In January 2005, the Congressional Institute commissioned The Winston Group to conduct a survey of 1,000 registered voters to determine the issues Americans believe will be important five to ten years from now. Rather than simply testing a list of “congressional priorities” prevalent in similar research, the Winston Group survey compared issue lists against a list of “outcomes/ solutions.”
Following are some major findings of the study:
•Voters respond with a greater sense of urgency to specific solutions to major problems rather than to a simple list of issues. For example, “Global AIDS,” as a broad issue, scored a 6.97 out of 10 in a rating of congressional priorities. However, “finding a cure for AIDS” as a solution to a problem scored 8.35. Other issues explored with votes by this method include:
• Education
• Healthcare
• Jobs/unemployment
• Social security and retirement plans
• War on international terrorism
• Curing disease
• Federal budget deficit
• Energy and foreign oil dependence
• Bioterrorism
• Religious freedom abroad
• Immigration
• Better international economic cooperation
• Simplifying the tax code
• Human causes of global warming/climate change
• Expanding stem cell research
• Voters 5-10 years from now will most likely remain ideologically center-right, with more minority voters shifting towards a moderate/conservative viewpoint.
• The political influence of blogs and cable television will rise at the expense of network television. That holds true across party lines.
• The poll also explored American attitudes towards government, the future role of religion in society, and the future impact of Islam in America.
