February 6, 2007
Contact: Mike Seney
The State Chamber
405.235.3669


ZOGBY POLL SHOWS BY 3:1 MARGIN, AMERICANS HOLD
FAVORABLE VIEW OF OKLAHOMA


State Moves Beyond Dustbowl Imagery; Opportunity Illuminated for Shaping Public Opinion


OKLAHOMA CITY – Zogby International, a world-renowned polling and market research firm,today announced the results of an interactive online poll of 20,951 Americans who were asked what they think of Oklahoma.

The surprising results were discussed today at a call-in news
conference held at The State Chamber in Oklahoma City.

The poll ran from Dec. 8 through Dec. 12, 2006 with respondents drawn from a random sample
of 100,000 likely voters in the United States. The margin of error is +/- 0.7 percentage points.

Participants in the survey were asked two Oklahoma-related questions.


Question #1 (open-ended): What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Oklahoma?


The top two answers, by a considerable margin, were the Broadway musical “Oklahoma!” (25%) and the 1995 Oklahoma City federal building bombing (24%). Less than 10 percent think of oil or natural gas wells (6%); Oklahoma college football (5%); Native Americans/”Trail of
Tears”/casinos (4%); plains/prairies/flat land/grasslands/wide open spaces (3%).

Only 2 percent said they thought of things like: rednecks, dustbowl, depression, “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, wind, red dirt, dry, hot, desolate, tumbleweeds, cowboys, rodeos, and tornadoes.

Approximately 1 percent of respondents said they thought of the slogan “Oklahoma is OK”.

Richard P. Rush, president and chief executive officer of The State Chamber, Oklahoma’s largest business and industry advocacy group representing more than 2,000 Oklahoma businesses, said
he was pleased by the results of the survey.

“It has been a constant undercurrent in conversations within the business community that our state struggles with getting past the old dustbowl stereotype,” Rush said. “This poll tells us
we’ve come a long way in this regard, and we must no longer underestimate our state’s true worth.”

Question #2: What is your overall view of the state of Oklahoma – very favorable, somewhat
favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable, or are you not familiar enough to form an opinion?


Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) have a favorable view of Oklahoma, while only 17 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion. One in three (31%) are not familiar enough with Oklahoma to go one way or the other.
John Zogby, president and CEO of Zogby International said,

“The key number here is the one in three voters who said they do not have enough information to make a judgment. This offers state public and private sector officials the opportunity to mold public opinion, especially among younger people who are least likely to have formed any impression and are a particularly mobile demographic.”
“Now that we know our story is not yet being told, we can get on with the business of shaping
the way we’re perceived by the rest of the country,” Rush said.
Established in 1926, The State Chamber’s membership includes Fortune 500 companies, large
manufacturers, and family-owned businesses in rural and metropolitan areas of the state.

For more information, please visit www.okstatechamber.com.
For more information about Zogby International, visit www.zogby.com.

I like open ended surveys because the results are so much more telling. I expected the top two answers of the first question, and was relieved that OU football scored so lowly. For the former, it's hard to escape being associated with the musical because the state's name IS the title of the musical, not to mention its signature song (which I love as the state anthem). It's been revived many times and is considered a groundbreaker musical. It's one of those things where you're just happy the story's not negative...unlike number 2.

Our association with the bombing won't end soon because, like the musical, the name of the event is eponymous with the location. We'll have a tougher time shaking it than JFK and 9/11 because they are known by different names. A self-named popular TV soap went a long way toward giving people an image of Dallas besides the shooting. And NYC, well, just has a lot going on all the time.

I agree that 31% is prime for image forming. I think the NBA is helping a little, and depending on its tone and success, Grace may help some as well. Leaving a favorable image with visitors will help incrementally.

But IMO Oklahoma's image won't change significantly until an event very flattering about OK's ABILITIES and LIFESTYLE strikes the national consciousness. Outsiders generally think we are good people, but to really form a good image, we have to show some dynamism and that we can do things well. To me, hosting a televised major competition that speaks to the local population and draws interest nationally or internationally (a la the Olympics or Indianapolis 500) can accomplish that.

Following through, what would that competition be? A Cotton Bowl-type football game doesn't reflect locals' abilities (however their interest). An OCU-based dance or music competition would probably be too niche, as much as I would like it. A NASCAR race...maybe, but there are other cities with top races and tracks.

I'd like to see the same questions asked again, especially with the great presence we had at the Rose Parade and our not too shabby showing at the Miss America pageant.

Both of the above could put some of the 31% undecided towards the favorable category...

I think we did leave a good impression with our floats. At least we entertained viewers with that Rocket Man. As for our success at the pageant...well, it certainly can't hurt :)

You know it's interesting about the musical being the first thing people think of. When the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation opened their new building in the 70's they invited Brit Alexander Fleming (who discovered Penicillin) to speak, and his initial response was that he always thought Oklahoma was a mythical place like Brigadoon.

I'd like to see the same questions asked again, especially with the great presence we had at the Rose Parade and our not too shabby showing at the Miss America pageant.

Yeah, but let's be honest. Not many people really pay attention to those things or garner any long term association with an area because of them. I can gurantee you that most people don't know where the last two Miss America winners are from and I'd be amazed by an Oklahoman who can tell me, without looking, where the previous Miss America pageant winners were from or what floats impressed in the Rose Bowl parade last year. And, certainly, no one is going to relocate or visit an area based on those criteria.

These are nice things for sure, but they really are niche events of little interest to most people for any significant amount of time. It's saturation that matters, and things like professional sports, major recurring events, impressive landmarks, and tourist appeal that seem to make a real impression. I'm not saying any of those have any greater substance, but they seem to have more influence on people's perceptions.

I's just gald to see that the "Oklahoma is OK" association is down to 1%. It's taken a long time to shake off that declaration of mediocrity.

Yeah, but let's be honest. Not many people really pay attention to those things or garner any long term association with an area because of them. I can gurantee you that most people don't know where the last two Miss America winners are from and I'd be amazed by an Oklahoman who can tell me, without looking, where the previous Miss America pageant winners were from or what floats impressed in the Rose Bowl parade last year. And, certainly, no one is going to relocate or visit an area based on those criteria.

These are nice things for sure, but they really are niche events of little interest to most people for any significant amount of time. It's saturation that matters, and things like professional sports, major recurring events, impressive landmarks, and tourist appeal that seem to make a real impression. I'm not saying any of those have any greater substance, but they seem to have more influence on people's perceptions.

I's just gald to see that the "Oklahoma is OK" association is down to 1%. It's taken a long time to shake off that declaration of mediocrity.

If Miss Oklahoma wins Miss America next year, I bet that changes. No state has ever had three consecutive Miss America's. Plus, that would make Oklahoma the leader in the number of winners from Oklahoma. Kind of trashes the stereotype California beauty.

The Oklahoma is OK. I always hated that. It makes Oklahoma look so-so. Just like the moto "the Sooner State." Sooner is associated with cowboys and rednecks in a lot of minds.

Actually I doubt very many people have any idea where the name Sooner comes from.

If Miss Oklahoma wins Miss America next year, I bet that changes.

Possibly, but, so what? Would that really change anything? I'd also say it would do nothing to change any beauty stereotypes. If anything, it may only reinforce a not-so-flattering stereotype that all southern/mid-western women are pageant queens or pageant queen wanna-be's. Now, if one of them actually achieves world peace and cures world hunger, well, then maybe it’d be a different story.

In any event, I'm just saying it really is no big deal to anyone unless their state representative wins, and even then most people have forgotten about it by the time their local news is over. I mean, did anyone really think more of Alabama in 2005 because the winner was wearing a banner from their state? Or rush out to invest in Pennsylvania or Mississippi when they produced consecutive winners?

In the end, it’s just another vanity competition with mostly vain residuals. I’m not saying it hurts, it just doesn’t change anything. It would actually be a bad thing if the top association with our state was our ability to produce pageant winners.

I think these results are really eye opening. Especially that we have the chance to mold the impression of the 30% or so of people that don't have an impression one way or the other about Oklahoma.

We first need to start with changing the view Oklahomans have of Oklahoma. It seems many Oklahomans believe that outsiders have a bad view of Oklahoma. We need to stop being down on ourselves and be proud of who we are, what we are, what we've achieved and where we're going.

For instance, I was talking with a lady several months ago about Oklahoma. I don't know how many years she'd lived in Oklahoma (maybe her whole life) but she was probably in her late 50s or so, so she has been around long enough to be informed. She thought that GM was closing down their OKC plant because of something Oklahoma had done. She was ready to believe the worst about her state instead of realizing that it was GM's horrible management over the last several years causing them to hemorrhage money that led to them having to not only close the OKC plant but many others around the country.

After I informed her that it wasn't OKC's fault that GM closed she inexplicably seemed disappointed. Why? I guess she was just so ready to think badly about her home and bash it that it left her with no ammo.