• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 23, 2012

A new survey from Havas Media shows that most voters do not believe that either presidential candidate will offer them a better quality of life. In fact, only one-third of those polled expressed an opinion either way. However among those who express a view, the survey reports, President Obama has the higher score by a “significant margin.” The exact percentages were not disclosed.
 
“Even when we consider the high levels of cynicism for American politics, what is causing both candidates issues is their failure to connect with voters in any meaningful sense,” stated Umair Haque, director Havas Media Labs. “People simply do not believe that either candidate is going to help them live significantly, meaningfully better lives -- lives that live up to their expectations for real human prosperity.”

The results, part of Havas Media’s series of “Meaningful Brands” surveys, are derived from focus groups taken after the second presidential debate, with a total of 400 respondents equally broken out between Republican and Democrats.
 
On the question of who is a "true leader," Obama’s scores are still significantly higher than Romney’s. Scores for Romney increased between the two presidential debates while Obama’s scores decreased, per the survey.

Both candidates’ scores increased when voters were asked about their commitment to solving specific environmental issues; however, Obama scored significantly higher overall.

As for media trends, the study found that text and face-to-face discussion about the candidates increased during the debates, while chatter on Facebook and Twitter decreased.

Viewing has also increased during the debates among voters watching via online video, tablet, mobile phone, desktop and laptop computers. However, only 20% of voters said they follow or actively write on Facebook about the debates or the election. And 40% said they preferred to speak to friends and family in person, compared to 28% three weeks ago.

Voters are twice as likely to get information about Obama via social platforms like Twitter than about Romney, per the survey.

“With the race tightening, the ability of each candidate’s campaign to leverage digital and social platforms to rally support and drive people to the polls will be critical,” stated Peter Sedlarcik, senior vice president, global insights and analytics for Havas’ MPG.

“Our data shows that Brand Obama still has a clear edge in these digital and social platforms. His campaign’s ability to reignite the digital and social groundswell they saw in 2008 will be essential in the run up to election day.”