ISA conducts 2020 Police and Community Relations Survey for StudyLA at Loyola Marymount University

ISA conducts 2020 Police and Community Relations Survey for StudyLA

This survey was conducted to measure public opinion toward the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) policing in Los Angeles, California

The Study

In the fall of 2020, Interviewing Service of America (ISA) conducted a survey on behalf of The Center for the Study of Los Angeles (StudyLA) at Loyola Marymount University to better understand the public’s opinion toward policing in Los Angeles. The questions asked in this survey covered topics such as trust in the police, community engagement efforts by the local police, race relations, and personal experiences with the police. The reason for the study was to gauge how residents feel about the job the LAPD is doing in relation to their mission: “to safeguard the lives and property of the people the LAPD serves, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety while working with the diverse communities to improve quality of life.”

Methodology

The survey was conducted from August 21 to October 25, 2020 and administered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Korean. It utilized a mixed methodology to ensure representation of the diverse LA population, consisting of a 20-minute telephone interview, online surveys, and face-to-face interviews with 1,753 adults who reside in the city of Los Angeles. A minimum of 400 residents from each of the four LAPD bureaus were surveyed.

Results

When residents were asked how things were going in the city of Los Angeles, only 48.8% said it was going in the right direction. The level of optimism has been steadily dropping since 2017. Residents have more trust in their neighbors (64.6%) than the LAPD (51.2%) to do what is right. A huge number of Angelenos support community policing (88.2%), which focuses on having officers build ties and work closely with community members. Even with the overwhelming number of those who support community policing, only 9.8% say the LAPD’s role is to work with and be part of the community. A large number say that their role is to serve, protect and enforce laws (71.1%).

To learn more of the results of this study, visit StudyLA’s full article here.

Study Reveals Americans Polarized by Recent COVID-19 Protests

While the majority disagree with the protesters message, 83% support their right to protests

April 29, 2020, Los Angeles, CA —SoapBoxSample released new data today about Americans’ views of the anti-quarantine demonstrations that took place in recent weeks across more than a dozen states in the U.S. The protests that were held in places such as California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, sparked a range of emotions among U.S. citizens. As part of their ongoing research initiative to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of Americans, SoapBoxSample polled 400 U.S. residents from across the nation on April 22, 2020.  The data revealed that while the majority (62%) disagree with the protesters’ messages, 83% support their right to demonstrate.

The government’s handling of the COVID-19 response is shaping up to be one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Survey data from the Pew Research Center gathered prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (January of 2020) revealed climate change and gun control to be the top two issues that the American public is most divided on. Six out of ten Americans are in agreement with the statement that climate change is a major threat, and six out of ten Americans are in favor of stricter gun control. The preliminary, quick turnaround, survey data from SoapBoxSample showing that Americans’ sentiments about the protests are split by the same ratio (six out of ten) indicates that the question of when to reopen the economy may be among the most divisive topics in American politics today.

“We’ve seen an unprecedented swell of emotion from the people who participate in our research studies,” said Jacqueline Rosales, SoapBoxSample COO. “While we won’t know for quite some time if the government response to the COVID-19 outbreak was effective, we can say with certainty that the American public is passionately divided on this issue, and the repercussions from this disagreement is likely to have a long-lasting impact on the American political scene.”

To further understand American’s perceptions of the protester’s intentions, SoapBoxSample asked survey participants about what they believe to be the demonstrators’ primary message. The top three causes Americans cited as the protesters’ source of discontent include: because they want to get back to work (70%), they want their individual state economy to reopen (64%), and they believe the social distancing guidelines infringe on their rights as American citizens (52%). Additionally, SoapBoxSample asked respondents about their attitudes toward the protesters themselves. A vast majority (79%) agreed with the statement that protesters are putting themselves and others in danger, and 70% agreed with the statement that protesters are wrong and should follow government guidelines like everyone else.

Americans on both sides of the issue expressed a range of emotions in response to the question – Why do you agree/disagree with the protesters? One study participant in agreement with the protests said, “The cure is worse than the problem at this point and more people are being hurt not being able to work and losing everything they have.” Another study participant who strongly disagreed with the protests exclaimed, “THEY ARE STUPID!!!!!  45000 people are dead, more are dying daily.  You open up the economy and potentially hundreds of THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL DIE.  And the healthcare workers and frontline workers suffer THE MOST!” While emotions on the topic of protests runs high, 98% said they have not participated in protests and don’t plan to.

 

SoapBoxSample Releases Data on COVID-19’s Impact on Americans’ Daily Lives

Research study reveals an overwhelming number of Americans have financial fears as a result of COVID-19.

March 19 , 2020, Los Angeles, CA — Research firm SoapBoxSample announced today, the release of the third part of their ongoing series of polls on COVID-19. The most recent poll, conducted by SoapBoxSample continues to monitor the public sentiment during the Coronavirus pandemic.  Over the coming weeks SoapBox will continue to measure changes in public sentiment and understanding, and make the data publicly available. The goal of this initiative is to promote awareness of the virus, thereby enabling the public to make responsible and informed decisions.

The third survey focused on the cancellation of events, changes to routines and the grocery shortages Americans now face.  Results from this survey revealed that every respondent asked (100%) is aware of cancellations due to the Coronavirus outbreak.  The vast majority (87%) at least somewhat agree that cancelling events due to Coronavirus is a smart move, and they support these decisions.

When it comes to daily routines, many respondents are sticking to their regular habits, but are eating at restaurants less (66%) and are washing their hands more (59%).  This may be due to the already high number of respondents using grocery delivery (71% are having their groceries delivered, same as before the outbreak) and food delivery services (69% are using services such as GrubHub, Postmates, UberEats, again same as before the pandemic).

“These are unprecedented times we’re living in,” said Jacqueline Rosales, COO of SoapBoxSample and icanmakeitbetter. “Understanding they ways this pandemic is impacting Americans daily lives allows us better understand and address the fears and assure our communities that we’re all in this together. Our goal is to provide insight on a consistent basis to help combat fear with information.”

The third in a series of SoapBoxSample’s polls on COVID-19, this study was conducted March 17 – 18 with 400 US residents (yielding a 95% confidence level, +\-5% margin of error) and focused on Event Cancellations, Impact on Daily Routines and Changes at the Grocery Store.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vast majority (90%) of respondents have noticed changes their local grocery store since the news of the spread of Coronavirus. The majority of these changes revolve around the lack of products, with nearly 94% finding empty shelves, 82% noticing a limited supply of items and longer lines (61%) and more crowds (53%).

As the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, the American public will be exposed to a myriad of news reports. Taking the pulse of the American public to understand what information they are retaining, and whether that information is accurate, is crucial to the US containment strategy. SoapBoxSample seeks to assist with keeping the public safe and informed, by providing this data to the public at no cost.

Parts 4 and 5 will follow in the coming days. To receive ongoing information and stats, please follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

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