CONTACT: Susan Sherr FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel: 484.840.4391
Cell Phone: 215.704.0626
Email: ssherr@ssrs.com
Americans Knowledgeable about Occupy Wall Street Protests
With Limited Optimism about Potential Effect on U.S. Policy
Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) surveyed 1,003 Americans between October 26 and 30th to
better understand attitudes and knowledge about the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York and
other cities. The study was conducted as part of SSRS’s weekly omnibus survey, EXCEL.
A large majority (68%) of Americans say they have heard or read some or a lot of information about the
Occupy Wall Street Protests and rallies. Thirty-two percent say they have not heard much or have
heard nothing at all.
Unemployed respondents are less likely than those with full or part-time jobs to say they have heard at
least some information about Occupy Wall Street, with 72% of the employed saying they have heard
some information and 56% of the unemployed reporting the same degree of exposure to information
about the protests.
When those who have heard any information about Occupy Wall Street were asked which comes closest
to the Occupy Wall Street Protestor’s main message: (1) Too few people control the majority of the
nation’s wealth or (2) There is too much regulation on business and industry, 66% of respondents say
the main message is that too few people control the majority of the nation’s wealth. This provides some
evidence that there is a clear message coming out of the protests and one that is being comprehended
by a majority of Americans.
There is a partisan divide in understanding of this message, however. Seventy-three percent of
Democrats selected the message that came closest to the actual one espoused by the protestors, but
only 57% of Republicans selected this option. More Republicans than Democrats say that either the
protestors’ message is that there is too much regulation of business and industry or that they do not
know the main message of the protests (40% of Republicans vs. 25% of Democrats).
When asked how likely they think it is that Occupy Wall Street will have any influence on U.S.
government policy, 43% of those who had heard any information about the protests say they think it is
at least somewhat likely that they will. Only 10% think it is very likely. Here again, there is a clear
difference by political party identification with 52% of Democrats and 29% of Republicans saying the
protesters are at least somewhat likely to influence policy.
EXCEL is a national weekly, dual-frame bilingual telephone survey designed to meet the standards of
quality associated with custom research studies. Each EXCEL survey consists of a minimum of 1,000
interviews, of which 300 interviews are completed with respondents on their cell phones and at least 30
are conducted in Spanish, assuring unprecedented representation on an omnibus platform. Completes
are representative of the United States population of adults 18 and older. A detailed methodological
brief is attached. Data in this press release are based on a national sample size of 1,003 with a margin of
error of +/-3.5%.
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Occupy Wall Street Top Line
The study was conducted via telephone by SSRS, an independent research company. Interviews
were conducted from October 26th -October 30th among a nationally representative sample of
1,003 respondents. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.5%.
More information about SSRS can be obtained by visiting www.ssrs.com.
OW-1 How much have you heard or read about the protests and rallies being held in New
York City and in other cities, called Occupy Wall Street? Would you say you have heard…?
Heard of protests Nothing at Don’t
NET A lot Some Not much all know Refused
10/31/11 84 40 29 15 17 -- *
OW-2 Which do you think comes closest to the Occupy Wall Street protesters’ main message?
Is it that…? (Total Respondents who have heard or read about the protests and rallies being held in
New York City and other cities; n=835)
Too few people control the There is too much
majority of the nation’s regulation on business
wealth and power and industry Don’t know Refused
10/30/11 67 21 10 2
OW-3 How likely do you think it is that the Occupy Wall Street protests will have any
influence on US government policy? (Total Respondents who have heard or read about the
protests and rallies being held in New York City and other cities; n=835)
Very/Somewhat likely Not too/Not at all likely
Not Not at Don’t
NET Very Somewhat NET too all know Refused
10/30/11 43 10 33 55 28 27 2 1
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EXCEL
National Telephone Omnibus Study
EXCEL is a national weekly, dual-frame bilingual telephone survey designed to meet the standards of
quality associated with custom research studies. EXCEL provides rapid turnaround: topline results the next
day and tabulations and an SPSS data set within two days after interviewing is completed. EXCEL is suited
for one-time studies, long-term tracking, or anything in between, and can be utilized for a wide range of
research projects including public opinion, advertising awareness, and product usage.
Sample Design
Each EXCEL survey consists of a minimum of 1,000 interviews, of which 300 interviews are completed with
respondents on their cell phones and at least 30 are conducted in Spanish, assuring unprecedented
representation on an omnibus platform. Completes are representative of the United States population of
adults 18 and older. EXCEL uses a fully-replicated, stratified, single-stage, random-digit-dialing (RDD)
sample of telephone households, and randomly generated cell phones. The result is better
representation, true independent samples from week to week, and greater accuracy. Sample telephone
numbers are computer generated and loaded into on-line sample files accessed directly by the CATI
system. Within each sample household, a single respondent is randomly selected.
Sample Control/Field Period
Interviewing for each EXCEL survey is conducted over a 5-day period, encompassing both weekdays and
weekends. Sample records receive a minimum of six call attempts and initial refusals are re-dialed by
specially trained interviewers who attempt to convert them into completed interviews. As a result EXCEL
attains one of the highest response rates of any omnibus survey.
Sample telephone numbers are displayed directly on each interviewer's screen. Based on the result of the
call, the interviewer either begins the questionnaire introduction or dispositions that particular sample
number by entering an appropriate call result code. The computer stores the result of every attempt on
each sample telephone number. Consequently, a full sample disposition can be routinely and quickly
produced following the completion of each survey.
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Questionnaire Design/Respondent Information
Each EXCEL is composed of two distinct parts. The first is a series of inserts contracted for by our clients;
these inserts may range from a single closed-ended question to a twenty-minute battery of open and
closed-ended questions. Our staff reviews each insert to insure that the questions, as worded, will provide
clients with the desired information. Clients are given exclusivity for their subject area and inserts may be
randomized to prevent respondent bias. Typically, tracking studies are given preference, in terms of
placement, within the composite survey.
The CATI system allows for computer control of questionnaire administration, automatic skip pattern
handling, response editing, and range checks. Closed-end responses are handled efficiently and are ready
for tabulation following completion of the last interview.
Open-ended responses require additional time for coding and thus are tabulated after the basic closed-
end questions. (Note: pre-coded responses to questions which have an "other" listing are prepared as
part of normal closed-end tabulations.)
The second portion of the questionnaire includes standard demographic/classification:
Respondent Demographics Household Characteristics
· Age* · Income*
· Sex* · Own/Rent
· Education* · Household Size/Composition
· Employment Status · Number of landline and cell phone
· Race* telephone numbers serving the
· Marital Status sample household
· Political Affiliation
· Head of Household
· Voter registration
· Religion
The above demographics are available for construction of custom banners, table filters, etc. The starred
(*) items indicate questions which are included in the standard banners.
Detailed geographic data are also included in each respondent record. This facilitates the specification of
custom graphic breaks for tabulation or sampling purposes
Coding/Editing (As Required)
All coding of open-ends and/or "other" lists is handled by our internal Coding Department. Open-end
codes are submitted for client approval in no more than three days following completion of interviewing.
Tabulation of open-end responses is scheduled following client approval of the codes and code frames.
(Maximum of one week after approval).
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Weighting
Each EXCEL is weighted to provide nationally representative and projectable estimates of the adult
population 18 years of age and older. The weighting process takes into account the disproportionate
probabilities of household selection due to the number of separate telephone lines and the probability
associated with the random selection of an individual household member. Following application of the
above weights, the sample is post-stratified and balanced by key demographics such as age, race, sex,
region, and education. The sample is also weighted to reflect the distribution of phone usage in the
general population, meaning the proportion of those who are cell phone only, cell phone mostly, landline
only, and mixed users. Specific steps are provided below:
(1) Dual-Usage Correction (DUC): In order to ensure that respondents whose households answer both
landlines and cell phones are not more likely to respond to the Excel survey than those in single-usage
households, the data will be weighted first to the known distribution of households that are cell-phone
only (CPO), landline only and dual-usage (or “dual frame”) households (DF). This distribution is based on
the most recent report in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) published biannually by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
(2) Within-household correction (WHC): A person’s probability of selection in a landline household
depends on the number of qualifying respondents in the household. In the landline sample, a person
residing in a household with one adult has a 100% probability of selection, whereas if there are two
qualifying adults, each of them has a 50% probability of selection if reached by landline. To avoid
underrepresentation of adults living in multiple-adult households, single-adult landline households will be
assigned a weight half the size of multiple-adult households.[1] Respondents who refuse to detail the
number of adults in their households will receive the mean weight. Cell phone only respondents will
receive a weight of 1 since there can be no selection within their households.
The design-weight, prior to post stratification will be the product of the Dual-Usage Correction and the
Within-household Correction.
(3) Post Stratification Iterative Proportional Fitting (‘raking’): With the baseweight applied, the sample will
undergo the process of iterative proportional fitting (IPF), in which the sample will be balanced to match
known adult-population parameters based on the most recent March Supplement of the U.S. Census
Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS). This process of weighting will repeat until the root mean square
error for the differences between the sample and the population parameters is 0 or near-zero.
The population parameters used for post-stratification will be: age (18-29; 30-49; 50-64; 65+) by gender,
Census region (Northeast, North-Central, South, West) by gender, Education (less than high school, high
school graduate,[2] some college, four-year college or more); race/ethnicity (white non-Hispanic; Black
non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Other non-Hispanic); metro status (metropolitan; non-metropolitan) and phone-
usage[3] (CPO, LLO, DF).
[1]
The exact weight will depend on the actual number of respondents in single and multiple adult households and
calculated so that the mean weight would be 1.
[2]
Respondents who have attended or graduated from vocational/technical schools are considered high school
graduates.
[3]
Phone usage in this stage is based on the NHIS estimate for adults.
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(4) Weight truncation (‘trimming’): To ensure the consistency of the population estimates produced week-
to-week by Excel, the weights will undergo truncation (or ‘trimming’) so that they do not exceed 4.0 or fall
below under 0.25.
The sum of weights will equal the sample N.
Tabulation/Reporting
If desired, unweighted topline results on particular questions can be provided to clients, by telephone, on
the morning following completing of each EXCEL. Complete, weighted topline results are available by the
end of the day.Tabulations are sent electronically, two days after interviewing in completed. This timing
refers to tabulations by the standard banner and for closed-end data only.
*** STANDARD BANNER ***
TOTAL
GENDER Male
Female
AGE 18 - 34
35 - 44
45 - 54
55 - 64
65 +
HOUSEHOLD INCOME Under $25,000
$25,000 - $49,999
$50,000 - $74,999
$75,000 and Over
EDUCATION High School or less
Some College
College/Post Grad
RACE White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
Hispanic
REGION Northeast
North Central
South
West
METROPOLITAN STATUS Metro
Non-Metro
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Options/Scheduling
The weekly EXCEL schedule is as follows:
Weekly Schedule
Closing for questions Tuesday
Interviewing Wednesday - Sunday
Top-line results Monday
Standard tabs completed Tuesday
Custom banner tabs completed Wednesday
Open-end tabs completed Following Tuesday
The standard tabulations for a project include each client's questions cross-tabulated by the standard
banner. All demographic tables are also included. Significance testing is performed on the cross-tabs at no
additional cost.
EXCEL is also capable of handling various sampling/administrative customizations:
1) Male/female subsamples
2) Geographic subsamples (e.g., census region, sales region)
3) Multiple versions (e.g., split-sample concept tests)
4) Geographic-dependent questioning (e.g., time zone versions for broadcast media)