From Jim Eskin, Public Affairs Stratagist ....................... ........................... May 2008

If you've been following this year's presidential election closely, you're not alone. Marked by a lengthy and ruthless pursuit of the nomination by the Democratic candidates, it has captured nearly everybody's attention. Rasmussen Reports finds that 80% of adults are following the race at least somewhat closely. Just 6% say they are not following the coverage at all.

Not surprisingly, adults who belong to one of the major parties are paying closer attention than unaffiliated voters. Eighty-four percent of GOP's and 86% of Democrats are following the race at least somewhat closely, while 67% of adults not affiliated with either party are following closely.

This is good for democracy!

Change Over Experience
As the battle for the Democratic nomination heads into its final laps, a 64% to 30% majority of Democrats thinks it more important to elect a president who is a strong agent of change than one who has experience. This Harris Poll finding helps to explain why Barack Obama is ahead of Hillary Clinton in many polls.

Among Republicans an even larger 63% to 25% majority believes the opposite, that experience is more important than change. Independents - whose votes determine the results of most elections - tend to believe that being an agent of change trumps experience, by 51% to 37%.

GOP Veepstakes
Though not clear favorites, nomination also-rans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney receive the most mentions when Republicans are asked whom they would most like to see as McCain's running mate at 18% and 15% in the Gallup Poll respectively. It is common for candidates who come up short for the presidential nomination to be strongly considered for the vice presidential spot on the ticket, and John Edwards in 2004, George H.W. Bush in 1980, and LBJ in 1960 are some prime examples.

In fact, five of the top six names on the list of suggested vice presidential candidates for McCain actively campaigned against him - Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Rudy Giuliani join Huckabee and Romney among the most frequently mentioned names. The only non-candidate among these is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Poll on Polling
A national poll by the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute investigates the relationship between media, academic and private pollsters and Americans. Guess what? The results show that 11% of Americans who have participated in a poll said they have lied to a pollster.

Nearly one-third of all Americans surveyed, 31% said they have participated in a political, policy or issue poll in the past. Nearly three-quarters suggested that polls, generally, are very or somewhat accurate and very or somewhat believable - 71% and 72% respectively.

Poll Up North
A Canadian Press Harris/Decima survey indicates that a plurality (39%) of Canadians hope that Barack Obama becomes the next president, followed by 30% who prefer Hillary Clinton, and 8%for John McCain. The rest offered no opinion.

This represents a major swing in preference away from Senator Clinton who led in polls early in the year.

Profs And Politics
Conservatives complain that college professors lean left when it comes to politics - and the data mostly show that is true. But new research suggests the personal politics of academics have little effect on what their students think.

The research, to be published later this year in PS: Political Science and Politics, analyzes separate surveys on the attitudes of about 6,800 students at 38 universities and how they changed between freshman and senior year. Then it examines whether those results are affected by the political attitudes of the faculty at their particular schools.

The short answer is no.

It's true that schools with more liberal faculty tended to attract more liberal students. But on the question of how students' views evolved, there was little impact.

The Celebrity Factor
Whether it is Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt discussing the orphans in third world countries, Oprah's school for girls in Africa or Robert Redford's environmentalism, many celebrities are in the public eye supporting causes near and dear to them personally. The idea, presumably, is to use that celebrity status to garner even more attention to, or raise more money for, that cause or issue. But does it really make a difference?

Americans are pretty divided on that as just over half (51%) tell the Harris Poll that these celebrities make little or no positive difference to the issue they are promoting while just under half (45%) say they make a large or some positive difference.

Over half (55%) of Democrats believe celebrities make a large or some positive difference compared to just one-third (36%) of Republicans who feel the same way. Looking at Independents, over half (57%) say celebrities make little or no difference while 42% say they make a large or some difference to their cause or issue.

Cell Phone-itis
Use of cell phones is increasing and traditional landline telephone coverage is decreasing. In fact, one in five adults tell Harris Interactive that they don't have a landline and only 79% currently do. One in seven adults now uses only cell phones. Furthermore, while the use of cell phones among younger segments of the population has been widely reported, the technology is becoming increasingly popular among older populations as well.

Remarkably, about half of adults who only use a cell phone are 30 or over. One-third of 18 to 29 year olds only use a cell phone or the Internet for making phone calls.

Book Worms
For years, people have been crying about the death of the book. While reading books may be declining, Americans are reading. In the Harris Poll just one in 10 say they typically read no books in an average year. About one-quarter read between 1 and 3 books, while one in five read between 4 and 6 books and 13% typically read between 7 and 10 books. And, over one-third of Americans say they read more then 10 books in an average year.

Candidates may not want to try books to reach their partisans, but they may be a good way to reach out to Independents. Just one-third of Republicans (33%) and Democrats (35%) say they read more than 10 books in a year compared to 44% of Independents.

Uh-Oh
At a time when the American economy is trending down and the unemployment rate is ticking up, in a Pew Social and Demographic Trends survey, one out of every seven U.S. workers fear they will be laid off in the next 12 months.

It finds that 15% of all workers say it is at least somewhat likely that they will be laid off in the coming year while 84% say there is little or no chance they will lose their job.

Live Green Die Green
It's no longer enough to live a greener life - now people are being encouraged to be environmentally friendly when they leave the Earth too.

Cardboard coffins, clothes sewn from natural fibers, a burial plot in a natural setting. Green funerals attempt to be eco-friendly at every stage.

Britain has been a world leader in eco-friendly funerals for years and a source of green burial products and ideas for countries like the U.S., where the trend is just starting to catch on.

In a green funeral, bodies aren't embalmed and are dressed in pure fiber clothes. Green campaigners say refrigeration or dry ice is a good alternative to formaldehyde, which can seep into the water system.

Biodegradable coffins also differ from the traditional mahogany. Coffins on display included one made from wicker and decorated with flowers.

Cardboard coffins - which are as thick as their wooden counterparts - can be decorated by family and biodegrade within three months.

Clinching Quiz
We don't know yet when the Democratic nomination will be wrapped up. Clinton's victory in Pennsylvania means the race goes on. It's up to the super delegates. Do you remember when past Democratic presidential nominations were clinched? Match the candidates below with the dates they became the presumptive nominee. Answers presented below. See you next month.

Answers: 1=d, 2=c, 3=b, 4=a, 5= e

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