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MPR Poll results: The economy
July 22, 2004

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QUESTION: Looking ahead to a year from now, do you think that your household will be better off financially, worse off or about the same?

Option	State	Men	Women
Better	28%	32%	24%
Worse	8%	7%	9%
Same	58%	55%	61%
Not sure	6%	6%	6%

QUESTION: In the past year, has your household's financial situation gotten better, worse or stayed about the same?

Option	State	Men	Women
Better	23%	29%	17%
Worse	23%	23%	23%
Same	53%	47%	59%
Not sure	1%	1%	1%

QUESTION: Thinking about actions you may have taken since the beginning of this year, would you say that higher gasoline prices have caused you to do any of the following?

Option	Yes	No
Stay closer to home for a vacation	35%	65%
Cut back on driving in your daily life	34%	66%
Used other transportation, such as biking, walking, mass transit	16%	84%
Joined a car pool	7%	93%

QUESTION: As you may know, interest rates have apparently started to rise after a long period of declining. Which one of the following is closest to your view?

Option	Result
I view this favorably because savings will earn more interest	24%
I view this unfavorably because loans will cost more	9%
I have mixed feelings about this	60%
Not sure	7%

QUESTION: Given what you know and your expectations for the economy in the coming year, how concerned are you about the prospect of inflation?

Option	State	Men	Women
Very concerned	18%	14%	22%
Somewhat concerned	39%	34%	44%
Not too concerned	37%	44%	30%
Not at all concerned	5%	7%	3%
Not sure	1%	1%	1%

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POLL METHODOLOGY

The Mason-Dixon Minnesota Poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. July 12 through July 14, 2004. A total of 625 registered Minnesota voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. All stated they regularly vote in state elections.

Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect voter turnout by county.

The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the "true" figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a regional or gender grouping.

Sample Figures:

Men 308 (49%)
Women 317 (51%)

Region	Interviews
Hennepin/Ramsey counties	210 interviews
Twin Cities suburbs	150 interviews
Rochester/Southeast	70 interviews
Southwest Minnesota	60 interviews
Northwest Minnesota	64 interviews
Duluth/Northeast	71 interviews

PLEASE NOTE: This report is the property of Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research, Inc. It is not for duplication and/or redistribution. Copies of this report are available only through subscription. Subscribers are prohibited from providing this document to any third party. Any party in an unauthorized possession, engaging in unauthorized use. or involved in the unauthorized duplication or transmission of this document is subject to all applicable criminal and civil penalties.

Poll Copyright 2004, Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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