Investing - public opinion surveys are useful tools

About once a month, I check opinion surveys on a wide variety of topics.  Why?

• I sometimes get investment leads.
• The background information about public sentiment is sometimes useful in setting a context for the strategic operating theatre of businesses.
• It's fun. 

Here are a few sources that I consult:

YouGov

From the very beginning, we have been driven by a simple idea: The more people are able to participate in the decisions made by the institutions that serve them, the better those decisions will be. ...

At the heart of our company is a global online community, where millions of people and thousands of political, cultural and commercial organizations engage in a continuous conversation about their beliefs, behaviors and brands.

We combine this continuous stream of data with our deep research expertise and broad industry experience, to develop the technologies and methodologies that will enable more collaborative decision making.

And provide a more accurate, more actionable portrait of what the world thinks.

You can search the site for a variety of topics, including snack foods, persons in the news, etc.  Did you know, for example, that M&Ms and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup are the two most popular candies in the US?  

I have always been fascinated by language.  Here is a very interesting take on the nuances of using adjectives such as "very bad" to "perfect".  It compares the perceptions of Americans and Britts.  

How Good is "Good"?

Pew Research Centre

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions.

It takes the pulse on many aspects of American society, including politics, religion, social trends, media and news, science, etc.

Here is an interesting take on Trump's image in the mind of the international community.  Americans may be unaware of the collateral damage which is being wrecked by Trump's attitude, words and actions.

Trump’s International Ratings Remain Low, Especially Among Key Allies

Pew Research is my "go to" site.  

I tend to avoid sites operated by organizations which have an axe to grind, except when I'm interested in learning more about a particular mindset.  Increasingly, tribalism is expressing itself in a way whereby various "groups" are not interested in making contacts with "the others" ... and most discouragingly, disparage their viewpoints as not having any credence.  Hillary Clinton's dismissive remarks about the "deplorables" was a factor which led to her defeat.  If anything, her campaign was deplorable ... or as per the survey noted above in YouGov, was "very bad".