Survey rates Obama's first 100 days
thejambar thejambar
Issue date: 6/25/09 Section: News
Much like other areas of the country, President Barack Obama has a high approval rating in Youngstown.
A recent study conducted by the Center for Working Class Studies, which focused on Obama's first 100 days in office, showed that 87% of the 891 participants either approved or highly approved of Obama's performance, while 73% believed the country is moving in the right direction. The national approval rating for Obama's first 100 days was 65 %, according to a Gallup Poll.
The Center's survey was available online from May 1 through May 15, and coding within the Web site "made it impossible" for respondents to take the survey more than once. After the results were analyzed, they were released June 3.
"During the election last fall, the Center for Working Class Studies was contacted for information regarding voting patterns and the economy … Because of these interviews and discussions as part of the elections, we decided to do this survey," CWCS co-director John Russo said.
"We sent notification [of the upcoming online survey] to every local community or political network," Russo said, "but we were uncertain of how many people would respond." These networks included labor unions, business groups and newspapers, as well as local leaders and activists.
Because of its ad-hoc format, "people chose to take the survey," he said. Russo was surprised to have more than 900 surveys submitted. Yet, there is no way of knowing exactly how many responses came from each individual network or group.
"This was a learning experience for us," Russo said. "Right now, we are trying to get as many people as possible to participate … and have a more diverse population."
The results from the survey were primarily consistent with that from other national questionnaires. However, there were differing views concerning the automobile industry bailout.
"In national surveys, people were against the government helping General Motors; however, in our survey, people were for it," Russo said.
The CWCS will conduct four surveys per year; the next one will take place at the beginning of the fall semester.
A recent study conducted by the Center for Working Class Studies, which focused on Obama's first 100 days in office, showed that 87% of the 891 participants either approved or highly approved of Obama's performance, while 73% believed the country is moving in the right direction. The national approval rating for Obama's first 100 days was 65 %, according to a Gallup Poll.
The Center's survey was available online from May 1 through May 15, and coding within the Web site "made it impossible" for respondents to take the survey more than once. After the results were analyzed, they were released June 3.
"During the election last fall, the Center for Working Class Studies was contacted for information regarding voting patterns and the economy … Because of these interviews and discussions as part of the elections, we decided to do this survey," CWCS co-director John Russo said.
"We sent notification [of the upcoming online survey] to every local community or political network," Russo said, "but we were uncertain of how many people would respond." These networks included labor unions, business groups and newspapers, as well as local leaders and activists.
Because of its ad-hoc format, "people chose to take the survey," he said. Russo was surprised to have more than 900 surveys submitted. Yet, there is no way of knowing exactly how many responses came from each individual network or group.
"This was a learning experience for us," Russo said. "Right now, we are trying to get as many people as possible to participate … and have a more diverse population."
The results from the survey were primarily consistent with that from other national questionnaires. However, there were differing views concerning the automobile industry bailout.
"In national surveys, people were against the government helping General Motors; however, in our survey, people were for it," Russo said.
The CWCS will conduct four surveys per year; the next one will take place at the beginning of the fall semester.
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