SAM asks Chicago: What is the state of the Tea Party Movement?
This video was produced by the Sam Adams Alliance. The text and data below was provided with their youtube video.
The passage of health care legislation was viewed by many as a
crushing defeat to the tea party movement.
Was it? We surveyed Tea Party leaders from across the country,
asking them about momentum, political affiliation, and barriers to
entry. We published those results in a study called "The Next
Wave". The results, we found, were different than what we heard on
the streets. Or, in this case, the beach.
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SAM's deep dive into the Next Wave of activists finds that:
*Tea Party momentum is building: 74.5 percent of Next Wavers said
the movement is "gaining active supporters" and 66 percent
indicated that the movement is "more enthusiastic."
*There was a nearly 30-point drop among Tea Party activists in
their affiliation with the Republican brand.
There is a decrease in Republican sources of entrants to the Tea
Parties and an increase in independents: 20 percent of Next Wavers
were independents prior to the Tea Parties (compared with 12.6
percent of Early Adopters that were independents) and 74 percent of
Next Wavers were Republicans prior, compared to 81 percent of Early
Adopters.
*The longer a Tea Party activist is in the movement, the more
likely they are to be optimistic about the political
landscape
*Of those who were inspired by an individual to join the Tea Party
movement, 63.6 percent-the largest number-cited a friend as being
instrumental in their involvement." Only 37.5 percent of Early
Adopters were recruited by friends. Rather, media personalities
brought the highest number into the movement.
*89.3 percent of Tea Party activists have been active in
introducing new people into the movement.
*Both Early Adopters and Next Wave activists were new to politics;
40.5 percent of Early Adopters and 43.6 percent of Next Wave
activists said they were uninvolved/rarely involved with politics
prior to their Tea Party involvement.
Be sure to check the full study at: http://www.activistinsightsreport.com