Whether you stay up till the stroke of 2012 or not, I hope it rings in a wonderful new year for you!

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Most shoppers appear to be spreading the joy and the money around.  When asked where they would shop, 35% mentioned the internet, 30% said mass merchandisers like Target and Walmart, 13% would shop at the mall and much smaller percentages would visit specialty stores or club stores like Sam’s Club.  Even fewer, 3%, would shop catalogs.

Sales and discounts are driving a majority of shoppers, 78%.  Free shipping is also a big deal to many, 67%.  Coupons ranked highly among just over half of panelists, 51%, while gift sets or complimentary items motivated 39%.  Another 36% liked to take advantage of purchase incentives and 31% would seek out rebates.  Clearly, people use a mixture of methods to save on their holiday gifts.

Even with a weak economy, most people have set aside money for gifts.  Almost one-fifth, 19%, will spend over $600 this year on gifts.  Another 15% plan to spend between $500-$599, while 12% will spend between $400-$499.  A slightly higher number, 14%, will shell out $300-$399 on gifts and 15% will stay in the $200-$299 range.  One fourth, 25%, will spend under $199 on gifts.  The distribution of money spent is nearly equal in $100 ranges as can be seen from the chart.

2011 Holiday Spending

Most people will pay for these gifts from their regular paychecks, 80%.  However, 13% will take on part time work or additional work to pay for gifts.  Another 12% will actually sell something to get extra money and an equal number will use their holiday bonuses.  Even so, 29% will spend less this year.  Most of the people who are spending less blame not having enough money to do so.  Only 9% cut back because they were worried about the economy.

Holiday gift giving is important to many.  As long as people have money, they appear to be interested in shopping.  They allocate as much money as possible to accomplish this by sometimes working more and seeking out as many ways to save as possible.  Retailers who offer great deals, free shipping and coupons will come out on top this year.

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The subtitle of the book is…”How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented…and How We Can Come Back.”  The authors look at post WWII America, showing how we have lost ground to other countries, and offering insightful solutions too!  Excellent and easy read.

That Used To Be Us Book

Charles Miller
Senior Vice President Sales
Persuadable Research Corporation
Corporate Woods 6
8900 Indian Creek Parkway, Suite 220
Overland Park, KS 66210
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The kinds of tasks people perform add up to running another household, especially if the one being cared for is still in their own home.  There is housework to be done, appointments to be driven to, and grocery shopping to complete.  Additionally, there may be bill paying duties, arranging for care by others, or even bathing.

Elder Care Survey 2011

It seems strange that people are able to plan for babies so well, but not plan for elderly care.  Perhaps, it requires facing the truth that we are all mortal.  Perhaps, we are hoping that our siblings will take on the added responsibility or no one really wants to talk about it until it’s absolutely necessary.  Almost one-third of respondents from the Persuadable Research survey who care for or plan to care for an elderly family member have or had no specific plan in place to cover living arrangements and or financial needs.

In many cultures, there is still an assumption that children will care for the parents as they age.  Specifically, the duty is often left to the oldest son.  Children are, in reality, an insurance policy to a large portion of the world.  However, in a more individualistic society such as ours, people are left to plan for themselves. Only in cases where there had been no plan, others step in to help, if possible.  Nearly half of those being cared for by panelists, 48%, need financial and physical help, indicating that they actually had no plan for themselves.

No one really knows when care will be needed.  A sudden illness or disability could leave any one of us in a position to need care, not just the elderly.  It may be prudent to sit down and make a plan for each family member thereby taking the pressure or focus off of just the oldest in the family.  Just winging it will surely put more stress and pressure on everyone involved.

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A very Happy Thanksgiving,  from us to you.

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Happy Halloween from Persuadable Research

No matter what shows up on your doorstep tonight, enjoy the fun! Did you carve a really cool pumpkin?  I would love to see it! Happy & Scary Halloween to you today!

Charles Miller, Senior VP Sales Persuadable Research Corporation.
913.385.1700 ext #302

 
It seems that many of us are on the same page as to what we would do if we had more free time.  Travel was the number one answer for most respondents.  Some would travel overseas, some would travel domestically.  Others would travel to visit friends and family.  Over half, 54%, said they would also like to engage in new or different activities.  The majority, 53%, said they would follow their dreams if they had more free time, while almost as many, 52%, would engage in new hobbies.

 
What do people do with the free time they have right now?  Spending time on the computer was the most popular choice followed by watching TV.  In fact, 97% of respondents spent time on the computer.  The third most popular way to spend free time was with children, then biking or walking, shopping, and going out to eat or to the movies.  There were definitely differences in how men and women spent some of their free time.  For example, 49% of women got involved in arts and crafts while only 32% of men did the same.

The economy has also played a role in determining the amount of money most respondents, 71%, spend on free time.  Almost two-thirds of respondents would prefer to do something with their free time that they are not doing now due to financial constraints.  It is possible that those with less money are not as happy with their free time as they are less able to enjoy it.  In other words, a lot of extra time but no money is a bad mix.

Charles Miller of Persuadable Research

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 How Satisfied Are You With Your Current Job?
Just under half of the respondents are very or extremely satisfied with their current occupation, whether or not it was their dream job.  Almost one fourth, 21%, were not very satisfied or not at all satisfied.  Then there are those in the middle segment, 33%, who were somewhat satisfied.  

Why Aren’t You Working In Your Dream Job Today?
Among the 76% who were not working in their dream job, nearly one out of five didn’t know where to start.  Another 17% thought it was too risky with the current economic situation and 16% felt they were too old to start over.  A smaller number, 13%, said they didn’t have enough education.  Other reasons given were lack of support from family, not being able to afford to go back to school, and some just didn’t think they were smart enough.

Does Education Equal Job Satisfaction?
Everyone knows they should go to college to be more competitive in the job market.  While some college, a degree or advanced degree overall seemed to lead to higher job satisfaction, it seemed that many graduates weren’t so happy.  We could only guess as to why this is true.  It could be because the degree did not open doors as they hoped, or the pay was lower than expected.  Perhaps, some are underemployed or they feel as if their skills were not being utilized.  Another study would need to be conducted in order to understand why so many graduates were unsatisfied.

For Market Research that is reliable and rocket powered contact the Persuadables.  If you are interested in becoming a panel member and you would like to get paid to take online surveys, visit our survey site at www.RocketPoweredSurveys.com.

Survey Results: Education Quality in the U.S.

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SanFranciscoChronicle
Charles Miller
Senior Vice President Sales
Persuadable Research Corporation
Corporate Woods 6
8900 Indian Creek Parkway, Suite 220
Overland Park, KS 66210
913.385.1700 ext 302
 
www.persuadables.com 
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Education Survey 2011

Education in the United States has been under fire as of late.  Public schools, especially those in inner cities, are receiving a bad grade and perhaps rightly so.  Children’s test scores are falling in some areas, and many do not believe that today’s children are being prepared with the most basic of skills.  On top of that, according to a recent education survey conducted by Persuadable Research Corporation, 54% believe that students are not getting an education that will allow them to compete globally.

“We have ‘dummied down’ our expectations for our children, severely handicapping them in life and education”, says one panelist.  While 27% rated the schools as very good or excellent, the majority of respondents, 44%, felt that school quality was just fair.  The rest said that schools were not very good, 24%, to not good at all, 4%.

However, those who currently have children or grandchildren in school responded more favorably.  Perhaps, having direct contact with teachers and the schools alters people’s opinions.  Additionally, volunteering for their local school might give them insights into how their local school is being run and what teachers face on a daily basis.

Another interesting result from the education survey is that many are not aware of how much money is actually spent on each student in the United States.  When asked, “Which dollar range do you think BEST represents how much the U.S. spends on education per year per student”, 62% of those surveyed had answers ranging from $1,000 to $12,000.  A large number, 38%, simply were not sure. 

These results forced me to pause and wonder how much of us are truly knowledgeable about what is really going on at our local public schools.  I have a lot of ideas about how schools should be run as many others do.  I even have young children in school presently.  However, I must admit that I have not been to a school board meeting and I also do not know how much is spent on each child.  From thinking about this survey, it has become clear to me that many of my opinions about schools in general have been formed by the media, in the absence of personal experience.

So what’s a school to do?  Schools are not set up to be PR/Marketing machines.  They are there to teach students.  Some might say the proof is in the pudding, so as schools do well, it will become known to everyone.  With as much information being blasted out on a daily basis, I’m afraid that if schools want to change perceptions, they will need to make an active effort to teach not only students, but parents and the community at large.  Doing so might help to increase budgets, increase volunteerism, and change the face of education in America.

K. Arslan enjoys writing about market research topics and survey results.  For superior market research contact Charles Miller Persuadable Research Corporation at 913.385.1700 Ext 302