Post Due 11/30/10

This graph shows the estimated spending for Christmas gifts in November of each year. You can see the effects of the current recession on consumer spending since 2008. Between 2007 and 2008, spending dropped from $866 to $616. As you can see, since the drop in 2008 the average spending is in the rise again. Which is a good sign of pulling out of the recession. Something else i found interesting is that the 2007 number of $866 is the highest on the chart. And that just happens to be the year right before the recession. Interesting? I believe so.

Post Due 11/16/10

This graph shows people's feelings about the threat of terrorism since 2001. As you can see, there is a definite decline. Could the results be swayed because of the wording of the question? The question asks what the most important US problem is. So because of the recession, maybe a lot of people pushed terrorism to second place. This could be true, but there has been a steady decline before that. I think that if there were to be another terrorist attack, this would shoot right back up again. People seem to have forgotten about 9/11 and the threat it imposed on us.

Post Due 11/09/10

This week I have a poll that asks Americans how they would describe their political views. Something interesting to look at is the rise in liberalism since 2004, when we sent troops into Iraq. People became more and more liberal until 2008. You can see a 2% drop in liberalism and a 3% rise in conservatism going into 2009. This might have something to do with President Obama being elected or the state of the economy. Overall, you can see that conservatives and moderates have been battling for first place as the most prevalent ideological group. It doesn't surprise me that conservatism is so far ahead of liberalism in the country. I assume that's why some people become so outraged about some politicians "socialist" agenda. Also, I think it's a good thing that moderates are up toward the top, so we aren't a nation full of extremists that can't debate about anything.

Post Due 11/02/10

This week I have a poll asking people to compare their enthusiasm for the midterm with their enthusiasm for voting in the past. They have a trend line for registered voters, and national adults. It looks as though the lines go hand-in-hand. The line has been on a steady increase since 2002. This election has a lot riding on it, so that makes people more inclined to get involved. Unlike elections in the past, this seems to be a very publicized midterm. The president is out campaigning for the democrats in every state, because this election could make or break his re-election in 2012.