November 2, 2009 4:59 PM
The 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll
President Obama recently implored Americans to find our "national character" and our new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll humbly seeks to help the cause. We hope that you find it topical, fun, amusing, illuminating and most importantly, interesting.
More from VanityFair.com:
Check out Vanity Fair's poll slideshow
Got a question for our next poll?
E-mail us and we'll choose one!
No. 1: Our first question asked what American business best symbolizes the country today, and Walmart was the winner by a wide margin. It used to be said that as General Motors goes, so goes the nation, it appears the face of corporate America is now a smiley face.
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No. 2: Further evidence of Walmart's pervasiveness in American culture can be found in the response to another poll question that asked people if they would use Walmart's expanding healthcare clinics for routine checkups and services. More than 4 in 10 said they would with younger people being more inclined to do it than older people. If Walmart is going to become America's new family doctor they may have to expand their slogan to, "Save Money, Live Better, Die Better".
No. 3: When it comes to solving America's obesity problem, over half of our respondents wanted either a ban on food stamps being used on high fat foods or a fast food tax. So who were the 15% that wanted no action taken to reduce the epidemic? We assume they are obese people on food stamps that love fast food.
No. 4: The poll asked whether Americans would support a tax of 50% or more on the very wealthiest millionaires, the verdict? The peasants win in a squeaker 51% to 45%. Storm the Bastille!
No. 5: Another question asked which luxuries or niceties are hardest to cut back on in these tough economic times? The top 2 vote getters were dining out and vacations with 33% and 27% respectively. Only 4% thought it was harder to cut back on booze, primarily, we surmise because in harsh economic times why would you do that?
No. 6: It appears that our younger generation is not atwitter about Twitter. Less than 20% of 18-44 year olds think it's an important new tool, while about half the respondents from that age bracket think that it's a fad that will fade away.
No. 7: Some fads will never fade away, like politicians who have affairs and take bribes. 44% of those polled think that doing both are bad, but which one is worse? Good old fashioned payoffs win in a landslide.
No. 8: Americans were asked if and when the president would announce a timetable for pulling the troops out of Afghanistan and our poll mirrored the consensus Americans share on the subject, none. So who really knows what's going to happen there? No one.
No. 9: Men were asked who they would rather trade places with between Barack Obama, George Clooney Tom Brady and Bruce Springsteen. It appears the boys would rather be a movie star 26%, then President 24% then a football star and a rock star 17%/16%. But who were the 17% that answered "Don't know/ none of the above"? We don't know but there's a good chance that those guys may need to get out a little more often.
No. 10: Meanwhile the ladies were asked to choose between Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie and Beyonce so who won? 33% responded "Don't know/ none." If we're asked to offer an opinion as to what those ladies were thinking we'll take the high road and say "Don't Know" However, the women that did offer an opinion clearly went for the First Lady over the Secretary of State which means they'd prefer to be married to a sitting president than a former one.
No. 11: Finally when asked whose likeness is most likely to be used to sell products 100 years from now, Michael Jackson received 24%, Miley Cyrus 10%, James Dean 7% Madonna 6% and the clear winner was Albert Einstein with 35%. Smart choice. No, brilliant choice.
Read the complete 60 Minutes/ Vanity Fair poll
More from VanityFair.com:
Check out Vanity Fair's poll slideshow
Got a question for our next poll?
E-mail us and we'll choose one!
No. 1: Our first question asked what American business best symbolizes the country today, and Walmart was the winner by a wide margin. It used to be said that as General Motors goes, so goes the nation, it appears the face of corporate America is now a smiley face.
- The American banking and car industries have just suffered through one of their worst years ever. Given that, which of the following best symbolizes America today?
Walmart:
48%
48%
Google:
15%
15%
Microsoft:
13%
13%
NFL:
6%
6%
Goldman Sachs:
3%
3%
None of the above:
2%
2%
What Do You Think?
Watch CBS Videos Online
No. 2: Further evidence of Walmart's pervasiveness in American culture can be found in the response to another poll question that asked people if they would use Walmart's expanding healthcare clinics for routine checkups and services. More than 4 in 10 said they would with younger people being more inclined to do it than older people. If Walmart is going to become America's new family doctor they may have to expand their slogan to, "Save Money, Live Better, Die Better".
- Walmart has announced that it is considering the addition of swine flu or H1N1 flu vaccination stations to their 4,000 mega-stores across the country. If Walmart offered healthcare services such as flu shots, dental, eye, or basic check-ups, would you consider becoming a Wal-Mart patient?
Yes:
43.00%
43.00%
No:
52.00%
52.00%
What Do You Think?
No. 3: When it comes to solving America's obesity problem, over half of our respondents wanted either a ban on food stamps being used on high fat foods or a fast food tax. So who were the 15% that wanted no action taken to reduce the epidemic? We assume they are obese people on food stamps that love fast food.
- California and New York City now require calorie-counts to be printed on fast food menus. Which of the following other things would you most like to see happen to reduce obesity?
Ban on food stamps for high-fat food:
30.00%
30.00%
Fast food tax:
21.00%
21.00%
Soft drink tax:
7.00%
7.00%
Scales at restaurants:
5.00%
5.00%
Tax credit for liposuction:
4.00%
4.00%
None of the above:
15.00%
15.00%
What Do You Think?
No. 4: The poll asked whether Americans would support a tax of 50% or more on the very wealthiest millionaires, the verdict? The peasants win in a squeaker 51% to 45%. Storm the Bastille!
- If the Obama administration proposed a tax of 50 percent or higher on the incomes of the very wealthiest millionaires, would you support it, or not?
Support:
51%
51%
Not Support:
45%
45%
What Do You Think?
No. 5: Another question asked which luxuries or niceties are hardest to cut back on in these tough economic times? The top 2 vote getters were dining out and vacations with 33% and 27% respectively. Only 4% thought it was harder to cut back on booze, primarily, we surmise because in harsh economic times why would you do that?
- In this recession, which of the following has been the most difficult thing for you to cut back spending on?
Dining out:
33%
33%
Vacations:
27%
27%
New clothes:
14%
14%
Alcohol:
4%
4%
None of the above:
13%
13%
What Do You Think?
No. 6: It appears that our younger generation is not atwitter about Twitter. Less than 20% of 18-44 year olds think it's an important new tool, while about half the respondents from that age bracket think that it's a fad that will fade away.
- Do you think Twitter is:
Important new tool:
15%
15%
A fad that'll fade:
39%
39%
Heard of it, but unsure:
33%
33%
What's Twitter:
10%
10%
What Do You Think?
No. 7: Some fads will never fade away, like politicians who have affairs and take bribes. 44% of those polled think that doing both are bad, but which one is worse? Good old fashioned payoffs win in a landslide.
- Which do you think is worse -- married politicians having affairs, OR politicians taking bribes, OR are both equally bad, OR don't you care because they are all doing one or the other?
Take bribes:
37%
37%
Have affairs:
2%
2%
Both are bad:
44%
44%
Don't care:
15%
15%
What Do You Think?
No. 8: Americans were asked if and when the president would announce a timetable for pulling the troops out of Afghanistan and our poll mirrored the consensus Americans share on the subject, none. So who really knows what's going to happen there? No one.
- President Obama has set a timetable for a troop pullout in Iraq by 2011. When do you think Obama will announce that he has set a timetable for removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan?
What Do You Think?
No. 9: Men were asked who they would rather trade places with between Barack Obama, George Clooney Tom Brady and Bruce Springsteen. It appears the boys would rather be a movie star 26%, then President 24% then a football star and a rock star 17%/16%. But who were the 17% that answered "Don't know/ none of the above"? We don't know but there's a good chance that those guys may need to get out a little more often.
- It's a tight race between being President and being a movie star when men are asked whom they'd trade places with
George Clooney:
26%
26%
Barack Obama:
24%
24%
Tom Brady:
17%
17%
Bruce Springsteen:
16%
16%
Don't know/None:
17%
17%
What Do You Think?
No. 10: Meanwhile the ladies were asked to choose between Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie and Beyonce so who won? 33% responded "Don't know/ none." If we're asked to offer an opinion as to what those ladies were thinking we'll take the high road and say "Don't Know" However, the women that did offer an opinion clearly went for the First Lady over the Secretary of State which means they'd prefer to be married to a sitting president than a former one.
- Which of these women would you most like to trade places with for a week -- Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, or Beyonce?
Michelle Obama:
26%
26%
Hillary Clinton:
16%
16%
Angelina Jolie:
13%
13%
Beyonce:
12%
12%
Don't know/none:
33%
33%
What Do You Think?
No. 11: Finally when asked whose likeness is most likely to be used to sell products 100 years from now, Michael Jackson received 24%, Miley Cyrus 10%, James Dean 7% Madonna 6% and the clear winner was Albert Einstein with 35%. Smart choice. No, brilliant choice.
- Which of the following celebrities' likenesses' do you think is most likely to be used to endorse products 100 years from now - Michael Jackson, Miley Cyrus, James Dean, Albert Einstein, or Madonna?
Albert Einstein:
35%
35%
Michael Jackson:
24%
24%
Miley Cyrus:
10%
10%
James Dean:
7%
7%
Madonna:
6%
6%
What Do You Think?
Read the complete 60 Minutes/ Vanity Fair poll
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