Background Memo  

The most recent survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind was conducted by telephone from February 20 through February 25 using a randomly selected sample of 618 registered voters statewide.  The sampling error for 618 respondents is +/-4 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. Sample error for subgroups varies with the size of the subgroup. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling error. This kind of error, which cannot be measured, arises from a number of factors including, but not limited to, non-response (eligible individuals refusing to be interviewed), question wording, the order in which questions are asked, and variations among interviewers. All PublicMind interviews are conducted by TMR, Inc. of Cedar Knolls, NJ.  Professionally trained interviewers use a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) system. Random selection >is achieved through computerized random-digit dialing. This technique gives every person with a phone number (including those with unlisted numbers) an equal chance of being selected. Likely voters are screened through a series of questions. Results are mathematically weighted to match known demographics.

The questions included in this release are as follows:

Question: How would you rate your own driving skills compared to most other drivers on the road? Would you say that your skills are…[READ]?

• Above average
• Just average
• Below average

Question: How often do you worry that you or your loved ones might be in a life threatening car crash…[READ]?

• Every day
• Often
• Once in a while
• Almost never

Question: Thinking about drivers from the states around you… which state would you say has the worst drivers…[READ: ROTATE]?

• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Maryland

Question: When it comes to enforcing speed limits, do you think the police should enforce the limits more strictly than they do, or not?

Question: Some people have proposed making it much more difficult for teenagers to get a driver's license. Do you support or oppose making it more difficult for teenagers to get a driver's license

Question: Some people have proposed that the federal government spend more money on driver education classes in high school? Do you support or oppose spending more money on driver education in high school?

Question: Finally, just give me your best estimate… about how many people in the United States are killed in car crashes each year?

• fewer than 25,000
• from 25,000 to 34,000
• From 35,000 to 55,000
• From 56,000 to 65,000
• More than 65,000

see also:
Survey Analysis
Tabular Results