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~ Abraham Lincoln Sixteenth President of the United States of America

Public Opinion and Presidential Politics: Why They Matter to Biomedical Research in 2007 and Beyond Mary Woolley President Research!America January 13, 2007 Association of Medical & Graduate Departments of Biochemistry Chairs Annual Meeting Nassau, Bahamas.

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~ Abraham Lincoln Sixteenth President of the United States of America

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  1. Public Opinion and Presidential Politics: Why They Matter to Biomedical Research in 2007 and Beyond Mary Woolley President Research!America January 13, 2007 Association of Medical & Graduate Departments of Biochemistry Chairs Annual Meeting Nassau, Bahamas

  2. “…public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed." ~ Abraham LincolnSixteenth President of the United States of America

  3. Likeliness to Vote for Candidate Please tell me if you would be more likely or less likely to vote for a candidate for a public office if he or she supported increased funding for the following? (% saying “More Likely”) Source: Your Candidates—Your Health Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  4. POTENTIAL 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (to date) Republicans Senator Sam Brownback (KS) Newt Gingrich, former House Speaker (GA) Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor (NYC) Senator Chuck Hagel (NE) Governor Mike Huckabee (AR) Representative Duncan Hunter (CA) Senator John McCain (AZ) George Pataki, former Governor (NY) Mitt Romney, former Governor (MA) Representative Tom Tancredo (CO) Tommy Thompson, former Governor and DHHS (WI) Democrats Senator Joe Biden (DE) Senator Hillary Clinton (NY) Retired General Wesley Clark Senator Chris Dodd (CT) John Edwards, former Senator (NC) Al Gore, former VP, Senator (TN) Senator John Kerry (MA) Senator Barack Obama (IL) Governor Bill Richardson (NM) Governor Tom Vilsack (IA)

  5. Current Status of Funding The 109th Congress deferred passage of the FY2007 appropriations bills that fund the NIH, CDC, AHRQ and NSF. Prior to adjourning, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that funds these agencies through February 15, 2007. Incoming chairs of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, announced in early December that they will seek to pass a long-term CR to fund all 2007 appropriations through the end of the fiscal year, except Defense and Homeland Security.

  6. New Face of the 110th Congress * awaiting final confirmation

  7. Advocacy Is Democracy in Action • Your right as a citizen • Tool to turn the spotlight on your issues • Adding your voice to the public agenda

  8. What Can You Do? • Know the position of your elected officials’ • Use public opinion poll data to make the case for research as a high priority • Build and support “Research Champions” • Understand the importance and influence of media • Master communicating in three sentences or less • Use messages that work • Put a human face on research – Yours!

  9. 488 of 1,266 candidates in the general election responded – a response rate of 38.5% • 24 of the 65 freshmen members of Congress responded – a response rate of 37%

  10. Serving the public's interest Remember What Researchers and Elected Officials Have in Common …

  11. “Constituents” by the NumbersFlorida • 96,200 of your constituents were newly diagnosed with cancer* • 100,000 of yourconstituents are living with HIV† *American Cancer Society (2005) Cancer Facts & Figures † Florida Department of Health, 2003

  12. “[Scientists] want to come to Congress and give tutorials. That doesn’t work. We don’t have time for tutorials. They need to get right to the point: ‘This is why it’s important. I know there are a lot of competing interests, but here’s why we should be at the head of the line. And here’s what it means for society.’ ” ~ Hon. Sherwood Boehlert “Explaining Science to Power: Make It Simple, Make It Pay” November 24, 2006, Science Magazine

  13. We have made enormous progress to date and there are more benefits to come (Then, now, imagine) Saving lives Saving money Creating jobs Contributing to local economy Ensuring U.S. leadership Constituents support research Show How Research is Important to Elected Officials

  14. Understand Public Attitudes;Demonstrate Public Support

  15. Research!America Polls Commissioning public opinion polls on research issues for more than 15 years • National Polls • State-Based Polls • Issue-Specific Polls

  16. Survey Methodology • Telephone (random-digit dialing) polls are conducted with a sample size of 800-1000 adults (age 18+) and a maximum theoretical sampling error of +/- 3.5 percent. Data are demographically representative of adult U.S. residents (state or national). Figures for age, sex, race, education, and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with population demographics.

  17. Americans Rank Scientist as Most Prestigious Occupation I am going to read off a number of different occupations. For each, would you tell me if you feel it is an occupation of very great prestige, considerable prestige, some prestige or hardly any prestige at all? {percent saying “very great prestige”} Source: Bridging the Sciences Survey, December 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  18. Confidence in US Institutions How much confidence do you have in the following institutions in this country? {% responding great deal} Military 61% Medical Community 47% Scientific Community 44% Organized Religion 30% Corporations 10% Congress 12% Media 10% Source: Bridging the Sciences Survey, December 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  19. Scientists Public Most Familiar With Can you give me the name of a living scientist? First Mentions Steven Hawkings 8% Albert Einstein 1 Bill Gates 1 Jarvik 1 Francis Collins * Linus Pauling * James Watson * Christian Bernard * Francis Crick * Richard Dawkins * Other 13 None/Nothing 55 Don’t Know/Don’t Remember 19 Source: Bridging the Sciences Survey, December 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  20. Public Doesn’t Know Where Research is Conducted Do you know of any institutions, companies, or organizations in your area where medical research is conducted? (percentage saying “don’t know”) Alabama 37% California 53% Colorado 56% Florida 58% Illinois 50% Massachusetts 40% Mississippi 59% New Hampshire 62% Oklahoma 57% Texas 57% Source: Research!America Polls 1998-2004 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  21. Most Do Not Recognize NIH What is the name of the government agency that funds most of the medical research paid for by taxpayers in this country? Source: National Survey, 2005 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  22. U.S. Should Be Global Leader in Scientific Research How important do you think it is that the U.S. is a global leader in scientific research? Source: Bridging the Sciences Survey, December 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  23. U.S. Competitive Edge in Innovation Do you agree or disagree with this statement: The U.S. is losing its global competitive edge in innovation. Source: Your Candidates—Your Health Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  24. Strong Support for Basic Research Even if it brings no immediate benefits, basic research which advances the frontiers of knowledge is necessary and should be supported by the federal government. Source: Your Candidates—Your Health Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  25. Americans Want Increased Funding The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the agency that funds most of the medical research paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Which of the following statements comes closer to your opinion about U.S. investment in medical and health research at the NIH? Some people say: Current U.S. funding for medical and health research is sufficient and other budget items are higher priorities now. Other people say: Increasing U.S. funding for medical and health research now is essential to our future health and economic prosperity. Source: Your Candidates—Your Health Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  26. Americans Willing to Pay More for Medical Research Would you be willing to pay $1 per week more in taxes if you were certain that all the money would be spent for additional medical research, or not? Source: National Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  27. Americans Favor Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) Do you favor or oppose medical research using embryonic stem cells? 60% 31% Source: Your Candidates—Your Health Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  28. Majority of Americans Favor Federal Funding for ESCR Do you favor or oppose federal funding for medical research using embryonic stem cells? Source: Your Candidates—Your Health Survey, 2006 Charlton Research Company for Research!America

  29. July 10, 2005

  30. Messages That Work • Aspirational messages (Then…Now…Imagine) • Economic impact messages • Cost savings messages

  31. Alzheimer’s • Then…Progressive problems with memory, language and behavior were considered an inevitable part of aging. • Now … Basic research is fueling the creation of new drugs for Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment. • Imagine … Alzheimer’s could be just a memory

  32. “Research Takes Cents” • Golf equipment sales in the U.S. rose 9% to $3.5 billion in 2005. • That amount would fund the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for almost 2 years! Sources: “The Sporting Goods Market in 2006,” National Sporting Goods Association and NIH

  33. “Research Takes Cents” • A 30 second ad run during the 2006 Super Bowl costs $2.5 million! • The average cost of an NIH Traditional Research Project (R01) Award is $309 thousand. Sources: The New York Times 1/9/06; NIH 2001.

  34. Combining Aspirational and Economic Messages: One-page fact sheets

  35. Cost Saving Messages: • Treatments that delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease by five years could save $50 billion a year in health care costs. • NIH-funded researchers have developed treatments that delay or prevent diabetic retinopathy, saving the U.S. $1.6 billion a year. • At least 60% of the U.S. population on public water systems has received fluoridated water since 1990, translating to savings in dental treatment costs of over $25.7 billion in the past decade 

  36. The Influence of the Media • Policymakers respond to media • Constituents learn from the media • Media attention can create public pressure

  37. Understand the Media World “You need to make me care and understand it, in such a way that I can explain it in 35 seconds… “And please remember that I struggled with high-school chemistry.” Peter Haskell General Assignment Reporter WCBS Radio, New York City UMDNJ Media Science Forum

  38. What Do Researchers and the Media Have in Common? Serving the public's interest…

  39. “What you understand well can be communicated well. It's a matter of not just discipline but obligation to the public for scientists to communicate both the excitement of science, the prospects of science and the accomplishments of science.” ~Elias A. Zerhouni, MD Director, National Institutes of Health

  40. Three Sentences or Less • Our research is concerned with how the human body controls blood pressure, which is important in heart disease and health. • We know that a small molecule called nitric oxide plays a key role in controlling blood pressure – impaired production of nitric oxide causes high blood pressure while excessive production of nitric oxide causes low blood pressure. • We are exploring how levels of nitric oxide, and hence blood pressure, can be controlled for the effective treatment or prevention of high blood pressure.

  41. “I work for you.”

  42. What Can You Do? • Make it impossible to ignore research • Make it impossible to say: • -“I’ve never heard of NIH… • -“I can’t name a research institution… • -“I can’t name a researcher” • Help others imagine making better health and quality of life possible through research AND THEN TAKE ACTION THEMSELVES!

  43. “That’s what advocacy for research is all about—many people who care about research making their convictions clear to their elected officials. It starts with you, who are most committed to research… Investment in research hangs in the balance, but you can change the image of things to come.” ~ Hon. John Edward Porter "Light at the End of the Tunnel," program of the 2006 Lasker Awards.

  44. Make Sure Research is Prominently Featured on the 2008 Road to the White House

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