
There is a wide dispersion of Name ID ratings among current Eugene City Councilors: from 53% to 16%. In general, the Name ID rating is correlated with the length of service.
Betty Taylor and Andrea Ortiz are known by about half of respondents. None of the other councilors are known by more than a third of respondents.
Usually Name ID is a measure of a politician’s influence and generally grows over the course of a person’s service.
The “placebo” name is a person who actually exists, but is unlikely to be known in Eugene outside a small circle. The name is included to measure the Name ID floor and to measure the upward bias of those with low Name ID.
City Councilor Name IDs in Eugene are relatively high compared to other cities. This is probably due to having local network TV stations, local radio news, and overall high newspaper readership.
Generally, ratings during the 2000s are lower than those during the 1990s. Councilors with three or four years’ service in the 1990s almost always reached the 40 percent level.
QUESTION
I am going to read the names of some people. Please tell me whether you have heard of each.
LIST OF PERSONS
The placebo name is a real person who is not a public figure in Eugene.
METHODOLOGY
The survey consists of 200 live telephone interviews of likely Eugene 2010 General Election voters conducted June 14-15, 2010. The margin of error at the sample median is plus or minus seven percent.
This research was conducted has part of an ongoing long-term research project and no client paid for any part of this work.
As a disclaimer, Pat Farr, who will appear on the November ballot unopposed for City Council Ward 6, works for Lindholm Company.