Morning in America, Putting Off Retirement, Etc.

If you're a "morning person," you've got lots of company. In a poll conducted for Adweek by Alden & Associates Marketing Research of Hermosa Beach, Calif., a plurality of respondents (38.7 percent) picked morning as their favorite time of day. Evening was the runner-up (28.1 percent), followed by night (18.7 percent). Afternoon finished dead last (13.5 percent). In a breakdown of the data by age group, night was the favorite of 18-24-year-olds (picked by 40.1 percent). Among 25-34-year-olds, evening edged out night (31.2 percent vs. 30.1 percent). Night fared poorly with respondents 35 and older, though, while morning won about half of their vote. Evening was the sole time of day whose popularity was fairly consistent from one age group to the next, pulling between one-quarter and one-third of each cohort's vote. People who see an economic utility in matinal worm-getting will be pleased to read that morning was the favorite among upper-income adults, while night was tops with lower-income types. But the disparity may stem from the fact that young adults tend to be less prosperous than their elders. Martial spirit runs high. An NPDFunworld report on the toy sector says sales of action figures climbed 36 percent last year, paced by a surge in popularity for the likes of Hasbro's G.I Joe. By comparison, sales of noncombatant dolls and accessories rose a lackluster 8 percent, while sales of games and puzzles fell 10 percent.While the poor economy has pushed millions of workers into involuntary idleness, it's having the opposite effect for others. The annual Quicken Fiscal Literacy Survey, conducted among active investors whose total income tops $75,000 a year, found that 1.9 million households will have to delay retirement. The reason is simple: Nearly one-third of those polled have seen their investment portfolios decline in value by 25 percent or more. Of those who expect to delay their retirement, 25 percent think they'll have to work five to seven years longer than they'd planned in order to retire "comfortably." As you'd expect, many people age 55 and older are reducing risk by holding more cash and less stock in their retirement accounts. More surprising is the fact that a majority of investors under age 44 are doing the same. It doesn't necessarily mean they'll be disobedient, but 61 percent of respondents to a Bride's magazine poll said they're omitting the word "obey" from their wedding vows. On the other hand, 83 percent of brides-to-be said they plan to take the groom's last name.If kids ran professional sports, what changes would they make? A reader poll by Sports Illustrated for Kids finds they'd start by cutting ticket prices (cited by 69 percent of the kids). Other items on the would-do list: requiring athletes to sign more autographs (38 percent) and starting postseason games earlier in the evening (33 percent). Asked to name their favorite sports to watch on TV, kids picked football (36 percent), baseball (27 percent) and basketball (21 percent).Will the information-technology market revive in 2002? A Millward Brown Intelliquest poll of executives who are "purchase influencers" yielded a split verdict: 49 percent said they expect an upturn, while 44 percent forecast a continued decline. That's pretty consistent with developments in their own budgets, as 42 percent said they expect to boost their info-tech spending this year. Increases will be devoted largely to systems upgrade/systems integration projects, with security another likely beneficiary.Much as they enjoy bad-mouthing fat-cat CEOs, Americans retain their fidelity to private enterprise. The chart below excerpts a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. What's striking, as Pew notes in its analysis of the data, is how consistent opinion has been on this question over the years. In 10 polls conducted since 1987, the number of people agreeing completely or mostly that business is good for America has never dipped below 76 percent and never risen above 79 percent. It's not that people are Pollyannas about the economy. The same poll found 66 percent of respondents agreeing completely or mostly that "the rich just get richer while the poor get poorer."

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Morning in America, Putting Off Retirement, Etc.

Mark Dolliver

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