Independents Perceive McCain as Less Favorable after Viewing His New Ad
Flemington, NJ, August 14, 2008 - Results of a national focus group among 308 Americans revealed that independent voters viewed John McCain as less
favorable after viewing one of his new ads.
The study was conducted during August 13-14, among self-reported Democrats, Republicans and independents by HCD Research
and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO) to obtain Americans' perceptions of a new ad which
portrays Barack Obama as a celebrity figure.
While viewing the video, participants indicated their levels of believability by moving their mouse from left to right
on a continuum. The responses were recorded in quarter-second intervals and reported in the form of curves. The
participants' emotions were measured using the Ayer Emotion Battery. Participants were also asked pre- and post-viewing
questions. To view believability curves and detailed results go to: www.mediacurves.com.
Respondents were also asked to evaluate the candidate on 8 personal attributes before and after viewing the ad.They
could rate the candidate for each attribute using a negative and a positive scale.
Among the study findings:
"Which of the following best describes your overall opinion of John McCain in the 2008 Presidential Election? " / Prior to Viewing the Ad / After Viewing the Ad
Democrats
Very Favorable / 4% / 4%
Mostly Favorable / 17% / 16%
Mostly Unfavorable / 44% / 24%
Very Unfavorable / 36% / 56%
Republicans
Very Favorable / 36% / 33%
Mostly Favorable / 46% / 46%
Mostly Unfavorable / 14% / 16%
Very Unfavorable / 4% / 5%
Independents
Very Favorable / 10% / 9%
Mostly Favorable / 32% / 27%
Mostly Unfavorable / 37% / 32%
Very Unfavorable / 21% / 32%
Republicans reported positive scores for McCain on all 8 attributes before and after viewing the ad. Among Democrats, he
received negative scores on 7 out of 8 attributes prior to viewing the ad, and increasingly negative scores on 7 out of
the 8 attributes after viewing the ad. Independents reported negative scores for 4 attributes prior to viewing the ad
and increasingly negative scores after viewing the ad.
"Please specify how much you agree/disagree with the following statements about John McCain."
Before Viewing the Ad
Mean Responses on a Scale of: -100% (Completely Disagree) to +100% (Completely Agree) Scale / Registered Democrat (n=101) / Registered Republican (n=104) / Registered Independent (n=103) / Total (n=308)
He is hard working. / 16% / 63% / 31% / 37%
He is honest / -13% / 45% / 11% / 15%
He is concerned about people like me. / -30% / 40% / -11% / 0%
He is fighting for a change / -25% / 38% / -7% / 2%
He will represent my values / -31% / 43% / -9% / 1%
He is not tied to special interests / -36% / 17% / -19% / -12%
He is accountable / -9% / 42% / 11% / 15%
He is firm and consistent in his views / -6% / 45% / 11% / 17%
After Viewing the Ad
Mean Responses on a Scale of: -100% (Completely Disagree) to +100% (Completely Agree) Scale / Registered Democrat (n=100) / Registered Republican (n=102) / Registered Independent (n=102) / Total (n=304)
He is hard working. / 1% / 61% / 20% / 28%
He is honest / -25% / 43% / 0% / 4%
He is concerned about people like me. / -39% / 43% / -14% / -3%
He is fighting for a change / -38% / 38% / -15% / -5%
He will represent my values / -40% / 44% / -14% / -3%
He is not tied to special interests / -41% / 16% / -24% / -17%
He is accountable / -21% / 41% / 1% / 7%
He is firm and consistent in his views / -20% / 47% / 3% / 11%
The Media Curves web site provides the media and general public with a venue to view Americans' perceptions of popular
and controversial media events and advertisements.
HCD Research is a communications research company headquartered in Flemington, NJ.The company's services include
traditional and web-based marketing and communications research. For additional information on HCD Research, access the
company's web site at www.hcdi.net or call HCD Research at 908-788-9393.Headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, MCIPO
is a respected source of public opinion data on local, state and national issues. . For additional information on
Muhlenberg College, go to www.muhlenberg.edu
ENDS