SAN DIEGO, CA –The San Diego Institute for Policy Research (SDI) released additional findings in its on-going research efforts. The "Barometer of San Diegans Opinions," is a bi-monthly assessment of San Diegans' opinions on a range of civic and economic issues, conducted by Competitive Edge Research.
"The findings we released today show that the City Council is at odds with the majority of San Diegans who are looking for good prices and who hold a positive impression of Wal-Mart," said Steve Francis, Founder and Chairman of The San Diego Institute for Policy Research. He added, "By proposing to ban Wal-Mart SuperCenters in San Diego, the City Council is at odds with the majority of citizens who realize the benefits of retail competition and who are looking for the best possible prices for their families."
The poll, conducted from January 3-6 among 503 randomly selected adults within the City of San Diego, asked the following question, "The San Diego City Council recently adopted an ordinance which prohibits Wal-Mart and others from operating large retail super-stores which also sell groceries. Do you support or oppose this ordinance? "
Support, strongly
25.0%
Support, somewhat
12.4%
Oppose, somewhat
17.3%
Oppose, strongly
39.2%
Unsure (Not Read)
6.2%
The poll shows that even among Democrats the Wal-Mart ban is not resonating, while 45% support it, 50% oppose the SuperCenter ban.
SDI/CERC also wanted to know San Diegans impressions of the retailer. The poll asked the following question, "Some of Wal-Mart's critics say the retailer is not being socially responsible to their employees because the company pays low wages and benefits and that Wal-Mart is bad for communities because its low prices push out small stores. Some of Wal-Mart's supporters
say it provides consumers with one-stop shopping and low prices and that each store employs hundreds of workers, many who do not have high-level skills."
Which of these opinions comes closest to yours?"(choices were rotated)
Bad for employees and communities, strongly
25.1%
Bad for employees and communities, somewhat
13.1%
Good for employees and consumers, somewhat
22.2%
Good for employees and consumers, strongly
31.8%
Unsure 7.8%
Finally, the poll queried San Diegans on their shopping habits. Fifty-four percent state that they shopped at least once a month at the retailer.
"San Diegans, like the vast majority of Americans, frequently shop at Wal-Mart. The combination of low prices, choice, and convenience is a winner here as it has been throughout the nation", said Erik Bruvold, President and CEO of SDI.
He went on to add, "We made sure to ask these questions in a fair and even-handed way. We gave Wal-Mart's critics their due and offered up some of their best and most frequently heard arguments. And yet the findings are overwhelmingly clear: not only is the proposed ban bad economics, it is bad politics and flies in the face of public opinion."
The poll also finds interesting information concerning shopping patterns. Controlling for a number of other factors, a key determinant of shopping behavior is ethnicity, with non-Caucasian city residents being much more likely to shop at Wal-Mart. African Americans are far more likely to oppose the recently proposed Wal-Mart ordinance than whites.
According to John Nienstedt, President and CEO of Competitive Edge Research and Communications, "We were surprised by these interesting findings. It suggests that Wal-Mart has built brand loyalty among San Diego's many diverse neighborhoods and it has much less to do with a person's income than we initially thought."
On February 1, after analysis is completed, SDI will be releasing the final analysis of the poll, regarding the public's opinions on retirement planning and how the City's pension system should be structured.
The San Diego Institute for Policy Research (SDI) is a non-partisan organization whose goal is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector throughout San Diego County. Established in 2006, SDI will produce high quality policy research papers, economic bulletins, opinion barometers (with polling partner Competitive Edge Research) and major events and symposiums to help generate constructive debate and discussion amongst San Diego's decision makers and citizens alike.
Competitive Edge Research & Communication is San Diego County's premier polling firm. Established in 1987, the firm provides insight and strategic advice to clients across the state and
across the country. Among its many endeavors, the firm conducts its annual Super Bowl poll to determine the big game's effect on the host city. The results of this year's poll will be released on Thursday February 8th. Competitive Edge is proud to be affiliated with SDI in this effort to provide San Diegans with a reliable barometer of public opinion.
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