Saving Us From Food, The Big Picture, Etc.
By Mark Dolliver
Monday, March 22 2004
Monday, March 22 2004
Published on AllBusiness.com
Stop them before I overeat again! With obesity challenging tobacco for the status of Public-Health Enemy No. 1, Americans want the government to stop Big Food from tempting them too much. In a poll commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the San Jose Mercury News, adults were asked whether they favor the feds "regulating television ads for junk food and fast food that are aimed at children and teens the way they do for cigarettes and alcohol." Those supporting the idea "strongly" (29 percent) or "somewhat" (24 percent) outnumbered those opposing it (19 percent somewhat, 24 percent strongly). Backing for such action wasn't confined to concern for young innocents. Two-thirds of respondents said they'd back "warning labels on packaged food about the health risks of being overweight, just like there are warning labels on cigarettes about the health risks of smoking" (40 percent supporting it strongly, 27 percent somewhat). As for a "special tax on junk food—that is, things like soda, chips and candy—and using the money for programs to fight obesity," 57 percent opposed the notion either somewhat (17 percent) or strongly (40 percent). But that left a sizable minority in favor—18 percent strongly and 22 percent somewhat. If we end up with more of a nanny state than we've already got, fat will have been the thin edge of the wedge.
Amid the controversy about same-sex marriage, Americans have a gloomy view of the different-sex variety. In a New York Times/ CBS News poll, adults were asked if they think most people who get married expect their marriage to last "forever" or expect "that they will divorce sooner or later." Respondents split evenly, with 47 percent taking each position. Newlyweds themselves feel differently, though, judging by an online poll by Elegant Bride magazine: Just 7 percent of brides said they'd sign a pre-nuptial agreement.
It surely isn't good news that consumer confidence has been declining in the past few months. But it may not be quite the usual sort of bad news—i.e., a leading indicator that consumers will pull back on their spending. The latest Gallup poll on the topic (fielded the week before last) finds 44 percent of adults believe the economy is getting better, down from 53 percent in mid-February and from 66 percent in January. In what Gallup refers to as an "intriguing twist," though, there has not been a corresponding decline in people's "spending intentions." In fact, the number of respondents saying they plan to increase their overall spending during the next six months has risen, from 26 percent in February to 31 percent in this month's poll. "This reverses a downward trend in spending intentions seen since November, and is the highest level of intended spending Gallup has recorded on this question since its inception in October 2001." Having at least
Amid the controversy about same-sex marriage, Americans have a gloomy view of the different-sex variety. In a New York Times/ CBS News poll, adults were asked if they think most people who get married expect their marriage to last "forever" or expect "that they will divorce sooner or later." Respondents split evenly, with 47 percent taking each position. Newlyweds themselves feel differently, though, judging by an online poll by Elegant Bride magazine: Just 7 percent of brides said they'd sign a pre-nuptial agreement.
It surely isn't good news that consumer confidence has been declining in the past few months. But it may not be quite the usual sort of bad news—i.e., a leading indicator that consumers will pull back on their spending. The latest Gallup poll on the topic (fielded the week before last) finds 44 percent of adults believe the economy is getting better, down from 53 percent in mid-February and from 66 percent in January. In what Gallup refers to as an "intriguing twist," though, there has not been a corresponding decline in people's "spending intentions." In fact, the number of respondents saying they plan to increase their overall spending during the next six months has risen, from 26 percent in February to 31 percent in this month's poll. "This reverses a downward trend in spending intentions seen since November, and is the highest level of intended spending Gallup has recorded on this question since its inception in October 2001." Having at least