3 Things to Remember About Attention Spans
Attention span is an often under-looked aspect of research, yet its effects permeate everything we do. People are constantly bombarded by new information and their attention is frequently sought in the wrong ways. With that in mind, here are 3 things to remember about attention spans. 1) People are lazy. Most of us will take [...]
Should Hospital Advertising Go Viral?
Although times may be tough for hospitals throughout the country, they still seem to be able to come up with millions of dollars for advertisement campaigns. In the first half of 2011 hospitals spent $717.2 million on advertising, which is up 20% from the same period in 2010, according to the New York Times. Traditionally, [...]
2011: Less Change Than They Thought
Year’s end is usually a time for introspection. At the end of every year my wife and I, as do many people, review where we thought we’d be at the beginning of the year and compare it to what actually happened. It might be a useful task to apply the same introspection to a very [...]
Understanding Customer Sentiment
Water issues are becoming more important across the country and it is important that water companies survey customers in order to sustain public confidence when rate increases are required. Throughout the country water utility companies have submitted rate increase requests to the Public Utility Commission, which has caused public concern in many cities and communities. [...]
Benefits and Trade Offs of “Better” Or At Least Newer Research Methods
Sometimes it seems as if traditional market and survey research practices are under siege these days. Concepts like gamification, neuroscientific research models, and behavioral economics have not just crept into conversations about survey methodology, they practically dominate it. And while that’s partly due to our shorter attention spans and the need to generate product for [...]
2012 Florida Senate Race Poll Results
Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research recently conducted a statewide study of likely 2012 general election voters in Florida that shows a close Senate race between incumbent Senator Bill Nelson and challenger Congressman Connie Mack. Methodology Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research conducted a study of 800 likely 2012 general election voters in Florida November 13-15, [...]
Value-Based Purchasing – Hospital Accountability for Cost and Quality of Care
A term that is commonly being used in the health world is value-based purchasing. Value-based purchasing is a program authorized by the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act of 2010 that gives the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) the power to base a portion of hospital reimbursement payments on how well hospitals perform. [...]
Weekend Reading: 11/11
I’m going to start off this week with a thank you to all of those reading this blog who served. I walked to work today with the sound of bagpipes in my ears and gratitude in my heart. Now, onto the interesting things that we’ve been batting around the office this week that might be [...]
Medicare Penalties – Are Hospitals Prepared?
Many hospitals have protested the upcoming penalty in Medicare reimbursement for high readmission rates, saying that it was unfair to pin the blame for readmissions on hospitals alone. Under the new Medicare rules, hospitals that are identified as having too high of readmission rates will be penalized a percentage of their total Medicare reimbursement. Beginning in [...]
In (some) defense of Doug Schoen
For those who missed it last week, Doug Schoen released a fascinating poll consisting of in-person interviews of n=200 Occupy Wall Street protesters. The topline report can be found here and is worth reading in its entirety. It provides a glimpse into some of the real lunatic fringe elements that are part of (but not [...]
NBA Negotiations
Over the past few years, Oklahomans have become some of the best NBA fans in the country, receiving accolades from the media for their college-like enthusiasm at home games since the Thunder were brought from Seattle. And the Thunder have done their part, moving from one of the worst teams in the league to the [...]
Study Reveals Nonprofit Leaders Optimistic About Hitting Fundraising Objectives In 2012
It appears that nonprofit leaders perceptions of successfully hitting fundraising objectives for 2012 are starting to change. Bucking the trend of pessimism in recent surveys, nonprofit leaders anticipate a rise in giving levels and demand for services heading into 2012. What’s more is that the report reveals even more positive news: an increase in anticipated staffing. Blakbaud’s [...]
When to do a survey
One of the most important questions facing any campaign is when and how often to conduct a survey. Doing a poll is a little like getting married: you shouldn’t rush into it, it needs to be well planned, you need to be committed about doing it right and you must have a clear understanding about [...]
‘Tis the Season (for lots of polling)
Posted by Chris Wilson on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 12:26 PM
We’re now on the virtual eve of the Iowa caucuses and the busy season for the early contests in the Presidential nominating process in 2012. You’ll be seeing a lot of polls over the coming days and weeks and many will give you wildly different results. Just in the last week we’ve seen polls either [...]