Voter and Non-voter Analysis Poll

Washington, D.C. - A new Ipsos poll of voters and nonvoters, conducted on behalf of Professor Ellen Shearer of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, finds notable differences in the attitudes and behaviors of these two groups, but also among nonvoters themselves.

Looking at political knowledge, engagement, and beliefs, as well as reasons for not showing up to the polls on Election Day, six nonvoter typologies or clusters emerge:

1. "Pessimists," representing 27% of nonvoters

2. "Too Busys," representing 20% of nonvoters

3. "Strugglers," representing 19% of nonvoters

4. "Tuned Outs," representing 16% of nonvoters

5. "Active Faithfuls," representing 11% of nonvoters

6. "Doers," representing 8% of nonvoters

Looking across the clusters, two of these groups, the Too Busys and the Doers are most like voters in their outlook and attitude towards civic participation. People in these clusters mainly said they didn't vote because of logistical reasons, such as working, lacking transportation, or other barriers. The Pessimists and Active Faithfuls seem the most hostile towards the government generally and seem to actively choose not to vote; they do not seem to be engaged with the political system and have a very poor view of politicians and the government generally. The least active groups are the Strugglers and the Tuned Outs. These two clusters are not actively hostile (indeed, the Strugglers favor a big role for government), but are simply highly disengaged from the political process.

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted from Nov. 7-19, 2012. For the survey, a sample of 1,686 Americans ages 18+ was interviewed online, including 516 who voted in the recent Presidential election and 1,170 who did not vote. The precision of the Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points for voters and 3.3 percentage points for non-voters.

The data were weighted by gender, age and ethnicity to the post-election voter profile based on data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Figures marked by an asterisk (*) indicate a percentage value of greater than zero but less than one half of one per cent. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding.

For more information on this news release please contact:

Julia Clark Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 202.463.3623 [email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In the U.S., UK and internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, and the Hispanic polling partner of Telemundo Communications Group, a division of NBC Universal providing Spanish-language content to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world.

Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

To learn more visit: www.ipsos-na.com

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.