Anger of unemployed threatens to skew polls

The lingering unemployment crisis has become so widespread and prolonged that pollsters say it threatens the skew results of focus group and political surveys. The issue: There are so many unemployed and under-employed Americans that they are flooding the samples pollsters use.

As a result pollsters are being forced to screen for unemployed Americans before starting a survey or focus group to make sure that the jobless in their sample groups don’t outweigh the national average of 8.1 percent unemployment. In some cases, the percentages of unemployed in the samples in cities targeted by pollsters has topped 50 percent.

Typically focus groups include 12 Americans. Pollster John McLaughlin tells Secrets that he screens for unemployed workers so they don’t mess with his results. “I had to put a quota, or cap on them at two out of 12,” equaling the combined 15 percent average of unemployed and those who’ve given up looking for work, he says.

“Any more than that and you are going to skew it by people who are really upset,” he adds.

Focus groups are used by politicians and corporations to gauge the reception of messages and marketing. Typically those who participate are offered up to $100, and that’s become very attractive in cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Virginia Beach, where pollsters go to survey average Americans. “If you’re unemployed and need cash, this is a great way to get paid because you get cash that night,” said McLaughlin.

And the economy isn’t just hitting those who participate in focus groups. He reveals that it’s also whacking the focus group industry which keeps banks of typical Americans ready for pollsters to tap in most cities. McLaughlin said that the poor economy means fewer corporations are conducting focus groups. “Most focus group facilities are happy to have the work because they are not that busy because of the economy,” he says.