Edgewood College releases initial results from DebateWatch #1Madison, Wis., Oct. 1 – Michael Corrigan, an Edgewood College
professor of communication studies, today released initial
survey results from last night’s “spin-free” DebateWatch at
Edgewood College.
Commenting on the survey, Corrigan said, “It was interesting
to see the breakdown on our sample in Madison who took part in
the DebateWatch. Though the numbers are plentiful enough, the
sample seemed quite skewed toward Kerry to begin with.
Therefore, I would say that these findings are not generalizable
to the public. I think what we caught here was a nice snapshot
of a Madison population.”
More detailed analysis will be available when these results
are combined with those from approximately 20 other
participating colleges and universities. Edgewood College is
sponsoring two more DebateWatches on Friday, Oct. 8, and
Wednesday, Oct. 13.
DebateWatch gives people a chance to watch the debates,
discuss the outcome, and have their opinions counted, before
they are swayed by commentators or politicians. Post-debate
discussion groups provide an opportunity to hear first-hand how
voters in Madison viewed the debates.
|
Initial results from DebateWatch #1 |
Age:
- Under
18 = 3 (1.6%)
- 18-25
= 78 (42.2%)
- 26-40
= 35 (18.9%)
- 41-55
= 41 (22.2%)
- Greater than 55 = 28 (15.1)
-
The greater part of the sample was in the 18-25 age
range.
|
Sex:
- Male
= 68 (36.8%)
- Female = 116 (62.7%)
- Female dominated with a near 2/1 ratio.
|
Party:
- Democrats = 76 (46.9%)
- Republicans = 14 (8.6%)
- Independent = 70 (43.2%)
- Libertarian = 1 (0.6%)
- Republican/Libertarian = 1 (0.6%)
- Democratic and Independent crowd.
|
Who won the
debate?
- Bush
= 10 (6.4%)
- Kerry
= 139 (88.5%)
- Nader
= 2 (1.3%)
- Other
= 6 (3.8%)
|
|
Pre-committed to a candidate before
the debate? |
|
|
|
|
Pre-committed to
which candidate before the debate?
- Bush
= 18 (11.8%)
- Kerry
= 129 (84.3%)
- Nader
= 5 (3.3%)
- Other
= 1 (0.7%)
|
Not committed to
a candidate before the debate, but now you are?
- Still
undecided = 12 (57.1%)
- Now
leaning = 9 (42.9%)
|
|
If yes to a
pre-debate candidate preference, are you?
- Still
leaning to the same pre-debate candidate preference
= 141 (95.9%)
- Now
undecided = 3 (2%)
- Now
leaning toward a different candidate = 3 (2%)
|
Not committed
before and now leaning towards?
- Bush
= 1 (8.3%)
- Kerry
= 10 (83.3% of those not committed before, who are
now leaning towards a candidate, are leaning toward
Kerry)
- Nader
= 1 (8.3%)
|
DebateWatch Schedule
All DebateWatch events are free, and take place in the Anderson
Auditorium, Predolin Humanities Center, Edgewood College, 1000
Edgewood College Drive, Madison.
Friday, October 8
- 7:00 p.m.: “The Young and the Voteless,” by Corrigan and Edgewood
College students, with appetizers from Willy Street Co-op and Phil’s
Café.
- 8:00 p.m.: Watch town-meeting-style debate at Washington University,
St. Louis.
- 9:30 p.m.: Post-debate discussion.
Wednesday, October 13
- 7:00 p.m.: “Moses on Negative Advertising” by Moses Altsech,
Edgewood College professor of business marketing, with appetizers
from Pasqual’s Salsaria and Southwestern Deli.
- 8:00 p.m.: Watch debate on domestic issues at Arizona State
University, Tempe.
- 9:30 p.m.: Post-debate discussion.
About DebateWatch
DebateWatch is a national voter education program of the
nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored
the presidential debates since 1988. For more information about the
debates and Madison’s DebateWatch 2004 events, visit
www.debates.org
and http://commarts.edgewood.edu/communication_studies.htm. For
more details or to volunteer to help, contact Professor Michael
Corrigan at mwcorrigan@edgewood.edu or 608-663-3461.
About Edgewood College
Edgewood College is Madison’s only independent liberal arts
college, a Catholic school with 2,400 undergraduate and graduate
students. It offers more than 40 academic and professional programs,
including master’s degrees in business, education, nursing, and
other fields, and a doctoral program in education leadership. For
more information about Edgewood College, visit
www.edgewood.edu or
call 800-444-4861.
###
[ Return to Edgewood College Homepage
]
Madison, Wisconsin 53711