Americans Struggle to List Accomplishments for Obama,
                 Being a War Vet Tops List for McCain, According to American Pulse

                 Pulse Political Roundup: Domestic Oil, Real Estate Market and Healthcare

COLUMBUS, OH – 7/24/2008 – 56.4% of Americans draw a blank when asked to name one thing Obama has accomplished in his career; 47.5% do the same when asked about McCain, according to the July American Pulse Survey of 4,053 respondents. A Vietnam tour of duty and subsequent time spent as a POW is top of mind for 29.1% of Americans who did list an accomplishment for McCain. 9.6% (the largest percentage for those who provided an answer) gave a general statement about political views/bills for Obama.

It would appear that Americans should know more about Obama’s accomplishments; 44.6% say he receives more favorable coverage than his opponent by the media (even 36.4% of Democrats agree). 45.8% contend that the two presidential nominees receive equal coverage and less than 1 in 10 (9.5%) say McCain’s coverage is more favorable.

Other key findings:

• With gas prices high, the drilling of domestic oil is a hot topic and the majority of Americans don’t know where either McCain (50%) or Obama (59.5%) stands on the issue. The candidates would be well advised to make their feelings better known; 71.5% say it’s important for the next President to adopt a policy that will allow for the drilling of domestic oil.
• When a new President is sworn in, 29.2% of Americans predict he will inherit a housing crisis, saying it will take 1-2 years for the real estate market to bounce back. Once it does, 12.4% plan to buy and 13.3% plan to sell their home…51% are going to stay put.
• Another point of contention among candidates is US healthcare and 21.4% of those who participated in the July survey are uninsured. Being unemployed (29.4%) tops the list of reasons why followed by having a low-income job and can’t afford coverage (24.9%). Working for a small company that can’t afford it (9.9%) rounds out the top three.
• With the recent salmonella outbreaks, food safety is on the minds of Americans and they appear to trust their local farmers’ market. 70.4% say they believe market produce is fresh and grown locally…21.5% aren’t so sure, saying they don’t know if they trust the local farmers.

(For complete complimentary findings, click here: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.)

About American Pulse™
The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International’s (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over 4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how Americans really feel about issues they currently face. http://www.bigresearch.com.

About Survey Sampling International (SSI)
Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions. Founded in 1977, SSI offers access to consumer and business-to-business respondents via Internet, telephone, mobile and other means; survey programming and hosting; and sampling consultation. SSI is the supplier of choice for more than 1,800 companies, including 46 of the top 50 marketing research agencies. Headquartered in Fairfield, CT, SSI maintains offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. http://www.surveysampling.com

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