while 27 percent of Americans say the U.S. poses a minor threat to world peace….”

For the full press release from Harris Interactive, Dec. 11, click here.

Study examines cultural, political, and gender lines in how the public views female leaders.

From the Pew Research Center:

“On December 10, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will be inaugurated as Argentina’s first female president. The senator and first lady will join 11 other women who currently serve as their countries’ presidents or prime ministers, including Michelle Bachelet in neighboring Chile. But while women worldwide are making gains in all levels of government, the most recent Pew Global Attitudes survey of 46 countries and the Palestinian territories finds that publics around the world express mixed opinions about women and political leadership.

“The countries of Western Europe, North America and Latin America generally include the highest proportions of respondents who rate men and women as equally good political leaders. Roughly two-thirds in Kirchner’s country (68%) express that view, while 17% say men are better leaders and 9% prefer women. In the United States, fully three-quarters say men and women make equally good political leaders, and that opinion is even more widespread in Western Europe.

“By contrast, majorities in Mali (65%), the Palestinian territories (64%), Kuwait (62%), Pakistan (54%), Bangladesh (52%) and Ethiopia (51%) say men make better political leaders than women, as do nearly half of Jordanians (49%) and Nigerians (48%). Russians are also divided: 44% say men and women make equally good leaders while 40% say men are better. Only in Brazil do more people say women make better political leaders than say men do: 15% of Brazilians say women make better political leaders and 10% say men are better leaders….

“Views of political leadership often split along gender lines as well, with men more likely than women to say men make better political leaders and women more likely than men to say either that women make better leaders or that both are equally good. This is especially the case in Africa as well as in several Asian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European countries….

“In the United States, where Hillary Clinton currently leads the Democratic primary field in national polls, opinions about gender and political leadership reflect partisan rather than gender differences….”

For the full press release from the Pew Research Center, Dec. 5, click here.