Indian Country Today Survey

[spochunk]

To those who keep posting the survey done by Sports Illustrated: A similar survey was done by Indian Country Today, one of the most read newspapers by Indians nationally, and the results were very different. 81% of respondents indicated use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots are predominantly offensive and deeply disparaging to Native Americans. 75% of respondents also believe use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots at non-Indian schools, colleges and universities should be in violation of anti-discrimination laws. 73% of respondents also indicated that American Indian mascots create a "hostile educational environment" for Native American students. Respondents also were asked if federal and state education funds should be withheld from schools that continue to use American Indian names, symbols and mascots. Sixty-nine percent indicated yes.

Indian Country Today, August 7, 2001

AMERICAN INDIAN OPINION LEADERS: American Indian Mascots

Respectful gesture or negative stereotype?

[DamStrait]

To those who keep posting the survey done by Sports Illustrated: A similar survey was done by Indian Country Today, one of the most read newspapers by Indians nationally, and the results were very different. 81% of respondents indicated use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots are predominantly offensive and deeply disparaging to Native Americans. 75% of respondents also believe use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots at non-Indian schools, colleges and universities should be in violation of anti-discrimination laws. 73% of respondents also indicated that American Indian mascots create a "hostile educational environment" for Native American students. Respondents also were asked if federal and state education funds should be withheld from schools that continue to use American Indian names, symbols and mascots. Sixty-nine percent indicated yes.

Indian Country Today, August 7, 2001

AMERICAN INDIAN OPINION LEADERS: American Indian Mascots

Respectful gesture or negative stereotype?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That sounds like an incredibly statisically valid poll!

That's like polling residents of Green Bay on which team they'd like to see win the Superbowl.

[Goon]

Its not hard to ask the questions that will skew the results in favor of any agenda you have. I am sure the questions were biased and were asked in a way to make the answer negative towards Native logos.

IF I am not mistaken Indian Country is a leftist news paper so its not surprising that they would adopt this view.

I found this to be an interesting opinion. I don't necessarily agree with this.

Kara Hawkins, Nez Perce commented, "All teams have named themselves to aspire to the name. The Warriors. The Tigers. The Chiefs. The names themselves are honorable. It's what the fans have done with them. It's what the media has done with them. It's what advertising has done with them. To change the public's attitude is to do as our ancestors do it, by our own example. Our sights and energies should be set on more important concerns, the environment and continued connection to Spirit."

Edited June 27, 2005 by Goon

[teamsioux]

To those who keep posting the survey done by Sports Illustrated: A similar survey was done by Indian Country Today, one of the most read newspapers by Indians nationally, and the results were very different. 81% of respondents indicated use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots are predominantly offensive and deeply disparaging to Native Americans. 75% of respondents also believe use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots at non-Indian schools, colleges and universities should be in violation of anti-discrimination laws. 73% of respondents also indicated that American Indian mascots create a "hostile educational environment" for Native American students. Respondents also were asked if federal and state education funds should be withheld from schools that continue to use American Indian names, symbols and mascots. Sixty-nine percent indicated yes.

Indian Country Today, August 7, 2001

AMERICAN INDIAN OPINION LEADERS: American Indian Mascots

Respectful gesture or negative stereotype?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, withold funding from schools that use American Indian nicknames, that'll show everyone. I wonder if these people realize all the Native programs at UND that would at least be partially cut.....geniuses.

[Goon]

Yes, withold funding from schools that use American Indian nicknames, that'll show everyone.  I wonder if these people realize all the Native programs at UND that would at least be partially cut.....geniuses. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

'

I have the solution to that equation. Cut funding to schools that use American Indian names, I guess we would just have to cut some programs. Moronic. NCAA sports are a million dollar business. Thank god these people aren't really anything more than just psuedo positions. They can make a bunch of noise but really don't hold much power.

[The Sicatoka]

"Asked if high school and college teams should stop using Indian nicknames, 81% of Native American respondents said no."

Source: Peter Harris Research Group, Inc., as reported in Sports Illustrated, March 4, 2002, page 69.

Methodology: The pollsters interviewed 351 Native Americans (217 living on reservations, 134 living off). The responses were weighted according to US census figures for age, race, gender, and the distribution of Native Americans living on and off reservations.

Margin of error: Plus or minus 4 percent.

A poll of American Indians found that an overwhelming majority of them are not bothered by the name of the Washington Redskins pro football team.

Only 9 percent of those polled said the name is "offensive," while 90 percent said it's acceptable, according to the University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey, released Friday.

Annenberg polled 768 Indians in every state except Hawaii and Alaska from Oct. 7, 2003, to Sept. 20, 2004.

Source: Associated Press, September 24, 2004

Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...2022EDT0722.DTL

In each case a random, scientific methodology was employed: polling.

The use of the word "respondents" in the Indian Country Today article implies that a random polling was not done, but that those participating in the survey "self-selected" by choosing to respond to a question (like an on-line click the button "what do you think" survey) thus making the survey results unscientific and thus somewhere between suspect and untrustworthy.

Harris and Annenberg followed scientific process in polling and show it.

Can the Indian Country Today show the same?

[fightonsioux]

To quote Dorreen Yellow Bird "Don't take Sports Illustrated poll at face value."

I believe some excuses she used were: the poll didn't indicate how many people refused to take it.

Not everyone has a phone.

Didn't indicate whether survey takers were aware that many, if not all, reservation hometown teams use names such as Braves, Chiefs or Warriors. So, when a call comes out of the blue from this non-Native survey taker from Big Town, USA, and the caller asks if the listener feels that the use of American Indians names is discriminatory - well, of course not, the listener answers. They ARE warriors. The questions and the answers are from two different worlds, two different perspectives.

Not enough Native people were surveyed.

And on and on.

So I would assume she would feel the same about this survey

[bigmrg74]

Don't you guys know the first rule of statistics is that if you torture the numbers long enought, you can get them to say whatever you want them to say.

[Diggler]

Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14% of people know that.

[cheppi]

Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. 14% of people know that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is the exact quote I was thinking about while reading this thread. Gotta love Homer.

[MafiaMan]

LOL...completely off the topic, but this reminds me of one of my favorite lines ever in a movie...from The Naked Gun. Lt Drebin is in the hospital chatting with Nordberg's wife after the opening scene where Nordberg (OJ Simpson) is shot while boarding a ship loaded with drug-runners...

"Oh Frank...what's the prognosis?"

"Well, the doctor's say he's got a 50/50 chance...although there's only a 33 percent chance of that."

[Goon]

The use of the word "respondents" in the Indian Country Today article implies that a random polling was not done, but that those participating in the survey "self-selected" by choosing to respond to a question (like an on-line click the button "what do you think" survey) thus making the survey results unscientific and thus somewhere between suspect and untrustworthy.

Harris and Annenberg followed scientific process in polling and show it.

Can the Indian Country Today show the same?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That would be even less representative if the people actually picked themselves to be in the survey because then your data is going to be skew to a particular point of view, hence the negative results towards indian logos.