The Nation's Students Pick Barack Obama in the Just Completed Weekly Reader Presidential Election Poll
Last update: 5:00 a.m. EDT Oct. 29, 2008
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y., Oct 29, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- America's most trusted and accurate student survey has predicted the winner in 12 of the past 13 elections.
Just days before Americans choose our next president, voting has concluded in the Weekly Reader Student Presidential Election Poll. And the nation's students resoundingly say that Barack Obama will be the country's next leader. In the 14th Weekly Reader election survey, with more than 125,000 votes cast from kindergarten through 12th grade, the result was Obama 54.7% and John McCain 42.9% (with "other" candidates receiving 2.5% of the student vote). The Obama victory in the classroom electoral vote was even more resounding: The Democrat won 33 states and the District of Columbia, garnering 420 electoral votes, while McCain took 17 states and 118 electoral votes.
For the past 52 years, the results of the Weekly Reader poll have been consistently on target, with the student vote correctly predicting the next president in 12 out of 13 elections. (The only time the kids were wrong was 1992, when they chose George H.W. Bush over Bill Clinton.) This year, as in 2000 and 2004, the student election was conducted in conjunction with noted polling organization Zogby International.
Below are more thought-provoking, and perhaps prescient, results from the Weekly Reader Student Presidential Election Poll:
-- While the election results may appear one-sided, they actually were
extraordinarily close in many places. In three states, less than a tenth
of a percentage point separated the winning ticket from the losing one.
Iowa and Missouri were the states where Obama barely squeaked by, while
in North Dakota, McCain won by the same slim margin.
-- Most, but not all, swing states went to Obama. The Democrat took
Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia. McCain won Minnesota and New Hampshire, each
by a surprisingly wide 8 points, as well as North Carolina in a 4.6%
victory over Obama.
-- McCain took Republican strongholds Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky,
Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming. Obama
romped in the deep blue states of California, Illinois, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, and the District of
Columbia.
-- The Democratic candidate had a few startling triumphs -- such as
sweeping the vote in the Republican slate's two home states of
Alaska and Arizona, registering a big win in Georgia, receiving 82% of
the student vote in Nevada, gaining a 34-point win in Mississippi, and
logging a 10% victory over McCain in George W. Bush's home state of
Texas.
-- Obama was the victor in every grade -- except grade 10, which chose
McCain. The results were the tightest in the 11th grade, where Obama
slid by with a 1.5% victory, followed by second grade, where Obama won
by a margin of 1.8%. The widest spread appeared in the ninth grade,
where Obama's gigantic 85.6% beat McCain's 12.4% -- a whopping
73.2% margin!
"Historically, our poll has been an amazing indicator of the presidential race's outcome, so we're all waiting with great anticipation to see what happens on Election Day," said Neal Goff, President of Weekly Reader. "Throughout the past few months, we've delivered cutting-edge multimedia election materials directly to schools so that students could cast an informed vote. We're excited to have given kids this important forum to express their opinions about who should be the next president."
In addition to reporting the results of their in-class elections, teachers passed along enthusiastic comments from their students about the impact of participating in the Weekly Reader Student Presidential Election:
-- "This is history being made!"
-- "I will always remember this. It's nice to have my vote
counted!"
-- "Even though I am not 18, my voice is being heard."
-- "I like McCain because he loves pets like I do."
-- "I want to be president. I am going to be president. If Obama can
run for president, so can I." (Comment from a Hispanic second-grade
boy.)
Teachers also contributed to the thousands of comments. One reported that, "Before we voted and as we were discussing the candidates, each 'side' spontaneously started chanting the name of the candidate they wanted to win." Another teacher proudly noted this benefit to the Weekly Reader election: "We talked about the importance of voting and the duty that we have as American citizens. What a great experience!"
The student election survey is one of many ways in which Weekly Reader informs and involves the next generation of citizens. The award-winning Weekly Reader Web site features a continuously updated Election 2008 area, www.weeklyreader.com/election, which provides topical, targeted coverage of the election, specifics about the candidates and issues, fascinating election anecdotes, and instructive interactive games for students in elementary, middle, and high schools. Teachers can download exclusive lesson plans outlining the political process. Post-election coverage will continue online and in Weekly Reader's acclaimed classroom magazines through the inauguration and the new president's first 100 days in office.
About Weekly Reader Publishing
For more than 100 years, Weekly Reader has been a leading publisher of supplemental educational products to schools and libraries, dedicated to making learning come alive by creating engaging materials that connect what children learn to the world around them. Through its flagship product line -- Weekly Reader classroom magazines -- Weekly Reader reaches an audience of almost 8 million educators, students, and their parents annually. The Weekly Reader Publishing Group (WRPG) also includes Weekly Reader Curriculum Publishing and Custom Publishing; Weekly Reader Research; Gareth Stevens Publishing; World Almanac Education Library Services; Facts for Learning; and Funk & Wagnall's. WRPG is part of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. For more information, visit www.weeklyreader.com.
About Zogby International
Zogby International is a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience working in more than 70 countries around the globe. Founded and led by John Zogby since 1984, Zogby International ranks as one of the industry's leaders thanks to its reputation for superior accuracy and reliability. Zogby specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for political, corporate, nonprofit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, New York, with offices in Washington D.C., and Miami.
Stay informed. Visit Weekly Reader Election 2008 at www.weeklyreader.com/election.
SOURCE Weekly Reader Publishing
