America gets a D-plus in history
Think most Americans know how any stars are on the American flag? Think again. As a whole, Americans cored a dismal 68 percent on a five question quiz on American history - that’s a D+ in most grade books. A Maritz AmeriPoll telephone survey (conducted by St. Louis-based Maritz Marketing Research) put 1,004 randomly-selected Americans to the following test:
- How many stars are on the American flag?
- How many stripes are on the American flag?
- What is the name of our national anthem?
- What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
- Who was the first president of the United States?
Breaking down total responses by question, results were as follows:
- There’s one for each state in the union, but just 70 percent of Americans know there are 50 stars on our flag, while another 10 percent guessed 52. There was a significant gender gap here, with 76 percent of men answering correctly compared to 65 percent of women.
- About 60 percent of Americans correctly answered 13 when asked how many stripes are on the American flag (one for each of the original colonies). Again, there was a significant gender difference, with 63 percent of men answering correctly compared to 55 percent of women. Less than half (49 percent) of Americans age 25-34 knew the right answer, many of them giving a number higher than 13. However, 18-24-year-olds and 45-54-year-olds did the best, with 64 percent in each group answering correctly.
- Just under two-thirds (62 percent) of people knew that the name of our national anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner" - meaning there’s nearly 76 million Americans who can’t name that tune (when figures are projected to the U.S. population over age 18). Percentages of correct responses generally decreased with age (that is, the younger you are, the more likely you are to know the fight answer), with an average of 5.4 percent of those age 55 and over guessing "God Bless America.". Another 3.2 percent of all AmefiPoll respondents guessed "America the Beautiful," while nearly a quarter (23 percent) fiat out didn’t know.
- Not everyone has a memory for dates, but 1776 should stick in every American’s mind as the year our Declaration of Independence was signed. Yet over 40 percent of Americans didn’t know the correct answer to this question. Most 18-24-year-olds aren’t much on memorizing dates - nearly 60 percent did not know the year the Declaration of Independence was approved. But our youngsters are in good company, since nearly half (48 percent) of Americans age 55 and over didn’t know it either. Those most likely to know the correct answer were the 35-54-year-old Baby Boomers, 72 percent of whom answered correctly. Once again, a gender gap crept in, with 65 percent of all male respondents answering correctly, compared to 55 percent of women.
- Father of our nation and pictured on every dollar bill stuffed into a video game or change machine, George Washington was the correct response given by 88 percent of Americans. A better score by far than the other questions, but that still leaves nearly 24 million Americans thinking it was Abe Lincoln or Ben Franklin (two popular guesses for this question). There were no age or gender variants found among responses for this question.
The higher the household income, the more likely respondents were to give the correct answers, across the board. The most evident example of this tendency was the question about the Declaration of Independence: 46 percent of those with household incomes under $25,000 answered correctly, with numbers rising steadily among income brackets to a high of 74 percent of those earning over $65,000 - a 28-point spread.
Using a standard grading scale, where a score of 90 or above is in the A-minus range, 80-89 in the B-minus range and so on down to 59 and under (which is failing), the four U.S. Census Bureau regions of the U.S. ranked as follows on the Maritz AmeriPoll American history quiz: the Northeast - C (71 percent); the Midwest - C-minus (70 percent); the South- D-plus (67 percent); the West - D (64 percent).
Home office growth holds steady
The combination of may growing trends – such as PCs, Internet, downsizing, early retirement, and entrepreneurialism – has led to the widespread adoption of the home office. According to research conducted by the CDB Research & Consulting, Inc., New York, one in five American households uses a home office, a proportion which has been stable for over a year. The survey results indicated that those using a home office are more likely to be well-educated and male, but cut across age and income lines, and even employment status.
While it is not too surprising that people over 55 are the least likely to have a home office (15 percent), and Baby Boomers are the most likely (28 percent), it is interesting to note that nearly one out of four Gen-Xers, aged 21 to 34, also has a home office. Moreover, middle-income Americans (between $45,000 and $75,000 of annual income) are about as likely as their more affluent neighbors ($75,000 income or more) to have a home office (29 percent and 33 percent respectively).
“The availability of technology is really what’s enabling the growth of home offices,” says Larry Chiagouris, managing director of CDB Research & Consulting, Inc. “Consumers can now afford to purchase most of the equipment they need to conduct business. In addition, the Internet gives these individuals access to resources traditionally available only to large corporations, making it much easier to conduct business from the home.”
While it makes sense that about two out of three self-employed people have home offices, those who are employed by someone else are nearly as likely as the average to have such a facility (17 percent), which reflects changing work patterns prompted by downsizing and the consequent increased work loads. Surprisingly, 11 percent of those who are not employed – mainly retired people and students – also have a home office of some kind.
“Many people who are accepting early retirement packages are too young to putter around the garden for the next 20 years, so they start small businesses that are run out of their home offices,” says Chiagouris. “In addition, many students are facile with technology and the Internet, which makes it very easy for them to operate small businesses from home, as well,” he says.
Travel industry’s slip is showing
You’ve come a long way baby, but you still have a long way to go unless the U.S. travel industry gets serious about the impact you have on business travel. Women business travelers are taking to the skyways, highways and byways in greater numbers than ever before. By the turn of the century it is estimated women will comprise 50 percent of the business travel marker in this country, compared with 1970, when women represented one percent of the market. This could turn into an unprecedented bonanza for the travel industry to increase its revenues and, at the same time, develop and maintain strong brand loyalty.
First, however, the industry must start adjusting its way of doing business and giving women business travelers what they want. They don’t want much, either, according to a national survey conducted by The Travel Group of Total Research Corporation, Princeton, N.J. "A change in attitude will go a remarkably long way to create strong brand loyalty among women business travelers for hotels, airlines, car rental services, airports and other travel-related marketers," says Andrew J. Brown, vice president of Total Research, who spearheaded the survey among 216 women.
The respondents, who travel more regularly than most women, told Total Research that travel companies do not cater to the female traveler. They feel strongly that male travelers get preferential treatment.
Respondents concurred that travel companies would see an increase in their business by catering directly to women travelers and, in that process, would build a very strong brand loyalty.
Women are concerned about the lack of personal safety considerations among hotel, airline, airport, and car rental companies. Secondly, women resent more and more being treated as second-class travelers when compared with male counterparts.
Ironically, most serious offenders slighting women travelers are female employees of hotels, airlines, airports and car rental agencies. Women traveling for business reasons want parity with men among female flight attendants, check-in staff and other travel employees. They’re looking not just for courtesy and friendliness but considerations in awarding upgrades, better rooms, nicer cars, etc.
The survey indicates that the hotel industry should pay particular attention to women’s, comfort and need for personal care items. Amenities such as hair dryers, irons, ironing boards and skirt hangers are seen as musts in hotels seeking to upgrade their services to women travelers. They’re also on the lookout for healthier dining options in hotels. Improved room service food is high on their list, as is a greater willingness to admit female room service personnel to their rooms rather than men.
Schlepping luggage is an irritant among women travelers who feel that assistance should be provided by airline personnel for hefting bags into overhead storage bins, or when hiking long distances between airport gates and terminals.
The survey results reveal that most suppliers of travel services would benefit enormously from a marketing initiative directed at women business travelers. They would gain an immediate bonus by making women feel that a travel brand is "A brand for me," the survey showed. These travel categories would enhance their images almost immediately by establishing reputations or perception positions such as the following:
- "You will feel safe with us."
- "Your woman-friendly travel partner."
- "We take the stress out of traveling alone."
- "Women and men deserve our careful attention."
Corporate travel departments and travel agencies can provide strong support for neglected women business travelers. These intermediaries should spend more time identifying those airlines, hotels and car rental firms that provide superior service to female travelers. Those that are serious about caring for women will avoid those companies who continue to treat females as second-class citizens.
Total Research learned just how important the female traveler really is in today’s marketplace. For example, two out of every five overnight business travelers in the U.S. is a woman. The number of overnight trips they take is increasing annually, as is their need to travel on business overseas.
The study includes a heavy sampling, of women "road warriors," frequent travelers who hit the road virtually every week of the year. They are the regulars who should be primary marketing targets for smart airlines, hotels, car rental agencies and airports.
The good news coming out of the study is that improvements can be achieved across each category without having to make large investments or to incur radical restructuring. Hoteliers don’t need to remode! their properties; airlines do not have to invest in new fleets or reconfigure their aircraft; airports do not have to build new terminals; rental car companies can continue offering the same makes and models. "Attitude is the biggest change that each can make. The cost to do it is nominal compared with what the return on investment in caring will do for their businesses," Brown says.
High marks in the,hotel category go to Four Seasons - both in terms of performance and brand quality. The chain frequently was mentioned as having a consistently friendly, helpful staff, together with excellent rooms and facilities. Westin, Marriott, Hyatt and Embassy scored reasonably well on brand image, but performance scores were average in terms of customer satisfaction.
U.S. air carriers fared no better than hotels; women business travelers cited a general rudeness and lack of help from staff and most felt that men get preferential treatment on the ground and in the air.
Respondents on both sides of the Atlantic were unanimous in their praise of European carriers, claiming that their service and comfort soar above their U.S. counterparts. They singled out Lufthansa, Virgin, British Airways, Swissair and KLM as superior brands in the service department.
Car renters are not paying too much attention to the special needs of women, according to a massive 91 percent of the sample. And yet, a significant 73 percent of women travelers would be more loyal to car rental agencies that address the needs of women. More than 80 percent are concerned about personal safety when renting a car.
The major problem is picking up a car late at night, or waiting for the shuttle bus to get to the lots where cars are parked. Women also believe men get better treatment, especially on upgrades. Women want cleaner, smoke-free cars and would appreciate more help from staff with luggage directions, etc.
Hertz has a strong market position among women travelers, as well as high customer satisfaction ratings over Avis and other renters. Performance scores are particularly low for car renters - lower on average than hotels, airlines and airports. They all seem to have one thing in common: Car renters fail to recognize that women have specific needs.
The car companies - as do several brands in the other travel categories - have a higher brand equity compared with their actual performance. Researchers believe this could be dangerous, because the mismatch suggests that car renters are living on their reputations. Eventually, poor performances will dilute the strength Of the brand.
Finally, airports are not up to snuff in providing women travelers with the service they want. Security is a major concern, especially when women arrive at an airport late at night. The lack of security staff, particularly when women are waiting for shuttle buses at night, is seen as potentially dangerous.
Assistance with luggage is the second concern. Women frequently have to walk long distances between gates and ,terminals with luggage, laptops and handbags. Providing a means of helping with this problem is a major way in which airports can better serve the female traveler. American airports rate. higher than European, but together they rate low on the scale for customer satisfaction.
No airport was rated as being very good, although verbatim comments suggested that Atlanta and Pittsburgh were better than most.
Gays cite importance of family values
An on-line study of lesbians and gay men conducted by Greenfield Online, Inc., a Westport, Conn., research firm, in partnership with Spare Parts, Inc., a New York marketing and communications company, found that 79 percent agreed with the statement "It is important to me to work in a gay-friendly environment."
The 948 participants told Greenfield Online researchers hundreds of facts about their daily lives. According to the study, lesbians and gay men want to be portrayed as "no different than anybody else." The study found nearly 70 percent agree with the statement "Family values are important to me." Thirteen percent have children in the household and 17 percent are planning to adopt.
The Internet proved to be an effective way to reach this hard-to-identify segment of society. "Many lesbians and gays prefer not to self-identify for a variety of reasons, but this study has shown dramatically that our community is out of the cyber-closet in large numbers. We now have a way to create an ongoing conversation with an ever broadening pool of people," says Scott Seitz, a manager partner of Spare Parts.
Lesbians and gays say they spend an average of three hours a day on the Internet, excluding e-mail. Some 80 percent own personal computers and 20 percent say they plan to buy one in the next six months.
Although on-line lesbians and gays have an average household income of $57,300 - just slightly higher than that of the general Internet population - 92 percent lesbians and gays agree that they represent "a powerful economic force." The ninth annual Georgia Tech Graphics, Visualization, & Usability (GVU) Center’s World Wide Web annual survey released in July put household income for the general Internet population at $52,000. GVU generally is accepted as the Internet demogaphics benchmark.
Unlike some previous research, the study does not assert that the gay community is disproportionately affluent. In fact, the study found all economic levels represented - 47 percent with household incomes under $45,000 and 31 percent with incomes above $65,000.
The study validates the importance the gay community places on affinity with companies that are gay-friendly. The study found that 80 percent say they prefer to buy from companies that advertise to the gay market, and 44 percent will buy even if the prices are somewhat higher.
The respondents were 68 percent men, mainly between the ages of 25 and 44, and 32 percent women. Thirty-nine percent are living in a domestic partnership. Eighty-nine percent have at least some college education, with 23 percent of these having done post-graduate work - making this group better educated than the Internet population in general.
Some lifestyle findings: 55 percent of gay men and 68 percent of lesbians describe themselves as monogamous; 82 percent consider themselves open-minded; 54 percent agree with the statement, "I am very settled."
Although 82 percent say they are not politically active, about 90 percent describe themselves as willing" to fight for lesbian/gay rights. Ninety-three percent like to see their group shown on television and in movies as "no different than anyone else."
ABC, the TV network that originated the show Ellen, is the most-watched network. Nearly 20 percent describe themselves as couch potatoes.
Buying habits: 58 percent agree with the statement that "I’m part of an unrecognized market that needs to be tapped." Fifty-six percent say that they plan to travel in the next quarter. Fifty-one percent plan to buy a new car in the next six months, with General Motors cars the likely purchase for 20 percent, Chrysler for 11 percent and Ford for 10 percent. Toyota was named by 7 percent. Forty-nine percent describe themselves as "budget conscious when shopping." Significantly more gay men are shopping and making purchases
on-line than lesbians.
The survey was conducted in July. The survey results have been weighted to represent the Internet population in terms of gender, age, and geographic location. The survey was posted to a password-protected part of the Internet. Greenfield Online oversurveys to make certain a representative sample is obtained.