Posted on 08/18/2004 6:50:15 AM PDT by Pikamax
Press Release Source: NeoPets, Inc.
Kids Favor John Kerry, Fox News in Myers/Neopets.com Political Poll Wednesday August 18, 6:01 am ET Poll Asks Kids Aged 8-17 Who They Would Vote for, What Issues Are Most Important to Them, Where They Get Their Elections News
GLENDALE, Calif., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Although they are not old enough to vote, young people have become increasingly influential and involved in politics, and their perspective on current events offers unique insight into the influence of media on the formation of opinions and values. In a Jack Myers/Neopets.com Political Poll taken following the Democratic National Convention, almost 2,000 members of the Neopets.com virtual community, aged 8-17 and balanced to be equally representative of males and females, were asked various questions about the U.S. presidential campaign, key political issues, and what media they use to get elections news. According to the Myers/Neopets.com Political Poll conducted online for the week beginning July 26, 2004:
* 44 percent of the respondents would vote for John Kerry if the election was held today and they were old enough to vote; * 38 percent would vote for George W. Bush; * 1 percent would vote for Ralph Nader; * 11 percent were undecided
These numbers contrast the results of the Myers/Neopets.com Political Poll conducted during the week beginning July 12, prior to the Convention. In the pre-Convention poll, Bush led Kerry 41 percent to 40 percent in a virtual dead heat, with 10 percent being undecided and 2 percent saying they would vote for Nader. Additionally, only 60 percent of young people polled knew the names of the candidates in the first poll.
"Young people represent the most media savvy and sophisticated generation in history," states Jack Myers, editor of the Jack Myers Report (http://www.jackmyers.com), in the Report's August 16, 2004 issue. "They actively use the Internet more than any prior generation; they have greater access to multiple news sources and are more aware of national and global events than previous generations because of their access to alternative media."
The poll also uncovered interesting information regarding how these young people find their news:
* 71 percent identify broadcast television networks as their primary source of news and information about the upcoming presidential elections, with 38 percent saying it's their most important source; * 41 percent rely on cable TV news, 45 percent read newspapers, and 40 percent use the Internet for information on the elections; * Fox News Channel is the most watched network for election news, with 35 percent, compared with CBS (29 percent), NBC (28 percent), ABC (23 percent), CNN (20 percent) and MTV (12 percent); * Yahoo!News is the leading Internet news source, with 23 percent; and
"It is very interesting to see how closely the youth of America follow current events, including politics," said Rik Kinney, executive vice president of Neopets. "They may not be able to vote yet, but it is valuable to know how this next generation of voters view their country's politics, as they will be shaping the national debate over the next decade."
About the Jack Myers-Neopets Poll
This survey was conducted online among 1,866 Neopets.com users aged 8 to 17 during the week beginning July 26, 2004. All surveys are conducted within COPPA regulations. Individual respondent data is not identifiable. The sample was drawn from the Neopets website using a random sampling methodology. Quotas were set to ensure an end sample that closely matched the U.S. census for demographic variables such as age and gender. Statistical confidence intervals are +/- 2.2.
About Neopets
The privately owned NeoPets, Inc., a global media and entertainment company, owns and operates Neopets.com, the world's leading online youth community. Neopets.com, consistently ranked among the top-10 "stickiest" sites on the Web by Nielsen//NetRatings, currently has over 23 million members worldwide, generates more than 7 billion pageviews per month worldwide. The company is headquartered in Glendale, California. For additional information, visit the Neopets® Web site at http://www.neopets.com or go to Neopets' online press kit at http://info.neopets.com/aboutus.
BREAKING NEWS: White House willing to concede 8-17 age voters to Kerry/Edwards.
The sentence which states that 71% of the kiddies get their news primarily from broadcast TV news should frighten the sh*t out of everyone!! SSZ
Yeah, but think of how many neopoints those Kerry campaign workers had to spend to buy the votes?
Knowing that children anf foreign leaders prefer Kerry is just one more reason not to vote for this immature frenchman!
That's because ALL DIMS have the mental/emotional age of a 14 year old ANYWAY!
That should be children AND foreign leaders . .
The law that forbids those under 18 to vote is another cynical way for President Bush to disenfranchise this natural Democrat constituency in the same manner they disenfrachise other core democrat constituency such as convicted felons, illegal aliens, mentally impaired /insane, and graveyard voter or as the New Jersy Governor might say... a Dead-American.
My 18 year old daughter, who will vote in her first presidential election, says she is voting for Nader because she doesn't like either Bush or Kerry. My son and I are strong Bush supporters so I guess my wife will be the sole Kerry vote in our family.
They must like his costumes is all I can figure. Otherwise seems like he would frighten children with his face.
Children are easily amused, foreign leaders are easily confused...
Children are easily amused, foreign leaders are easily confused<<<
My sentiments exactly. That democrats can fool children comes as no big suprise, they fool foreigners as well.
Whats the wife excuse for voteing Kerry? Nice hair or cuter than Bush?
I am 14 years old. I have to say that these numbers will turn around as the kids get older. It is traditional for kids to get more conservative as they get older.
I also noticed that I would have had a problem with the where I get my news from because I listen to talk radio.
Kids are natural bleeding hearts - nothing to see here. If they don't learn anything new from here on out, they'll remain liberal; if they pay attention, they'll become conservative. If we get rid of social security, they won't revert back to liberalism from conservatism once they hit retirement age.
Considering that it's a true statement that kids are naturally more liberal, and as they get older, they become more conservative, we should all be celebrating that the kids had as high a number for Bush as they did.
On a side note, a very good friend of mine got me started on the Neopets site, and it's actually quite well done. It's kind of fun to be able to play the games, and have a character pet you are able to roam around with.
Paul
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