Poll: Kerry Beats Bush in Addressing Disability Issues
October 8, 2004

Press Release from the National Organization on Disability
NOD Website
Contact: Brewster Thackeray
Email or phone 202/955-6327

KERRY ADDRESSING DISABILITY ISSUES BETTER THAN BUSH,
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION ON DISABILITY/HARRIS SURVEY FINDS

WASHINGTON, DC - Asked which presidential candidate they believe is addressing the needs of people with disabilities as part of their campaign, 39 percent of all respondents to a recent Harris Poll survey commissioned by the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) gave Senator John F. Kerry credit, compared to 22 percent for President George W. Bush. Ralph Nader was selected by five percent. The survey, part of N.O.D.'s ongoing effort to document and track the political concerns of Americans with disabilities, was funded by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Among people with disabilities, Kerry was seen as addressing disability issues by 40 percent of respondents, compared to 23 for Bush. Those without disabilities cited Kerry 38 percent of the time and Bush 22. Five percent of both cited Nader.

When it came to specific issues that Harris has identified from prior polling as being of importance to people with disabilities, Bush had an edge among all voters on homeland security (55-33%) and technology (39-37%).

The advantage was Kerrys on education (46-42%), Medicare drug benefits (49-36%), employment (51-36%), health care (49-36%), civil rights (47-33%), transportation (39-33%), and housing (46-32%). People with and without disabilities responded similarly to these questions, within a margin of error.

Even in these last weeks of the campaign, I urge all candidates to speak out on disability issues and matters that are important to the one-fifth of the population that have disabilities, said N.O.D. President Alan A. Reich. While not every American has a disability, everybody has friends and relatives that do. Outreach to the disability community is a smart move for any politician or candidate.

Methodology: The Harris Poll. was conducted by telephone within the United States between September 9 and 13, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 398 adults (aged 18 and over) with disabilities (323 of whom are likely voters) and 828 adults (aged 18 and over) without disabilities (714 of whom are likely voters). For both samples figures for age, sex, race, education, and region were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in each population. For the sample of people with disabilities, these respondents were also weighted by type of disability and for the people without disabilities that sample of respondents was also weighted by the number of adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the household where necessary.

In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points for the total sample of U.S. adults without disabilities who are likely voters (and plus or minus 5.5 percentage points for the smaller sample of U.S. adults with disabilities who are likely voters). Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (nonresponse), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.

The National Organization on Disability, founded in 1982, promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America's 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life. N.O.D. is a nonpartisan organization. For more information visit the NOD Website.

Harris Interactive (Harris Interactive Website) is a global research firm that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Well known for The Harris Poll, and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Rochester, New York-based Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients around the world achieve clear, material and enduring results.

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