Do kids' polls mean anything?
Weekly Reader - Bush
Nickelodeon - Kerry
Scholastic Magazines - Bush
USAA - Bush
It's true that kids can't vote in a real election but I think that their votes in these polls are a good reflection of their parents' opinions. Adults may be reluctant to give accurate information or claim to be undecided. Kids are much more open...just ask Bill Cosby or Art Linkletter.
The first three polls claim to have a history of predicting the election outcome. Since 1956 Weekly Reader has only been wrong once - early voting picked Robert Kennedy in 1968. Nickelodeon says their poll has picked the winner in every election since 1988. The Scholastic poll has picked the winner in every election but two since 1940.
Since two of the polls picked Bush and one picked Kerry, at least one will be wrong this year. I wonder if conservative families (who would be more likely to pick Bush) could be under represented in the Nickelodeon poll because they may be more likely to limit television viewing.
Posted by marybeth at October 26, 2004 08:03 AM PoliticsAHH, but the "Nick Jr" poll has Bush ahead 56% to 40% with "safety" the no.1 issue.C McAveney
Posted by c mcaveney at October 27, 2004 10:23 AMI'm not sure what your point is. Are you implying that safety wouldn't be an important issue for non-conservative families?
My comment about their poll wasn't because I questioned their results but because I questioned why their results were so different from the other three polls.
I checked the Nickelodeon site and can't find where they say safety was the most important issue. Where did you find that information and what other issues were listed?
Posted by marybeth at October 27, 2004 10:50 AMGo to www.nickjr.com. It's on the left side. I just pointed out "safety" because it rec'd the lionshare of % points. There were many issues listed.I never said or thought that non-consevative types don't worry about safety. I was just pointing out that nickjr has Bush ahead, that's all. Sorry to offend. That was not my intention. CM
Posted by c Mcaveney at October 27, 2004 10:59 AMNo, I apologize, I was still thinking "Nickelodeon" with Kerry ahead instead of paying attention to what I was reading (Nick Jr. with Bush ahead.) I couldn't find anything on the Nickelodeon poll that showed any issues. I hadn't realized that Nick Jr. had a separate poll.
And I complain about others having problems understanding the content of what they read. :-( The combination of "Kerry" and "safety" should have made me realize I misread your comment. Instead I assumed that he either had fooled people into believing he would be strong there or the poll was overwhelmed by adults who thought it would be funny to say they were voting for Kerry because of security.
Neither would be a stretch since they are Nickelodeon viewers. I think Nick Jr. is great for young kids but the other programming is a waste of electrons. As I said, I don't question their poll's results. I should add that I question whether or not it is an accurate predictor of the upcoming election.
I hope the Nick Jr., Scholastic, Weekly Reader, and USAA polls are better indicators.
Posted by marybeth at October 27, 2004 04:39 PM