Occupy Boston Issue Survey Results

By Joshua Sager

Throughout the last few weeks, I have been disseminating an online issue survey across all Occupy Boston email lists, websites, feeds and social media. Over 260 people have replied to my survey, giving me a sample of Occupier' views on over 60 issues, from which to draw conclusions. Before you read the results, keep these four points in mind:

1. I understand that not everybody took the survey, but I took a large sample size from as diverse a group as I could in order to achieve a representative sample. I wrote, administered, and analyzed the survey on my own, thus it is limited by the resources/time available to me.
2. These results are only speaking as to the aggregate views of the occupation on an issue by issue basis; they are not intended to be used as a definitive guide for deciding upon the demands of our group.
3. The results are simply a tool intended to help all working groups with their work (EX. ideas/spp can use them to guess which proposals will pass the GA before they bring them up. FSU can use the results in order to target lessons to points of interest, etc...)
4. All answers are rough due to the huge size of the 99% as well as the several biases inherent in all surveys. I tried to minimize bias and maximize exposure, but there will always be some error in this type of survey.

My analysis of the survey results included three levels: Support Intensity, Block Override Potential, and Average Support.

In the first level of analysis for my survey results, I found the ratio of respondents that support any single idea to those who don't support it. I divided the answers into three brackets: low, Middle, and high. The low bracket (score of 0-3) is composed of the people who would not support the proposal in any way and would likely be difficult to persuade otherwise. The middle bracket (score of 4-6) is composed of the people who are on the fence and could possible be swayed to the one side or the other. The high bracket (score of 7+) is composed of the people who will support the proposal no matter what. By finding the ratio between those who would support a proposal and those who wouldn't, I can estimate the aggregate levels of support for every included issue. Any issue that has a high ratio of support to oppose is largely uncontroversial and identifiable as a common ideal for the protesters.

The second level of analysis is intended to determine whether the answer to a survey question could pass the general assembly if there were a block enforced. In our process, a block is the most extreme opposition to a proposal in the GA [General Assembly]. If a block is imposed, there is a 90% required consensus in order to push the blocked proposal through the GA. In order to determine whether a measure would push past a block, I calculated the ratio between the frequency of the high bracket of support and the frequency of the block score. Any ratio larger than 9 indicates that the measure could push past a block (90%), but due to the margin of error in my study, I consider any ratio under 15 to have potential for blocking.

The third level of analysis for my survey is intended to determine the  average level of support for every issue. I use a simply arithmetic mean calculation to determine the average level of support and apply the low/medium/high support brackets. An average support of over 7 indicates a high average support for an issue while an average of under 4 indicates low levels of support.

All survey results are open source and are available to be used by any Occupy Boston working group, writer, or individual member; I only ask that you do not alter or misrepresent my survey in order to change the results or to portray it as the official voice of the occupation.

Occupy Boston Issues Survey

NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL OR BINDING SURVEY. I AM DOING THIS AS AN INDIVIDUAL TO PRESENT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SO THAT THERE CAN BE A MORE REFINED DISCUSSION ON OUR EVENTUAL GOALS AND PRINCIPLES. As we have yet to decide upon a set mission statement or series of guiding principles, I am sending this survey out in order to gauge the views of the Occupy Boston protesters. I have attempted to represent every major issue that I have encountered while talking with the other Occupy Boston protesters over the past ten days and put them into a rating system. Please use the below form to make your opinions on the issues known so that I can bring this to the GA in the future. If you know anybody who is unable to attend the protests, please send this to them because odds are, they are part of the 99% as well and deserve to have their voices heard. Thanks, Joshua Sager Contacts for suggestions: jsager99@gmail.com

Election and Interest Reform

Revoking corporate person-hoodDo you support removing the status of corporations as people with all of the same rights of free speech?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Election ReformDo you support mandating publicly funded elections with only small (<$1000) donations allowed?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Political Interest ReformDo you support banning all corporate and union donations to political campaigns?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Regulator "Revolving Door" EliminationDo you support banning regulators from working for any corporation that they regulated for a period of ten years after they cease to be employed by the public?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Political "Revolving Door" EliminationDo you support banning politicians and high level aids from working as lobbyists for a period of five years after they cease to be in public service?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Systemic Political Reform

Do you think that the Constitutional Republic (current structure) model of governance is the best way for the USA to be structured?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No												Yes

Alternative system (If you answered no above)If you believe that the current structure of the USA government should be reformed, what model of government would you suggest as an alternative?

• 
   Pure Democracy
• 
   Federation of states
• 
   Socialism/Marxism
• 
   Communism
• 
   Anarchism
• 
   Limited federalist government
• 
   Undecided
• 
   Other:
  

Social Safety Net

Social SecurityDo you support protecting the current structure of social security?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Social SecurityDo you support protecting the current structure of social security rather than privatizing it?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

MedicareDo you support protecting the current structure of Medicare rather than turning it into a voucher program?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

MedicaidDo you support protecting the current structure and funding of Medicaid?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Taxes

Progressive Tax ReformDo you support increasing the percentage of the income that the rich pay in taxes?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Regressive tax reformDo you support instituting a flat or consumption tax system, where everybody pays entirely upon consumption rather than earning?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Capital Gains Tax reformDo you support increasing the capital gains tax rates on investing so that the rich, who most benefit from this, will end up paying a higher percentage of their earnings as taxes?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Personal Tax LoopholesDo you support removing tax loopholes so that the wealthy are unable to use them in order to decrease their tax burden?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Corporate Tax Loopholes and SubsidiesDo you support reducing corporate tax loopholes (offshoring of money) and subsidies (such oil and gas)?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Banking and Federal Reserve Policy

Bank ReformDo you support increasing the regulations on banking so that they are limited in the degree that they can leverage capital?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Glass SteagallDo you support reinstating the Glass Steagall Act, which separated investment banks and commercial banks, thus preventing the use of public money for private investment?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Speculation reformDo you support limiting speculation on goods so that they have a decreased effect on the prices in the market?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Fed ReformDo you support auditing the Federal Reserve as well as increasing transparency and accountability?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Fed RemovalDo you support abolishing the Federal reserve?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Debt

Student DebtDo you support the institution of programs that are intended to lessen or eliminate student debt (through debt forgiveness, direct relief or interest rate reductions)?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Personal DebtDo you support instituting programs intended to assist those living with high levels of personal debt?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Mortgage DebtDo you support intervening in the mortgage crisis through the halting of evictions and the renegotiating of current mortgages?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Worker's Rights

UnionizationDo you support making it easier to unionize and harder for legislatures to remove the rights of unions?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

"Right to Work" LegislationDo you support the ability of states to pass "right to work" laws to reduce the power of unions?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Minimum Wage #1Do you support increasing the minimum wage?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Minimum Wage #2Do you support decreasing/removing the minimum wage?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Safety Regulations #1Do you support increasing safety requirements in hazardous work environments (such as coal mines)?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

War and International Aid

Iraq #1Do you support the removal of troops from Iraq as soon as possible?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Iraq #2Do you support maintaining a presence in Iraq for the foreseeable future?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Afghanistan #1Do you support the removal of troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Afghanistan #2Do you support maintaining a presence in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

International Relations #1Do you support continuing our interventionist policy in countries around the world?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No interventionism												Large amounts of Interventionalism

International Relations #2Do you support supplying humanitarian aid to impoverished countries such as those in Africa or southeast Asia?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No Aid												Large amounts of Aid

United Nations #1Do you support the USA having full involvement in the UN and honoring the resolutions that are passed by the international community.

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No												Yes

Trade

International TradeDo you support international free trade agreements in general?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Not At All												Totally

North American Free Trade AgreementDo you support the continuation of NAFTA?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Not At All												Totally

Free Trade and Currency ManipulationDo you support limiting trade agreements with countries that are labelled as "currency manipulators"?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Not At All												Totally

TariffsDo you support instituting strict tariffs on goods produced in countries where there is exploitative labor?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Total support

Privatization and Health Policy

Health PolicyDo you consider the provision of healthcare to be a human right?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No												Yes

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) repeal #1Do you support repealing the ACA and replacing it with a privatized system?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) repeal #2Do you support repealing the ACA and replacing it with a single payer system?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Privatization #1Do you support stopping the privatization of services such as education water treatment, or public safety?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Privatization #2Do you support increasing the privatization of services such as education, or public safety?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Privatized PrisonsDo you support the idea of privatizing some prisons?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Law and Imigration

MarijuanaDo you support legalizing and taxing marijuana?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Prison V. RehabilitationDo you support the use of rehabilitation programs rather than imprisonment for non-violent offenses?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Immigration #1Do you support a path to citizenship such as the DREAM Act?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Immigration #2Do you support deportation of all illegal immigrants?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Immigration #3Do you support the fence along the Mexican/American border?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Immigration #4Do you support the use of E-Verify mandated by federal law?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Environmental

Environmental Regulations #1Do you support increasing environmental regulations on polluting companies?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Environmental Regulations #2Do you support decreasing environmental regulations on polluting companies?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Clean EnergyDo you support investing in clean and renewable energy to reduce our dependence on oil?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Coal EnergyDo you support investing in coal power to reduce our dependence on oil?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

OilDo you support increasing oil exploration and drilling inside of the USA?

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Block												Most important Issue

Other

Write InIf I have missed any major issue, please both write it in here and contact me (see contact info at the top of the page).

What is your political self-identification?If you are at all uncomfortable about this question either leave it blank or select "Other". I will not use this question in any of my presentations or analysis, but rather it is for my own curiosity.

• 
   Independant
• 
   Democrat
• 
   Green
• 
   Republican
• 
   Libertarian
• 
   Tea Party
• 
   Socialist/Marxist
• 
   Anarchist
• 
   Other
• 
   Other:
  

Final Analysis of Survey Results

The link below is to the survey itself, which is to be used in order to interpret the answers.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dHhSSGl1dnVsVFVaOTlUa3RFck04RHc6MQ#gid=0

Thank you to everybody who participated in my survey or gave me feedback. Again, all questions, comments, or responses are welcome and appreciated.

I can be contacted through several means:

Email: jsager99@gmail.com

Blog: sarcasticliberal.blogspot.com

Occupy Boston: ask for Josh at the media tent