Let's take a look at the recent Harris Poll on high-speed rail. While they found that "most Americans are unaware of high-speed rail" most of those Americans also favor it. Huh?
These 'loaded-dice' polls are favorites of the CHSRA and other pro-HSR organizations. They "prove" that most of us are desperate to have it, regardless of costs.
Yet, with only a little digging, we find that these polls are nothing more than "push-polls." That is, they ask loaded questions that rig the answers to be favorable to what they want as the outcome.
This Harris poll is no exception.
===============================
Most Americans unaware of high-speed rail
02/24/11
A new poll shows only a third of Americans are aware of their states' high-speed rail projects, such as the Connecticut proposal for express rail from New Haven to Springfield as part of the bigger northern New England corridor.
The Harris Interactive poll conducted Jan. 17-24 shows 66 percent of Americans are likely to consider using high-speed rail when traveling for pleasure and 33 percent would use it to travel for business.
The low awareness of proposed projects in their state - 35 percent -- shows rail only generates interest in places with visible projects, such as California and Florida, said Linda Schulz, vice president of public affairs and policy at Harris Interactive.
"The relatively low awareness of high-speed rail across the country is not surprising given the disparate, regional nature of today's hottest HSR debates," Schultz said in a statement. "However, as discussions become more prominent in more areas, and as projects get underway, we will be well positioned to monitor changing awareness and attitudes."
The poll showed people would choose high-speed rail depending on cost, location of train station, overall trip time and safety.
Connecticut's proposed line would link the state's major population centers of New Haven and Hartford while linking to nearby states, such as New York and Massachusetts. The New England corridor plans call for links to New York City, Boston and Montreal.
==================================
Below is the Harris International Press Release for this Poll. It also includes some of the actual questions and the data it produced. With all due respect for Linda Schulz, with whom I spoke, I find this poll highly biased in favor of high-speed rail and the results of these questions not unexpected, given the questions.
Smart and pleasant, Linda did acknowledge that she had a strong interest in high-speed rail, and I can only presume from the polling questions asked, that her interest is biased to be highly favorable to high-speed rail. In response to my question about sponsorship of this particular poll, she answered that it was supported internally, with no outside funding.
Smart and pleasant, Linda did acknowledge that she had a strong interest in high-speed rail, and I can only presume from the polling questions asked, that her interest is biased to be highly favorable to high-speed rail. In response to my question about sponsorship of this particular poll, she answered that it was supported internally, with no outside funding.
Here is the first question:
"High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport between major cities that operates at substantially faster speeds than current intercity passenger trains in the U.S. High-speed rail is designed to provide fast, reliable, and convenient service between select major cities. It operates using electric power and often includes onboard amenities such as food and beverage service and Wi-fi access. Do you know if high-speed passenger rail service is being proposed or under development in your state?"
That's the base-line question upon which all the other questions depend, since that question defines what the topic is. It's like asking, "Here is a delicious apple. It tastes great and is good for you. Do you know about apples?" And the next question is a follow-up: "If it was paid for by the government, would you want one?" And, finally, if you were asked, "If you were given an apple as described here, would you eat it?" How would you answer that question?
Here's that next question:
"Development of the intercity passenger rail system is paid for by both Federal and state governments, similar to how most other infrastructure projects are funded. Currently the Federal Government is offering funds to the states for high-speed rail projects. Knowing this, how do you feel about state and federal funds being used for High-speed Rail?"
What do you make of this question? I read it as intimating that we, the taxpayers, don't have to pay to build it or pay to operate it. The question sounds like this train will be free since it is paid for by the government, state and/or federal. The inference is that since someone else is paying for this train, not us, what's not to like?
As you read through these questions and the results, it turns out that the most educated in their sample like the train the most. That's because they correlate positively with the higher income and probably have HSR train travel experience in Europe or Asia. Again, what's not to like? In addition, the higher income cohort has the wherewithal to pay for the train tickets, which are the most expensive for this mode of travel. Those in the lower income or education brackets have less remunerative jobs and are the least likely to be the train riders.
This study, then, makes one compelling point that tends to be over-looked. We've said it often. High-speed rail is for rich people, not poor people. It's a luxury ride for the well to do. It's the premium way to travel by rail. Is this something that our governments -- state and federal -- need to pay for and subsequently subsidize? I don't think so! In fact, it's outrageous that our elected officials have no qualms about promoting this fancy train as a government hand-out to the upper classes. What are they thinking!!
However, among those who are well educated and well to do, you would think that business is the more compelling basis for HSR travel, but that's not the case. Business travellers are frequent flyers. They should be the heart of this industry's customer base. But they aren't. Tourism or recreational travel are a more compelling reason for taking this train. And that's hardly a business model.
HSR isn't like the cruise lines, where "getting there" is the entire purpose of the trip. 100% of those choosing a cruise ship want to take a cruise ship voyage, by definition. But that's not the case for recreational train trips, where there are multiple choices of transit and where, as the respondents pointed out, cost is the most important factor. If the other modalities were less expensive, those would be chosen instead.
And, we can predict on the basis of the current HSR market elsewhere that the train ticket is far costlier than flying and driving. Remember, cars need to be rented at the other end of the train ride also. In other words, if the California train from San Francisco to Anaheim is nothing more than the Disneyland Express, then why the hell isn't Disney building it?
Without flogging this issue to death, let's just say that those HSR advocates who see this poll as a total endorsement for this HSR project are indulging in self-delusion. So far, there have been no authentic, dispassionate, independent and bias-free polls on this topic, and this Harris poll is no exception. It's rigged in favor; it's a "push-poll" like all the others.
==========================
More Than a Third of Americans Aware of High Speed Rail Projects in Their State
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- President Obama announced in April 2009, and reconfirmed during his recent State of the Union address, his commitment to develop high-speed intercity passenger rail across the United States.
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport between major cities that operates at substantially faster speeds than current intercity passenger trains in the U.S. It is designed to provide fast, reliable, and convenient service, operates using electric power and often includes onboard amenities such as food and beverage service and Wi-fi access.
The Harris Poll conducted an online survey among 2,566 adults between January 17 and 24, 2011 to gauge awareness, intention to use and position on funding for high-speed rail. At the time of the survey, there were ten proposed high-speed rail corridors across the United States(a). To-date, projects in California and Florida have been the most visible.
When Americans were asked about awareness of high-speed rail projects, only a little more than a third (35%) of those living in one of the proposed high-speed rail corridors said they are aware of a high-speed rail project that is either proposed or under development in their state, with more than four in ten (45%) unsure. "The relatively low awareness of high-speed rail across the country is not surprising given the disparate, regional nature of today's hottest HSR debates," said Linda Schulz, Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy at Harris Interactive. "However, as discussions become more prominent in more areas, and as projects get underway, we will be well positioned to monitor changing awareness and attitudes." Not surprisingly, awareness is highest in states where HSR is developing the fastest (68% are aware in California corridor, 60% in Florida). Awareness in other states with proposed high-speed rail projects include the Chicago Hub at 31% and New York at 28%.
After explaining HSR, two thirds of Americans (66%) indicate they are somewhat or very likely to consider using the service when traveling for pleasure, but that number drops in half (33%) when asked about travel for business. Men, however, are more likely to consider HSR travel than women for both business and pleasure. Additionally, those with more education and greater income are also more likely to consider traveling by high-speed rail.
Factors in Choosing High-speed Rail
There are many factors that may impact the use of high-speed rail, but cost (81%), location of train stations (68%), overall trip time (65%) and safety (61%) are the primary factors that people would consider before choosing to utilize high-speed rail. Both cost and safety are especially important to women compared to men.
Funding High-speed Rail
A very public issue surrounding high-speed rail today is funding. Several states have declined the use of federal funds including Ohio, Wisconsin and most recently Florida (this survey was conducted before Florida declined funding). However, almost two thirds of Americans (64%) say they somewhat or strongly support using state funding for HSR and a similar number (62%) support using federal funds. The areas with the greatest support for high-speed rail funding include the California corridor where 70% support state funding being used and 73% support federal funding. 70% of both the Pacific North West and Gulf corridor residents also support state funding with more than 60% each also supporting federal funding. Additionally, more than two thirds of Florida residents support state and federal funding of high-speed rail, "a particularly poignant point", notes Schulz, as Florida recently declined federal HSR funding the state had actively sought. While those in states without a high-speed rail project still support state funding (61%), they are more likely to oppose federal funding for these projects (32%).
So What?
With the relatively steep prices and the time consuming security processes associated with current airline travel, and increases in the cost of gasoline affecting highway travel, American consumers may be looking for a travel alternative. While many of them are not aware of high-speed rail plans, on balance they support using government funds to develop high-speed rail projects, yet time will tell how many of these projects successfully get underway, and how many Americans then take advantage of them. Of course, it should also be noted, this has become a highly politicized issue with Republicans, Democrats and Independents expressing varying levels of support for the development and allocation of funds to HSR.
TABLE 1
AWARENESS OF HSR
"High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport between major
cities that operates at substantially faster speeds than current
intercity passenger trains in the U.S. High-speed rail is designed
to provide fast, reliable, and convenient service between select
major cities. It operates using electric power and often includes
onboard amenities such as food and beverage service and Wi-fi
access. Do you know if high-speed passenger rail service is being
proposed or under development in your state?"
Base: All adults
HSR Corridors (states included in
each listed below) (ª)
States
with
HSR
projects
Total
South- Pacific South Gulf
east CA NW Central Coast
% % % % % % %
Yes, one is
proposed or
under
development
(NET) 33 35 21 68 25 12 25
Yes, one is
proposed 25 26 17 48 11 12 16
Yes, one is
under
development 8 9 4 20 14 * 9
No, one is
not
proposed
nor under
development 22 20 22 5 28 34 28
Not at all
sure 44 45 57 27 47 54 46
HSR Corridors (states included in
each listed below) (ª)
Key-
Chicago stone Empire North.
Hub FL (PA) (NY) NE
% % % % %
Yes, one is
proposed or
under
development
(NET) 31 60 24 28 25
Yes, one is
proposed 25 50 20 17 22
Yes, one is
under
development 6 10 4 11 3
No, one is
not
proposed
nor under
development 26 3 15 18 21
Not at all
sure 43 37 61 53 54
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; * indicates
less than .05%
(a) 10 High Speed Rail Corridors - South East Corridor (Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina), California Corridor (California & Nevada), Pacific North West Corridor (Washington & Oregon), South central Corridor (Oklahoma and Arkansas), Gulf Coast Corridor (Texas Louisiana & Alabama), Chicago Hub (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Minnesota), Florida Corridor (Florida), Keystone Corridor (Pennsylvania) Empire Corridor (New York) and Northern New England Corridor (Massachusetts, Main, Connecticut).
Other States Impacted by High Speed Rail - Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Tennessee.
NON-High Speed Rail States - Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
TABLE 2A
FUNDING FOR HSR - STATE FUNDING
"Development of the intercity passenger rail system is paid for by
both Federal and state governments, similar to how most other
infrastructure projects are funded. Operating costs are the
responsibility of each state and/or the private sector. Currently
the Federal Government is offering funds to the states for high-
speed rail projects. Knowing this, how do you feel about state and
federal funds being used for High-speed Rail?"
State funding
Base: All adults
States States with
Total with no HSR Corridors
HSR HSR
projects projects
South- Pacific South
east CA NW Central
% % % % % % %
Support
(NET) 64 63 61 64 70 70 64
Strongly
support 31 29 26 34 35 24 16
Somewhat
support 33 33 35 30 35 46 49
Oppose
(NET) 21 22 25 20 21 16 15
Somewhat
oppose 11 11 18 12 8 11 7
Strongly
oppose 11 11 7 8 13 6 7
Not at
all sure 15 16 14 16 9 13 21
HSR Corridors
Gulf Key- North.
Coast Chicago FL stone Empire NE
% % % % % %
Support
(NET) 70 55 67 55 57 57
Strongly
support 35 24 32 28 34 19
Somewhat
support 35 32 35 28 23 38
Oppose
(NET) 17 25 21 24 26 29
Somewhat
oppose 8 11 11 16 13 23
Strongly
oppose 10 14 10 8 14 6
Not at
all sure 13 20 12 21 17 15
Total Political Party
Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
Support (NET) 64 52 74 66
Strongly support 31 18 43 28
Somewhat support 33 34 31 39
Oppose (NET) 21 35 12 21
Somewhat oppose 11 17 7 10
Strongly oppose 11 18 5 11
--------------- --- --- --- ---
Not at all sure 15 13 13 13
--------------- --- --- --- ---
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
TABLE 2B
FUNDING FOR HSR - FEDERAL FUNDING
"Development of the intercity passenger rail system is paid for by
both Federal and state governments, similar to how most other
infrastructure projects are funded. Operating costs are the
responsibility of each state and/or the private sector. Currently
the Federal Government is offering funds to the states for high-
speed rail projects. Knowing this, how do you feel about state and
federal funds being used for High-speed Rail?"
Federal funding
Base: All adults
States States with
Total with no HSR Corridors
HSR HSR
projects projects
South- Pacific South
east CA NW Central
% % % % % % %
Support
(NET) 62 62 53 60 73 63 64
Strongly
support 31 29 17 32 41 21 19
Somewhat
support 32 32 36 28 32 42 44
Oppose
(NET) 23 23 32 24 18 24 18
Somewhat
oppose 11 11 19 12 7 19 12
Strongly
oppose 12 12 13 13 12 5 6
Not at all
sure 15 15 14 16 9 13 18
HSR Corridors
Gulf Key- North.
Coast Chicago FL stone Empire NE
% % % % % %
Support
(NET) 66 57 66 47 59 56
Strongly
support 32 25 32 24 32 21
Somewhat
support 34 32 34 24 27 35
Oppose
(NET) 21 24 22 31 24 30
Somewhat
oppose 9 10 10 16 12 23
Strongly
oppose 12 14 12 15 12 7
Not at all
sure 13 19 12 22 17 14
Total Political Party
Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
Support (NET) 62 50 75 63
Strongly support 31 17 43 29
Somewhat support 32 32 32 34
Oppose (NET) 23 38 12 24
Somewhat oppose 11 16 8 12
Strongly oppose 12 21 4 12
--------------- --- --- --- ---
Not at all sure 15 13 13 13
--------------- --- --- --- ---
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
TABLE 3A
LIKELY TO USE HSR - FOR BUSINESS
"Based on your understanding of high-speed rail service, if it were
available, how likely are you to use this service for the following
types of travel?"
Travel for business
Base: All adults
Total Gender Education
H.S. or Some College Post
Male Female less college grad grad
% % % % % % %
Likely (NET) 33 39 27 23 35 43 52
Very likely 18 22 14 13 17 21 35
Somewhat
likely 15 18 13 10 18 22 17
Unlikely
(NET) 57 51 63 65 55 51 41
Not that
likely 11 12 11 9 12 15 13
Not at all
likely 46 39 53 57 43 35 28
Not at all
sure 10 10 10 11 10 7 7
Income
$34.9K or less $35K-$49.9K $50K-$74.9K $75K-$99.9K $100K+
% % % % %
Likely (NET) 28 23 42 30 43
Very likely 13 9 26 17 25
Somewhat
likely 15 14 15 13 18
Unlikely
(NET) 61 68 47 60 51
Not that
likely 7 14 8 13 16
Not at all
likely 54 54 38 47 35
Not at all
sure 11 9 12 10 6
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
TABLE 3B
LIKELY TO USE HSR - FOR PLEASURE
"Based on your understanding of high-speed rail service, if it were
available, how likely are you to use this service for the following
types of travel?"
Travel for pleasure
Base: All adults
Total Gender Education
H.S. or Some College Post
Male Female less college grad grad
% % % % % % %
Likely (NET) 66 69 63 55 72 75 81
Very likely 37 40 34 28 41 40 53
Somewhat
likely 30 29 30 27 31 35 28
Unlikely
(NET) 27 24 29 35 22 21 14
Not that
likely 10 9 10 11 9 10 7
Not at all
likely 17 15 18 25 13 10 7
Not at all
sure 7 6 8 10 6 5 5
Income
$34.9K or less $35K-$49.9K $50K-$74.9K $75K-$99.9K $100K+
% % % % %
Likely (NET) 59 64 71 65 74
Very likely 28 35 43 39 46
Somewhat
likely 32 29 28 26 28
Unlikely
(NET) 30 29 22 28 22
Not that
likely 8 10 8 14 10
Not at all
likely 22 19 14 13 12
Not at all
sure 10 7 7 7 4
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
TABLE 4
FACTORS IN USING HSR
"If you were making travel decisions and high-speed rail was an
option, what factors would you consider
when deciding whether or not to purchase?"
Base: All adults
Total Gender
Male Female
% % %
Cost/affordability 81 79 84
Convenience of train station locations 68 66 70
Overall trip time 65 65 65
Safety 61 56 65
Reliability 58 58 59
Comfort, including seat and mobility options 57 56 59
Efficiency of security check/process 37 34 39
Amenities offered (cell phone use, WiFi, etc) 33 33 32
Environmental impact 23 21 25
Other 2 2 2
Not sure 9 8 10
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between January 17 to 24, 2011 among 2,566 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.
J39369
Q930, 935, 937, 940, 945, 950, 955
The Harris Poll® #24, February 24, 2011
By Linda Schulz, Vice President, Public Affairs, Harris Interactive
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
Press Contact:
Corporate Communications
Harris Interactive
212-539-9600
press@harrisinteractive.net
SOURCE Harris Interactive
Story from REDORBIT NEWS:
Published: 2011/02/24 05:04:00 CST
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