Dealer Survey: Kerry or Bush?

© 2004 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Fall 2004
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Pages 30-31

Dealer Survey
Kerry or Bush?

If garage door dealers have their way, President Bush will win the November election by a lopsided landslide.

In the largest dealer survey ever conducted by Door & Access Systems, 75 percent of respondents said they would vote for George W. Bush, while only 21 percent chose Democratic opponent John F. Kerry. Dealers indicated that the war on terrorism is the issue that has the most influence on their vote.

The poll, conducted via the Web from Aug. 8 – 20, was sent to 1,000 e-mail addresses of dealers in all 50 states. Delivery failed to 150 e-mail addresses, but 232 of the remaining 850 dealers responded. The survey began 10 days after the Democratic convention and ended 10 days before the Republican convention to avoid any undue influence from media convention coverage.

The Most Influential Issues

Respondents were also asked, “How much influence do the following issues have on your vote?” Twelve issues were then provided, and respondents indicated whether each issue had No Influence, Little Influence, Moderate Influence, Much Influence, or Extreme Influence.

The war on terrorism collected the most Extreme Influence votes, accounting for 55 percent of all voters. The economy was the second most influential issue, with 45 percent. Taxes came in third (41%), followed by the war in Iraq (40%) and jobs (30%).

The three issues with the least influence on the door dealer vote were gay/lesbian issues (25% said No Influence), abortion (19%), and gun control (10%).

Bush Voters vs. Kerry Voters

For dealers who voted for George Bush, the top three most influential issues were the war on terrorism (54% said Extreme Influence), taxes (42%), and the economy (38%).

Kerry voters were more united on their top three issues, as 74 percent said the war in Iraq had Extreme Influence on their vote. The next most influential issues for Kerry voters were the economy (67%), the war on terrorism (63%), and health care (58%).

Bush voters and Kerry voters were the most split over the Extreme Influence of the war in Iraq. Only 33 percent of Bush voters said the war had Extreme Influence on their vote, while 74 percent of Kerry voters said the same.

Chart:
How They Voted
Bush 75%
Kerry 21%
Undecided 4%
Nader 0%

Chart:
How much influence do the following issues have on your vote?
THE ISSUES

Abortion
No Influence 19%
Little Influence 21%
Moderate Influence 24%
Much Influence 13%
Extreme Influence 23%

Economy
No Influence 0%
Little Influence 0%
Moderate Influence 14%
Much Influence 40%
Extreme Influence 45%

Education
No Influence 2%
Little Influence 4%
Moderate Influence 33%
Much Influence 39%
Extreme Influence 23%

Environment
No Influence 3%
Little Influence 15%
Moderate Influence 41%
Much Influence 30%
Extreme Influence 11%

Gay/Lesbian Issues
No Influence 25%
Little Influence 20%
Moderate Influence 15%
Much Influence 16%
Extreme Influence 24%

Gun Control
No Influence 10%
Little Influence 15%
Moderate Influence 29%
Much Influence 25%
Extreme Influence 22%

Health Care
No Influence 4%
Little Influence 4%
Moderate Influence 20%
Much Influence 45%
Extreme Influence 28%

Jobs
No Influence 2%
Little Influence 3%
Moderate Influence 22%
Much Influence 44%
Extreme Influence 30%

Social Security
No Influence 3%
Little Influence 8%
Moderate Influence 29%
Much Influence 37%
Extreme Influence 24%

Taxes
No Influence 0%
Little Influence 1%
Moderate Influence 20%
Much Influence 37%
Extreme Influence 41%

War in Iraq
No Influence 4%
Little Influence 4%
Moderate Influence 20%
Much Influence 32%
Extreme Influence 40%

War on Terrorism
No Influence 1%
Little Influence 1%
Moderate Influence 12%
Much Influence 31%
Extreme Influence 55%