If you’ve been listening to the news lately, you know that data rules! And Intact America is working hard to get the data we need to change the way America thinks about circumcision.
Intact America conducted its first nationwide opinion survey in 2014. That survey found that only 10 percent of the American public disapproved of “routine” circumcision. The survey also revealed that neither human rights nor children’s rights arguments were persuasive for the vast majority of people surveyed. As a consequence of that survey, we changed our messaging considerably, focusing on the positive aspects of being intact and on the foreskin’s value. Now, Intact America is about to conduct a follow-up survey to measure whether Americans’ attitudes have changed since 2014. We need your help to accomplish that, and, of course, we’ll share the findings with you!
Whether you’re selling a new energy drink, recruiting young people to join the military, or peddling the latest weight-loss fad, having good information about the characteristics of your target audience is all-important. That’s what market research is all about — essentially, surveying the current behavior, thinking and preferences of your target audience.
Market research also is critical when you are “selling” an idea or concept. For instance, when you are trying to change somebody’s beliefs, first, you need to know what they believe NOW, what shapes the decisions they make, and what would motivate them to change their preferences. THEN, based on that research, you can craft persuasive arguments and messaging for that audience.
Later, to know if you’re making a difference, you can look at any number of indicators. In the commercial world, you’d look at sales numbers: did the sales of your energy drink increase since you started your advertising campaign? For military recruiting, you’d look at enlistment trends — but you might also want to know whether your campaign changed people’s minds about serving in the military; after all, potential recruits will be influenced by their families and friends opinions, too. For an idea or concept — like Intactivism for example, you will want to know what your audience thinks about circumcision and the intact male penis — and you’ll want to compare those results since the last time you conducted your survey.
The goal? We are aiming to reach a tipping point — that time when a critical mass (20-25 percent) of Americans believe that the intact male body is normal, and that keeping babies intact is normal and desirable.
But survey research is expensive, and we need your help. Please support Intact America’s survey initiative. Help us shape and measure intactivism’s progress toward the tipping point!
