Perceptual Map Analysis Political Issues Debra Patek April 2006

Correspondence analysis used to create perceptual map of “issues of concern” to Democrats, Republicans and Independents as reported in 2006 Gallup research. –Issues “worried a great deal about” –“Most important Issue” What is correspondence analysis? –A compositional perceptual mapping technique –Derives associations between objects and attributes –For this analysis, issues and political affiliations are mapped. –How well do different issues uniquely correspond to each other and to each party? The axes have no real meaning. What matters is the proximity or distance of the points on the map. –Issues which are close to each other on the map are uniquely related. –Issues which reside near a particular political party are especially distinctive for that party. –Issues and/or parties that are close to the origin are less differentiated / unique, overall –Issues and/or parties that are farther away from the origin are more differentiated / unique, overall. It is important to note that perceptual maps point focus on uniqueness, not absolute values. Perceptual maps will identify those issues and relationships that “stand out in the crowd” Methodology Notes

Perceptual Map Results: identifies unique patterns and associations in the data Issues “Worried a Great Deal About” Among Republicans, issues related to self-interest and “control” are most salient –Terrorism –Illegal Immigration –Social Security Issues uniquely aligned with Democrats include: –Homelessness / Hunger –The economy –Race relations Although Healthcare tops the lists for all three political affiliations, it is most salient for Independents. Summary

Environment Health Care INDEPENDENTS EconomyHunger & Homelessness Unemployment Race Relations DEMOCRATS Illegal Immigration Terrorism REPUBLICANS Drug Use Energy Costs & Availability Social Security Crime & Violence Based on Gallup Poll results, March 2006 (Issues “very concerned about”)

Perceptual Map Results: identifies unique patterns and associations in the data “Most Important Issue” Issues that “stand out in the crowd” with Republicans include: –Terrorism –National Security –Family Values –“Lack of Respect” Issues that “stand out in the crowd” with Democrats include: –Iraq / Fear of War (although this tops the list across all parties, this issue “stands out in the crowd” with Democrats) –Medicare –Deficit –Poor leadership / corruption Independents are most closely aligned with Democrats. “Most important issues” to both include: –Healthcare –Foreign Affairs –Unemployment –Economy Summary

INDEPENDENTS DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS Poverty Foreign Affairs Unemployment Foreign Aid Economy Healthcare Medicare Iraq / Fear War Deficit Poor Leadership / Corruption Disaster Relief Education Taxes Lack of Money Energy Crisis Abortion Immigration Lack of Respect Family Values TerrorismNational Security Perceptual Map [Issues “Most Important Issue"] Based on Gallup Poll results, Jan - March 2006 (“Most Important Issue”)

Appendix [Gallup ratings used in the analysis]

Summary of Ratings Results (% of Respondents) Across party lines, a plurality of respondents rate the War in Iraq / Fear of War as “the most important issue” facing our nation. –Over 30% of Democrats list the War as THE top concern, compared to only 17% of Republicans. –Republicans are twice as likely as independents and more than three times as likely than Democrats to rate “terrorism” as the most important issue. Across party lines, health care and health costs tops the list of issues that respondents are “worried a great deal about” –This includes over three quarters of Democrats, two-thirds of Independents and over half of Republicans –Among Democrats and Independents, concern about Healthcare exceeds the next highest issue by ~ 20 percentage points. On average, Democrats have higher propensities to worry. For most issues, a higher percentage of Democrats worry about an issue compared to Independents and especially Republicans. Summary

Most Important Issue [% Respondents] Source: Gallup. Results based on January-March 2006 aggregate

Worried a Great Deal About [% Respondents] Source: Gallup. Results based on March 2006