Member Poll: July 2012

As a member-driven organisation, official 38 Degrees campaigns are only launched with the support of 38 Degrees members. A fortnight ago, 35,000 of us voted on what the next set of campaign priorities for 38 Degrees will be. The results are now in!

The questions that were presented were based on the thousands of discussions – across our Facebook page, Twitter feed, blog and campaigns forum Uservoice – that 38 Degrees members have actively been participating in.

A team of volunteers in the 38 Degrees office shortlisted the most popular campaigns ideas, which were then included in the poll. If you would like more information on how this happens please check out this blog: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2011/06/21/vote-now-what-should-38-degrees-do-next/.

Once the poll had been finalised, it was sent out to over a million 38 Degrees members. The thousands of responses have since been analysed and are now presented here for your information.

We can see in the bar chart below that our top three priorities are:

1. Tax dodging
2. NHS
3. Banking

The poll also presented us with an opportunity to suggest our own campaign proposals. There were a huge range of campaigns suggested. Some of the most most common categories were the economy, tax, healthcare, farming and food and welfare services.

Whilst there was enormous variety, here are some to give a flavour of how other members are thinking:

tackle unemployment / the government’s disasterous workfare programme and attempts to demonise the young and unemployed

Bankers-tight regulation of the industry and legislation to criminalise some activities

To change the banking structure by breaking up banks in a similar way to what “positive money” is suggesting

tax dodging; lets target vodafone and other big corps

Government contracts should be given only to contractors who do not use off-shore tax havens

better care for the eldery&aged population

Fair treatment of people living with a disability who are losing rights and money

DWP/Atos persecution of people living with a disability

Fair treatment for the genuinely disabled and long-term ill, and an end to private, paid-by-results, companies assessing their needs

NHS, stopping closure of hospitals eg childrens heart unit Glenfield Leicester

anything to do with nhs and all other services in the public sector

Police: stop plans to privatise key bits of the police to companies like G4

Given the recent success of 38 Degrees campaigns and the increasing number of campaign proposals that address big economic issues – discussed on Facebook, Uservoice and emailed into the team – the poll asked the following questions:

• Should 38 Degrees get more involved with big economic issues?
• Could 38 Degrees members work together to come up with economic alternatives?
• Or should we stick to more straightforward campaigns like tax dodging?

The responses to these questions were sorted by volunteers into for, against or unsure categories. Here are the results:

This was what some of us thought about the questions:

I am sure with the wealth of skills and experience 38 degree members have we could come up with viable economic alternatives, but our strength is really in the straightforward campaigns where we can act fast and get results quickly. Maybe a consultation forum for those members interested in giving their experience for the benefit of everyone

stick to straightforward campaigns and coordinate contribution to debate about economic alternatives

Big economic issues are inextricably and increasingly linked with democratic issues, so yes we should absolutely be looking to escape from the mind numbing “left” vs “right” debate and away from the related “big State” vs “small State” debate, and take a fresh look at What Is Government For? …

I think we should get more involved with economic issues – but once we do, don’t we stop being a mass pinion/common sense type popular pressure group and become political – way more so than we are – ourselves? Wopuldn’t it mean we would all have to agree on a policy range or some such, some action points; and how would this be done? A 1st past the post vote? A prop representation vote? Which kind of prop rep? …

Straightforward campaigns for now. Making big companies and individuals pay correct tax, for example, will inevitably help with bigger economic picture in any event. I think we should maintain the level of concentration on each campaign to best ensure success

It works when we keep it simple. People power focused on one key objective, rather than complex policy change. Our successes though will be cumulative. Olympic campaign great example

38 Degrees members probably lack the expertise. To tackle big economic issues and should concentrate on straightforward campaigns

With over a million members, the number of campaigns 38 Degrees runs has increased significantly. This means there are a lot more campaigns that members could get emails about. The poll asked ‘How do you feel about the number of 38 Degrees emails you receive?’ This was how we responded:

The poll also asked a final question ‘How important should poll results be when deciding 38 Degrees campaigns?’ This is how we responded:

These results will determine what we focus on in coming months. They give the staff team a clear direction for researching campaign opportunities and developing ideas for action. We won’t be able to do everything immediately. Sometimes we have to wait for the moment when we can effectively create change by moving together.

What do you think of these results? Are there any other campaigns you think should be on the list? You can leave a comment to discuss with other members using the form below.