考研阅读精选：沃尔玛超市主妇也能左右2012年美国大选
『从总统竞选人到州立法者，2012年美国大选的候选人或许都忽略了一个重要的群体：沃尔玛超市主妇。』Walmart Moms Could Swing 2012 Elections
沃尔玛超市主妇也能左右2012年美国大选
Nov 2, 2011 | From US News & World Report
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From presidential contenders to state legislators, political candidatesfor the 2012 election may be missing out on an important demographic inAmerica: moms who shop at Walmart.
According to a new studyreleased Wednesday by Public Opinion Strategies and Momentum Analysis,these so-called Walmart Moms could again be a significant segment ofswing voters going into the 2012 elections. But according to thepollsters, most candidates so far aren't yet speaking their language.
"It's crucial that they listen to what swing women are interested in,"says Momentum Analysis's Margie Omero. "Politicians ignore them to theirperil."
Walmart Moms—women with children 18 or younger whoshop at Walmart at least once per month—make up 27 percent of allregistered female voters and about 14 percent of all American voters.They're also about evenly split on party identification amongRepublicans, Democrats, and independents. In 2008, most voted forPresident Obama, but by November 2010, they were key in helpingRepublicans take over the House.
And since most aren't yetengaged in the election season this year, it's still too early to tellwhere their allegiances will lie in 2012.
According to PublicOpinion Strategies' Neil Newhouse—who is also former Massachusetts Gov.Mitt Romney's pollster—Walmart Moms "feel like they're on thefrontlines of the economy," and are more interested in how to make endsmeet at home than any of the major issues in Washington. Focus groupssuggest that ubiquitous phrases in Washington, like "debt crisis,""Dodd-Frank," and "entitlements," rarely even enter their vocabulary.And instead, while they feel the "economic squeeze" more than others inAmerica, they have a tough time seeing how Washington can help.
For the most part, social issues, like abortion, immigration, and gayrights, rank at the bottom of their interests, while the economy anddomestic issues, like healthcare, education, and the environment, engagethem more.
To illustrate how split—or indifferent—they arepolitically: The study shows that although Walmart Moms tend to be moresympathetic to the conservative Tea Party movement than the generalpublic, the major concerns they voice--over the costs of groceries,college, and housing, for example—seem to play more into the Democraticmessage than the GOP's.
Walmart Moms, for example, are notnecessarily paying attention to tax rates, and by a 2 to 1 margin, moreare concerned with their own family's budget than the nation's. A 51percent majority, according to the study, wants the government to domore to solve people's problems.
Most remarkable, Newhousenoted Wednesday, is how adaptable these women have been to the country'seconomic problems, which they don't see improving any time soon. "Theydon't see things getting any better," he says. "They're not letting goof their dollars."
This study, Newhouse says, should informall candidates, including his own, how to communicate with these voters,especially for the general election, when they're more likely to getengaged. As for whether Walmart Moms could help Romney overcome hisrecent ceiling of support? "Let's just have patience for that," he says."This campaign has just begun." (514 words)
文章地址：
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/Ken-Walshs-Washington/2011/11/02/walmart-moms-could-swing-2012-elections
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