Since 1956, Weekly Reader students in grades 1-12 have correctly picked the president making the Weekly Reader poll one of the most accurate predictors of presidential outcomes in history.
Hundreds of thousands of students participated in this year's poll through classroom elections nationwide. President Bush had a commanding lead over Senator Kerry, capturing more than 60% of the votes.
USAToday reports: Most political junkies won't give it the time of day, but the Weekly Reader presidential poll of schoolchildren has pegged every winner since 1956.
This year's winner? George W. Bush — in a landslide.
Most polls of adults put Bush and Democratic Sen. John Kerry neck-and-neck. But this one wasn't even close: Bush got 65% of kids' votes, while Kerry got just over 33%, says Weekly Reader editor Mia Toschi.
She says Bush's emphasis on terrorism and security won votes. That sentiment was echoed by Patty Spiers, a second-grade teacher in Tarpon Springs, Fla., who says the GOP's security message resonated with her 7-year-olds. "From what I heard from my children, the kids who are for Bush, their parents say, 'Well, Bush will keep us safe.' " The wee Kerry voters tell her, "We'll get better health insurance."
Polling experts say kids' political views often reflect those of their parents. "You would expect the results of a poll of children to look just like the poll of adults," says Cary Funk of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
Voting was open to kids in first through 12th grade. Students could vote in class, via the Internet or by dialing an 800 number. Toschi says 327,707 kids in all 50 states cast ballots.
But even a sample size of more than a quarter-million students is "irrelevant," says Frank Newport of the Gallup Poll. He says polls must be truly random to be accurate.
Other kids' polls have picked Bush — one by children's publisher Scholastic sees a 52% victory. Channel One, the in-school TV network, gave 55%.
7 more days until 4 more years........
DR
