REPORTS

These reports, prepared as part of the For An Economy That Works For All project, analyze media coverage and public opinion toward low-wage workers and their families, as well as communications strategies designed to assist advocacy efforts on their behalf.

  • Working Press, An analysis of media coverage on low wage work
    Douglas Gould & Company has completed an updated review of how the nation’s media covers low-wage work issues in comparison to its first study of media coverage five years ago. The results are encouraging; low-wage work stories are receiving more attention, far more stories are framed from the systemic perspective than was the case in 2001, and the preferred terms “low-wage work” and low-wage worker” increased significantly in the time frame studied.

  • Between a Rock and a Hard Place
    In September 2001, Douglas Gould & Co. conducted this media analysis of how low-wage workers are covered in major news outlets.
  • Achieving the American Dream
    This analysis of public opinion data regarding issues related to poverty and upward mobility was prepared in August 2001. The report analyzes American views of the poor, perceived causes of poverty, support for policies, and satisfaction with life and work.
  • Responsibility and Opportunity
    This analysis of qualitative research on communicating the issues of low-wage work is based on interviews conducted with community leaders, business leaders and labor leaders in the winter of 2001-2002.
  • Responsible Planning for the Future
    This research report on communicating the issues of low-wage work focuses on a national survey of registered voters in 2002.

  • Broken Communities: Planning for Tomorrow
    This report analyzes the results from focus group studies where language was examined to determine which ideas would best help build long-term support for the range of policies to enhance the lives of low-wage workers.

  • Together for Success: Communicating Low-Wage Work as Economy, not Poverty
    This report describes the results of a priming survey, which is a unique and rigorous method to quanitfy the impact of various communications frames on the public's understanding of the issues and their support for policies.
  • October 13, 2004 conference discussing the findings from the polling report Together for Success: Communicating Low-wage work as economy, not poverty View here (requires Windows Media Player: Windows Macintosh )

These related reports focus on other issues - particularly public attitudes toward public education - that are of interest to low-wage workers and their families, and advocates working on their behalf.

  • Fulfilling the Promise of No Child Left Behind
    This 2003 report of attitudes toward public education shows that Americans have deep reservations about the condition of public education in the nation, and are willing to support a variety of reforms. But they also believe that the cure for what is ailing education is not necessarily money.
  • No Community Left Behind
    This meta-analysis, based on focus groups conducted in the spring of 2003, explored American attitudes about public education, the No Child Left Behind Act, and education policy recommendations.

These reports, prepared by researchers for the now defunct Low Income Working Families web site, focus on the relationship between policies affecting low-wage workers, family well-being and workforce stability.