LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy-six
percent of Technology Elites say the U.S. technology industry's
best days are still to come compared 59 percent of the General
Public, and 59 percent believe the incoming Trump administration
will be favorable to the technology industry, compared to 50
percent of the General Public, according to the newly released
Burson-Marsteller Age of
Trump Technology Policy Survey developed by Burson-Marsteller, a global strategic
communications and public relations firm, and conducted by research
firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB).
Participants in The Burson-Marsteller Age of Trump Technology
Policy Survey included 1,000 members of the U.S. General
Public, as well as a separate sample of 500 Technology Elites,
individuals who either work in technology or invest in the
technology sector. PSB conducted the research on behalf of
Burson-Marsteller from
December 6th to
December 13th, 2016.
Continuing in this optimistic vein, 73 percent of Technology
Elites believe the technology industry will contribute to job
creation, compared to 63 percent of the General Public, and 73
percent of Technology Elites say that innovation is critical to the
U.S.'s position in the global economy and the technology industry
is going in the right direction to maintain that, compared to 59
percent of the General Public. Overall, 52 percent of Technology
Elites believe the country is going in the right direction compared
to 27 percent of the General Public, and 59 percent say the economy
will improve under President Trump compared to 46 percent of the
General Public. In addition, 88 percent of Technology Elites and 76
percent of the General Public trust the technology industry to
behave responsibly and in the best interests of the American
public.
In contrast to the optimism among Technology Elites about the
current and future state of the economy, the General Public
expressed some concerns, with 59 percent believing the country is
on the wrong track. Furthermore, less than half of the General
Public (43 percent) believe the economy is better off than it was
four years ago, with only one in five indicating it will be
significantly better five years from now.
While both Technology Elites and the General Public believe the
technology industry will do better in the next four years (56
percent and 66 percent, respectively), they are less sure about
Donald Trump's role in that success.
Only 50 percent of the General Public say "yes" when asked if Trump
is a technology industry supporter, and this is only slightly
higher among Technology Elites at 59 percent. Technology Elites are
evenly split on whether the Trump or Obama administrations better
understand the needs of companies in the industry, although the
General Public is slightly more likely to favor the Trump
administration at 58 percent. When asked to choose the word that
best describe how they feel about the future of the industry under
the Trump administration, 37 percent of Technology Elites choose
positive words (optimistic, energized, supported, eager), 34
percent choose negative words (concerned, anxious, attacked,
angry), and 27 percent choose neutral words (wait and see, neutral,
so-so/mixed feelings). The General Public was even more ambivalent
about Trump's impact on the future of the technology industry, with
a plurality (39 percent) choosing neutral words, 33 percent
choosing positive words and 27 percent choosing negative words.
Key Differences Between Technology Elites and the General
Public
- Eighty percent of Technology Elites say the technology industry
is very important to the U.S. economy – the most important of any
industry. While the General Public also views the technology
industry as important (67 percent), this group prioritizes
healthcare (75 percent) and energy (73 percent) over
technology.
- The General Public is also more likely to say that, for the
average American, technology is a job destroyer (37 percent vs. 27
percent of Technology Elites) and that innovation negatively
affects average American jobs (35 percent vs. 22 percent).
- The General Public is more likely than Technology Elites to
agree that traditional manufacturing and service jobs are more
important for the economy than expanding innovation (74 percent vs.
68 percent).
"This new survey reveals intriguing insights into the beliefs of
those closest to the technology industry compared to the general
public, and are especially relevant now right before the
inauguration and during CES, the most important technology
gathering of the year," said Don
Baer, Worldwide Chair and CEO, Burson-Marsteller. "Interestingly, the
findings suggest those in the technology industry are very
optimistic about the industry's direction and prospects for the
next four years, even though they are less sure of the impact of
the incoming Trump administration on it."
Additional Findings
- A large majority of Technology Elites (74 percent) say that if
innovation does not occur in America it will continue
overseas.
- Technology Elites are most likely to say that China (57 percent) and Japan (46 percent) are the countries most
likely to surpass the U.S. in terms of technology success.
- Technology Elites have concerns about security and privacy
which are driven by their belief that the Trump administration may
not do enough to protect consumers. Key for Technology is the
security of corporate data (30 percent), security of government
data (27 percent) and protection of consumer privacy (25 percent).
The General Public's concerns are similar, responding that the top
priorities should be security of government data (43 percent),
hacking and ransomware (40 percent) and protecting consumer privacy
(38 percent).
- Technology Elites and General Public respondents say that
high-skills job training (72 percent and 67 percent, respectively)
and increased science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education (59 percent and 53 percent, respectively) are the
best steps to spread the benefits of American innovation to a
broader portion of the American public.
- While privacy and security are key areas of concern, Technology
Elite and General Public respondents are divided over who bears the
most responsibility for protecting consumer data. However, both
agree that the government should be involved. Equal numbers of
Technology Elites and General Public respondents say the federal
government (19 percent and 20 percent, respectively), software
manufacturers (20 percent and 18 percent) and the companies
themselves (19 percent and 20 percent) should be responsible.
For more information about the Age of Trump Tech Policy Survey,
visit the microsite here.
Methodology
Penn Schoen
Berland (PSB) conducted research on behalf of Burson-Marsteller to explore attitudes and
perceptions about the future of the technology industry. To meet
these objectives, PSB conducted an online quantitative study from
December 6th to
December 13th, 2016 among
Technology Elite (n=504) and General Public respondents (n=1000).
All Technology Elites are age 25+ with at least a college
education, have a household income of $100,000+ in the coastal
regions and $75,000+ in the heartland, live within 30 miles of a
city with a significant technology industry presence reflecting a
mix of established and start-up technology firms, and follow news
about technology closely. Technology Elites are further broken down
into three sub categories: Industry Elites who work in the
technology industry, Investment Elites who work in finance and
specialize in technology investing and Broad Elites who fit the
general elite profile and personally invest in technology. The U.S.
General Public were polled to national census data to ensure a
representative sample of the United
States to compare perceptions from outside the technology
industry. Penn Schoen Berland
conducted the research on behalf of Burson-Marsteller from December 6th to December 13th, 2016. The margin of
error for the Technology Elites total sample is +/- 4.3% and larger
for subgroups. The margin of error for the General Public total
sample is +/- 3.00% and larger for subgroups.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a
leading global strategic communications and public relations firm.
It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution
across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation
and crisis management, advertising and digital strategies. The
firm's seamless worldwide network consists of 73 offices and 85
affiliate offices, together operating in 110 countries across six
continents. Burson-Marsteller is a
part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ:
WPPGY), the world's leader in communications services. For more
information, please visit www.burson-marsteller.com
About Penn Schoen Berland
Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), a member of Young &
Rubicam Group and the WPP Group, is a global research-based
consultancy specializing in messaging and communications strategy
for blue-chip corporate, political and entertainment clients. PSB's
operations include over 200 consultants and a sophisticated
in-house market research infrastructure with the capability to
conduct work in more than 90 countries. The company operates
offices around the world, including in Washington D.C., New
York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, London, Hamburg, Madrid and Dubai, which are supported by in-house field
capabilities and fully equipped to provide the complete creative
solutions PSB clients need. For more information, please
visit www.psbresearch.com
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