Vested Interest - Trends - January 1999 Issue

Republican Party More than Tarnished

As if Democratic gains in the November election weren’t enough, a new Gallup poll of 1,039 adults nationwide found the public taking a dimmer view of the Republican Party. More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) said they have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while just 57% said the same of the Republicans – an eleven point spread, the largest for the Democrats since President Clinton was elected. A small plurality (41%) said the Republicans’ views are “about right”, while nearly as many (39%) said the Party is “too conservative”. By contrast, half (50%) of respondents said the Democrats’ views are “about right”, while 37% said they were “too liberal”. (The Polling Report)

Foreign Students Study Abroad – In the U.S.

The Institute of International Education announced that a record number of foreign students are enrolled at American colleges and universities. Nearly half a million (481,280) foreign students matriculate here, up 5% from 1996-7. NYU, Boston University and Columbia University have the most foreign students, while California, New York, and Texas lead among states. Japan accounts for the biggest contingent (47,073) followed by China (46,958) and Korea (42,890). “We literally recruit around the world,” said L. Jay Oliva, president of New York University. (AP, December 7, 1998)

“Sticker on Bumper” Losing Appeal

Bumper sticker manufacturers report a steep decline in sales as drivers are less willing to wear their opinions on their cars. Gill Studios, which still sells 15 million stickers a year, says sales are down 9% since 1996, and Lancer Label, Inc, reports a 5% decline. They blame two factors: issue fatigue and car design. Carol Gardiner, author of a book on the subject, agrees, noting that “it seems like everyone wants to be left alone.” Also, new cars tend to come with bumpers that blend in with the rest of the vehicle, and owners are reluctant to mar the paint. (AP, December 6, 1998)

Executive Pay Gap Explored

Researchers have known for years that women earn only a fraction of what men earn, but how much of that results from differing levels of experience and responsibility? While the typical woman earns 76% of what the typical man earns, the New York group Catalyst has found that executive women earn just 68% of what executive men earn. The group also found that women hold just 11.2% of the corporate officer positions at Fortune 500 firms, an increase from 10.6% last year, but still well below their share of the workforce and population. Just two Fortune 500 companies have women CEO’s, the group said. (AP)

Public Questions Credibility of Newspapers

A telephone survey of 3,000 adults nationwide for the American Society of Newspaper Editors found that 73% of respondents are skeptical about the accuracy of reports in newspapers. Fully four in five think newspapers focus on sensational news and slight important but less dramatic stories. Contributing to the credibility gap are spelling and grammatical errors, found on a daily basis by 21% of all readers. Even respondents who have been in the news are skeptical. One in four (24%) of respondents who had been interview for a story said they had been misquoted, and nearly one in three (31%) found other errors in the story. (AP, December 15, 1998)

All the News that Fit

The Associated Press announced their list of the ten biggest stories of 1998, as ranked by the editors of 299 newspaper editors. These included: the tobacco settlement (10th), John Glenn’s return to space (9th), shootings at various schools (8th), the bombing of American embassies (7th), Republican losses in the November elections (6th), the showdown with Iraq (5th), hurricanes Georges and Mitch (4th), the global economic turndown (3rd), the McGwire-Sosa homerun race (2nd) and, most important, the Clinton-Lewinsky story. Top international stories, chosen by 39 editors of non-American newspapers, included the Iraq showdown (10th), unrest in Indonesia (9th), Kosovo (8th), the arrest of former Chilean military dictators Augusto Pinochet (7th), economic and political crises in Russia (6th), the Northern Ireland peace accord (5th), hurricanes Georges and Mitch (4th), nuclear tests in India and Pakistan (3rd), global economic turmoil (2nd), and most important, the impeachment probe of President Clinton. (AP, December 28, 1998)