Vested Interest - Trends - September 1999 Issue

Richard Milhouse Who?

A survey of 1,012 adults nationwide by ICR Media found that a growing share of Americans have little idea what the Watergate controversy was all about. Two of five respondents said they didn’t know enough about the controversy to describe it to a friend. Men were slightly more likely to say they remembered the details, a blip researchers ascribed to male stubbornness. Three in five agree that Nixon’s resignation was appropriate. Baby boomers were the most likely to agree that Nixon was right to resign. A plurality (45%) said that the recent charges against President Clinton were less serious than those against President Nixon. (AP, August 6, 1999)

Rudeness and Anger Both Rising at Work

University of North Carolina researchers interviewed 1,400 workers and determined that most perceive an increase in rudeness on the job. Of those who experience rude behavior at work, 22% deliberately decrease their output, and 12% quit their jobs to avoid the perpetrator. Nearly four in five of all those interviewed said that rudeness had become more serious in the last decade. Men are seven times more likely to be identified as the perpetrator. And in a separate survey of 1,000 adults nationwide y the Gallup organization, almost a fourth of respondents reported being angry about their jobs. Workers cited a wide variety of causes for anger, including the actions of supervisors (most commonly cited at 11%), unproductive co-workers (9%), and tight deadlines or heavy workloads. (AP, August 11, 1999; AP, August 10, 1999)

Patients Support HMO Liability

A CBS News poll of 722 adults nationwide found that 61% think that “our health care system has so much wrong with it that we need to completely rebuild it.” A plurality (49%) think the Democratic Party is more likely to improve the system. A majority, 56%, including 60% of Republicans, think that managed care has harmed the quality of care. And a strong majority, 69%, including 61% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats, think managed care entities should be liable for making improper medical decisions. (The Polling Report)

Bicoastal Disorder in Children

Two recent surveys came to very different conclusions about where is the best place to raise children. According to the Children’s Rights Council, the best place in the country in which to raise a child is New England. All of the top five states in its ranking are in that part of the country, including Maine (ranked first), Massachusetts (second), Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The worst place to raise a family is the southwest, especially California (worst), Arizona (next to worst), Texas and New Mexico. The organization Zero Population Growth, however, ranked large cities on largely the same criteria, and concluded that the Pacific northwest is ideal. Top cities include Seattle (ranked first) and San Francisco (second), followed by San Jose, San Diego, and Portland, Oregon. (AP, July 27, 1999; Chicago Sun-Times, August 25, 1999)