CHICAGO: Political spin doctors who think the best way to reach young voters is through MTV appearances and similar Gen X- and Y-minded activities might need to rethink their strategy.
CHICAGO: Political spin doctors who think the best way to reach
young voters is through MTV appearances and similar Gen X- and Y-minded
activities might need to rethink their strategy.
New research from Golin/Harris has revealed that parents are the most
trusted source of political information for this audience. The findings
stemmed from a recent poll of Golin’s College Campus Panel, a group of
90 students between ages 18 and 29.
Asked who they trust as a source of political information, respondents
ranked their parents first, with an average 4.21 response (on a
one-to-five scale). Teachers came in second with a 3.54, followed by
newspapers (3.44) and magazines (3.08). Friends received a lowly
3.01.
’The message is that parents are important vectors in communicating with
kids,’ said Golin SVP and director of research Phil Kawior.
Given that the youths polled grew up with the Internet, it was
surprising that the Web received a 2.59 rating, only slightly ahead of
TV (2.51) and behind politicians (2.72). Political ads rated a 1.84,
ranking above only psychics and astrologers (1.17).
While noting that the group is not a scientific sample of all Americans
in that age range, Kawior said the responses provide interesting
insights into how young people view the world. ’They trust in
traditional means of communications, such as newspapers and magazines,’
he noted.
Golin put its campus panel together about a year ago. The firm is hoping
to expand the group and use it for more in-depth research in the future.
