60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll September 27-30, 2012 In the White House, the President's commute to work is roughly 70 yards from where he goes to bed at night. If given the option, would you want to live within 100 yards of where you work, or would you prefer to live further away from where you work? More Americans don‟t want to live near where they work. The convenience of taking a short stroll to work appeals to less than half of working Americans. 46% of Americans who are employed either full-time or part-time say they would want to live within 100 yards of where they work – roughly the same commute the President makes each morning. Americans who earn less are less likely to think a longer commute is worth it, however. 52% of Americans earning less than $50,000 a year would rather work within a hundred yards of where they live, while 56% of those earning more would prefer to live further away. Would You Prefer to Work 100 Yards from where You Live? (Among working Americans) Total <$50K >$50K Yes 46% 52% 41% No 51 44 56 There are differences depending on where people live. Most working Americans who live in cities would prefer a short walk to work, while those who live in suburbs or more rural areas would not. Regionally, most employed Americans living in the West (58%) would like to live near where they work, while most employed Americans living in the rest of the country would not. Every year, about a hundred new words are added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Which of the following additions to the 2012 dictionary do you think most deserves to be included? 1. “Sexting”, 2. “F-Bomb”, 3. “Aha moment” 4. “Man cave”, or 5. “Bucket list”. Americans want “bucket list” in the dictionary before “man cave” or “sexting”. Getting “bucket list” into the dictionary should have been on Merriam-Webster‟s bucket list, at least according to four in 10 Americans. “Bucket list” – one of the new words added in 2012 – was the top pick (40%) as the most deserving to be included, far ahead of “man cave” (17%), “sexting” (14%), “Aha moment” (4%), and “F-Bomb” (2%). “Bucket list” was the top choice of both men and women, but while men picked “man cave” (21%) second, women preferred “sexting” (16%) to “man cave” (14%). Which Word Most Deserves to be in the Dictionary? Total Men Women Bucket list 40% 40% 39% Man cave 17 21 14 Sexting 14 13 16 Aha moment 4 2 6 F-Bomb 2 2 2 Kate Middleton and Prince Harry have both been photographed in various states of undress. When members of the British Royal family are photographed without their clothes, which comes closest to your reaction? 1. I blame the royal family for not covering up, 2. I blame the magazines for publishing the photos, 3. I blame the public for wanting to see the photos, or 4. I want to see the photos. More Americans blame the paparazzi when the royals are caught without clothes. For most Americans, the first reaction is not to go look when royals such as Kate Middleton and Prince Harry are photographed in various states of undress. 45% say their reaction is to blame the magazines when members of the Royal Family are caught without clothes, while 26% blame the public for wanting to see the photos, and another 16% blame the royals for getting caught in compromising circumstances. Just 3% say their reaction is to want to see the photos themselves. When Members of the British Royal Family are Photographed without Clothes, do You…? Blame the magazines 45% Blame the public 26 Blame the Royal Family 16 Want to see the photos 3 Would you be more unhappy if your spouse were uneducated, or more unhappy if your spouse were overweight? Most Americans would take an overweight spouse over an uneducated one. When asked which they would be unhappier with – a spouse who is overweight or a spouse who is uneducated – 60% would be unhappier if their spouse were uneducated. Men and women - as well as single and married Americans - answer similarly, though better educated Americans put a higher premium on education. 76% of Americans with post graduate degrees would be unhappier if their spouse were uneducated; this is true of 51% of Americans with a high school diploma or less. Would You Be More Unhappy if Your Spouse Were…? Total High School Some College Post or Less College Grads Grads Uneducated 60% 51% 65% 65% 76% Overweight 24 28 22 23 19 Who would you rather have a heated debate with -- a supporter of a rival political party, or a supporter of a rival sports team? . Most Americans would rather debate politics than sports. When it comes to heated discourse, most Americans would rather debate politics than debate sports. If they got to choose, 52% say they would rather have a heated debate with a supporter of a rival political party, while just 36% would rather debate a supporter of a rival sports team. There is little difference in regards to partisanship on this measure, but Americans with higher levels of education are more inclined to debate politics over sports, as are women (55%) over men (48%). Would You Rather Debate a Supporter of…? Total Men Women A rival political party 52% 48% 55% A rival sports team 36 42 30 Which of the following hand gestures do you find the most annoying -- 1. “A-OK” 2. “Invisible quotation marks”, 3. “Thumbs up”, 4. “Fist pump”, or 5. “Finger to the lips”. Men are most annoyed with a “finger to the lips”, while women are most annoyed with the “fist pump”. What hand gesture do Americans find the most annoying? Americans are tied between a “finger to the lips” (25%) and a “fist pump” (25%) when picking from among a list that also includes “invisible quotation marks” (22%), „thumbs up” (6%), and “A-OK” (4%). Another one in 10 volunteers that they don‟t find any of these hand gestures to be annoying. The two gestures find their detractors breaking along gender lines. For men, a “finger to the lips” (32%) is the most annoying, followed by “invisible quotation marks” (25%). For women, it‟s “the fist pump” (31%) that comes in first as the most annoying. Which Hand Gesture is Most Annoying? Total Men Women Finger to the Lips 25% 32% 20% Fist Pump 25 18 31 Invisible quotation marks 22 25 20 Thumbs up 6 6 6 A-OK 4 4 4 None of them (vol.) 10 10 11 If you were directing a new film version of the New Testament, which of the following actors would you cast to play Jesus -- Al Pacino, Daniel Day Lewis, Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, or Woody Allen? Denzel Washington is the top choice to play Jesus. Academy Award winner Denzel Washington is Americans‟ top choice to play Jesus if they were casting a new film version of The New Testament. 21% pick him from a list that includes fellow Oscar winners Daniel Day Lewis (14%) and Al Pacino (13%). 11% pick Ryan Gosling and 10% choose noted Director Woody Allen. A mere 3% pick Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote. Men and women both choose Denzel Washington. He is also the top pick among all age groups, although a quarter of Americans ager 65 and over do not think any the listed actors should play Jesus if a new film was made. Ryan Gosling gets more support among those under age 30 than any other age group. 45% of black Americans pick Denzel Washington, far ahead of any other actor. Who Would You Cast To Play Jesus? All 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ White Black Denzel Washington 21% 20% 21% 23% 17% 17% 45% Daniel Day Lewis 14 9 18 16 13 16 4 Al Pacino 13 13 9 17 14 12 15 Ryan Gosling 11 17 13 9 3 12 6 Woody Allen 10 15 14 7 4 11 5 Philip Seymour Hoffman 3 4 5 2 5 4 2 None of them (vol.) 15 11 13 15 23 15 13 What is Kwanzaa? 1. A holiday celebrating African- American heritage, 2. The Muslim week of penance, 3. A Nigerian term meaning „An act of good will' OR 4. A city in the Ukraine. Most Americans know what Kwanzaa is. Six in ten Americans correctly identify that Kwanzaa is a holiday that celebrates African-American heritage, but a quarter don‟t know what Kwanzaa is. Few pick other answers such as a Muslim week of penance (8%), a Nigerian term meaning an act of good will (6%) or a city in the Ukraine. Black Americans (65%) are only slightly more likely to correctly identify the holiday than whites (61%), though a majority of both groups do. What is Kwanzaa? All White Black Other Holiday celebrating African-American heritage 60% 61% 65% 51% Muslim week of penance 8 9 5 6 Nigerian term meaning an act of good will 6 6 9 9 A city in the Ukraine 3 2 7 4 Don‟t know 23 22 14 29 Do you have a public library card? IF YES: Do you know where your library card is right now? Most Americans both have a library card AND know where it is. Going to the library may not be an endangered practice, at least judging by the number of Americans who still have library cards.