The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream
by John Zogby
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List Price: $26.00
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Manufacturer: Random House
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.097309045
EAN: 9781400064502
ISBN: 1400064503
Label: Random House
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2008-08-12
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 2008-08-12
Studio: Random House
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Superficial analysis
Comment: This book is a survey of various polls taken by the author and his polling company, and from the results, the author makes a number of assertions that, while entertaining and encouraging, really cannot be substantiated through the poll results in an objective manner.
The one overarching theme that the author presents is that today's 18-29 year-olds are the First Globals, born into a world that is more open and globalised than ever. The author posits that this generation will lead the way into a new era sans prejudice or American selfishness. The problem with this line of reasoning is that young folks have *always* been more liberal, more at ease, more anti-establishment, and more open to new ideas. Think Romeo & Juliet and the Woodstock crowd. Unfortunately, these young, open-minded, fair Democrats generally turn into selfish, pig-headed, hateful Republicans. This is what happens when young folks turn old and start popping out little kids; their thoughts turn from a global perspective to a local, protective one. The author does not even mention this natural, obvious evolution until page 197 out of his 215 page book.
The book carries this assertion to the extreme. Through the results coming from a variety of polls and questions, the author believes that today's 18-29 generation is different from any other 18-29 generation in the history of the world. True, there is more globalisation, open communication through the Internet, and world visibility. However, the author needs to look no further than the 65+ year-old generation he additionally polled to see how these young folks will generally turn out. What would have been convincing is if the author had taken poll data from several decades ago to see if the attitudes of yesterday's youth are as open-minded as today's youth. The author presents only a few such older poll results from Gallup while the rest are from his organisation over the last five or so years. This lack of depth in comparing actual old data is quite disappointing.
Furthermore, the author draws his conclusion in very ad hoc ways from his polls. On page 92-93, he asks a number of people if they do not support the concept of "My country, right or wrong," and while the numbers for "strongly agree" and "strongly disagree" are large and clear on the page, the author instead suggests "What's the underlying dynamic? I think the answer can be found in the high 'unsure' percentage among the young." It is as if the author is picking and choosing the numbers to back his own biases, and just to be clear on this, the "unsure" value of 14% in that example is not significantly higher than many of the other "unsure" values in other polling questions.
One other thing I was very disappointed with is that the book is really written for a layman audience, and while the author spends a small portion of time in the first chapter describing margin-of-error, I really wished he had gone into more detail on the mechanics of polling and tabulation as well as the statistical theory behind his work.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lots of conjecture
Comment: His description of the population between 18-32 -- The First Globals -- was eye-opening, but without taking into account racial, socio-economic and geographic differences, many of the interpretations seemed unfounded. Many of his descriptions of my group -- the Just Do Its -- did not apply to me, nor did they seem believeable over the vast age span. I suppose readers will take out the evidence for what they already believe and dismiss the rest, but I did not take away a fresh perspective about my future.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dubious polls and Zogby's biases and ignorance make for a poor read
Comment: John Zogby is a tireles self-promoter. His flacks flog him as a "super-pollster', though his real-world results don't separate him from the herd.
Here, Zogby attempts to articulate the "transformation of the American dream". Essentially Zogby tells you what he thinks and then, magically, produces poll results to support his contention. Who needs objectivity? Not Zogby.
Zogby's personal biases, particularly political, and his ignorance are on display. He claims that Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Kennedy didn't campaign to the "lowest common denominator". First of all, Lincoln didn't campaign. Back then Presidential campaigns were waged entirely by surrogates - and Lincoln's campaign was particularly nasty. Roosevelt reveled in the dirty campaign and he was personally vindictive as well. Kenendy campaigned on a platform of lies, such as the non-existent missile gap. Nixon could not respond because it would have revealed our intelligence secrets to the Soviets.
Zogby claims the three "offered broad visions and empowering promises; they appealed to the best in the electorate, not the worst". Zogby could use massive education in this regard - and yet he lectures the rest of us.
Overall, this is nothing more than the posturing of a self-promoter. It is not a serious or scholarly work and is certainly devoid of any scientific value. It isn't very entertaining either.
Jerry
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Objective Pollster
Comment: Good read. Ultimately encouraging results. Would be interested in seeing his results using the same queries after this economic mess we are in gets resolved.
Customer Rating:
Summary: tedious, with pre-determined outcomes
Comment: great premise but falls way short with little useful future insight and plenty of opinion vs. legitimate analysis
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Superficial analysis
Comment: This book is a survey of various polls taken by the author and his polling company, and from the results, the author makes a number of assertions that, while entertaining and encouraging, really cannot be substantiated through the poll results in an objective manner.
The one overarching theme that the author presents is that today's 18-29 year-olds are the First Globals, born into a world that is more open and globalised than ever. The author posits that this generation will lead the way into a new era sans prejudice or American selfishness. The problem with this line of reasoning is that young folks have *always* been more liberal, more at ease, more anti-establishment, and more open to new ideas. Think Romeo & Juliet and the Woodstock crowd. Unfortunately, these young, open-minded, fair Democrats generally turn into selfish, pig-headed, hateful Republicans. This is what happens when young folks turn old and start popping out little kids; their thoughts turn from a global perspective to a local, protective one. The author does not even mention this natural, obvious evolution until page 197 out of his 215 page book.
The book carries this assertion to the extreme. Through the results coming from a variety of polls and questions, the author believes that today's 18-29 generation is different from any other 18-29 generation in the history of the world. True, there is more globalisation, open communication through the Internet, and world visibility. However, the author needs to look no further than the 65+ year-old generation he additionally polled to see how these young folks will generally turn out. What would have been convincing is if the author had taken poll data from several decades ago to see if the attitudes of yesterday's youth are as open-minded as today's youth. The author presents only a few such older poll results from Gallup while the rest are from his organisation over the last five or so years. This lack of depth in comparing actual old data is quite disappointing.
Furthermore, the author draws his conclusion in very ad hoc ways from his polls. On page 92-93, he asks a number of people if they do not support the concept of "My country, right or wrong," and while the numbers for "strongly agree" and "strongly disagree" are large and clear on the page, the author instead suggests "What's the underlying dynamic? I think the answer can be found in the high 'unsure' percentage among the young." It is as if the author is picking and choosing the numbers to back his own biases, and just to be clear on this, the "unsure" value of 14% in that example is not significantly higher than many of the other "unsure" values in other polling questions.
One other thing I was very disappointed with is that the book is really written for a layman audience, and while the author spends a small portion of time in the first chapter describing margin-of-error, I really wished he had gone into more detail on the mechanics of polling and tabulation as well as the statistical theory behind his work.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lots of conjecture
Comment: His description of the population between 18-32 -- The First Globals -- was eye-opening, but without taking into account racial, socio-economic and geographic differences, many of the interpretations seemed unfounded. Many of his descriptions of my group -- the Just Do Its -- did not apply to me, nor did they seem believeable over the vast age span. I suppose readers will take out the evidence for what they already believe and dismiss the rest, but I did not take away a fresh perspective about my future.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dubious polls and Zogby's biases and ignorance make for a poor read
Comment: John Zogby is a tireles self-promoter. His flacks flog him as a "super-pollster', though his real-world results don't separate him from the herd.
Here, Zogby attempts to articulate the "transformation of the American dream". Essentially Zogby tells you what he thinks and then, magically, produces poll results to support his contention. Who needs objectivity? Not Zogby.
Zogby's personal biases, particularly political, and his ignorance are on display. He claims that Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Kennedy didn't campaign to the "lowest common denominator". First of all, Lincoln didn't campaign. Back then Presidential campaigns were waged entirely by surrogates - and Lincoln's campaign was particularly nasty. Roosevelt reveled in the dirty campaign and he was personally vindictive as well. Kenendy campaigned on a platform of lies, such as the non-existent missile gap. Nixon could not respond because it would have revealed our intelligence secrets to the Soviets.
Zogby claims the three "offered broad visions and empowering promises; they appealed to the best in the electorate, not the worst". Zogby could use massive education in this regard - and yet he lectures the rest of us.
Overall, this is nothing more than the posturing of a self-promoter. It is not a serious or scholarly work and is certainly devoid of any scientific value. It isn't very entertaining either.
Jerry
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Objective Pollster
Comment: Good read. Ultimately encouraging results. Would be interested in seeing his results using the same queries after this economic mess we are in gets resolved.
Customer Rating:
Summary: tedious, with pre-determined outcomes
Comment: great premise but falls way short with little useful future insight and plenty of opinion vs. legitimate analysis
According to super pollster John Zogby, whom The Washington Post calls “the maverick predictor,” the conventional wisdom about the United States–that we’re isolated from the world, politically fragmented, and inclined toward material pleasure–isn’t just flawed; it may be 180 degrees from the truth. In this far-reaching and illuminating look at contemporary American life, Zogby reveals nothing less than The Way We’ll Be. Drawing on thousands of in-depth surveys conducted especially for the book, Zogby points out where we’re headed–politically, culturally, and spiritually.
The American dream is in transition; it is rapidly being redefined by four meta-movements: living with limits as consumers and citizens; embracing diversity of views and ways of life; looking inward to find spiritual comfort; and demanding authenticity from the media, our leaders, and leading institutions. Spearheaded by today’s eighteen-to-twenty-nine-year-olds–the “First Global” generation–Americans are becoming more internationalist, consensus-oriented, and environmentally conscious and less willing to identify themselves by the things they do to earn or spend their money. But this is more than a youth tide. Americans of all ages are moving beyond old divides–red state/blue state, pro-life/pro-choice, beer drinker/wine connoisseur–to form a new national consensus that will shape the nation for decades to come.
Zogby’s cogent analysis of the data yields an astonishing perspective on Americans’ thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, now and in coming years. Understanding this emerging reality will be key for
• leaders in all fields who want to reach audiences that are more media-savvy, better informed, and more technologically enabled than ever before
• individuals in search of rewarding and fulfilling careers in tomorrow’s growth fields
• politicians and CEOs looking to marry policies and practices to the rising demand for social responsibility
• anyone who wants to market to the emerging new American consensus
Beyond telling a fascinating story, the conclusions in this book are a must-read for everyone from Main Street to Madison Avenue to Capitol Hill. Filled with expert analysis and insight from one of today’s most successful predictors and trend spotters, The Way We’ll Be will redefine how we view America’s future.
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