PEMCO Insurance Takes a Sasquatch Poll

Info graphic from a previous Bigfoot poll

"People might wonder, 'Why is an insurance company even bothering with something so silly?'" --PEMCO spokesperson Jon Osterberg.


We don't think it is silly. Earlier this year Angus/Reid did a public opinion pole that suggested Americans More Likely to Believe in Bigfoot than Canadians. We learned the which genders, political pursuasions and countries believed in Bigfoot more. This new poll only asks residents within the NW area.

SOURCE PEMCO Insurance

SEATTLE, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, there's no denying that the Northwest is home to folklore that preserves the possibility of 8-foot bipedal creatures roaming our Western forests. According to the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll, many residents believe that Sasquatch is more than just a myth – one in three people in Washington and the Portland, Ore., area believe it's possible the hairy hominids exist.

Seattle-based PEMCO Insurance surveyed Northwest residents about one of their region's most prolific mysteries and found 33 percent believe it's possible Sasquatch exists, and about one in 10 say they've actually seen one or know someone who has.

Portland-area residents are less convinced, though, than their Washington counterparts. More than half of Portlanders – 55 percent – doubt that the creature exists and 85 percent are certain they've never seen one themselves. Still, more than a quarter of those polled in Portland – 28 percent – embrace the possibility that Sasquatch is out there.

To the north, Washington residents continue to believe. PEMCO first asked them about Sasquatch in 2009, and more than one-third maintain their view that Sasquatch is real, while less than half think otherwise.

"People might wonder, 'Why is an insurance company even bothering with something so silly?' Is PEMCO pondering Sasquatch-protection coverage? No. Does it matter to our business if they exist? No. Is it a fun and whimsical topic for a survey? Absolutely! Especially here in the quirky Northwest where Sasquatch is part of our culture," said PEMCO spokesperson Jon Osterberg.

When it comes to Sasquatch encounters, 14 percent of Washingtonians said they or someone they know has seen one, while just 9 percent of Portlanders count themselves as eyewitnesses.

Interestingly, younger people in Washington are more inclined to say they've seen a living Sasquatch – 22 percent of Sasquatch spotters are under 35 in Washington. In Portland, 12 percent of those under 35 have seen a Sasquatch or know somebody who has.

"As a local company, we like to celebrate Northwest folklore. Customers tell us they love our 'Desperately Seeking Sasquatch' Northwest Profile, and now we know there are a few neighbors out there who relate to him," said Osterberg.

To learn more about the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll and to view a summary of the results, visit www.pemco.com/poll, where the public is invited to participate in an informal version of the poll and see how their own responses compare with those collected by FBK Research of Seattle in April 2012.

About the PEMCO Insurance Northwest Poll

PEMCO Insurance commissioned this independent survey that asked Washington and Oregon drivers several questions about driving habits and attitudes toward current Northwest issues. The sample size, 629 respondents in Washington and 400 respondents in the Portland, Ore., metro area, yields an accuracy of +/- 4.0 percent and +/- 5.0 percent respectively at the 95 percent confidence level. In other words, if this study were conducted 100 times, in 95 instances the data will not vary by more than the associated error range.

About PEMCO Insurance

PEMCO Insurance, established in 1949, is a Seattle-based provider of auto, home, boat and umbrella insurance to Northwest residents. PEMCO Insurance is sold by community agents throughout the region and through PEMCO offices. For more information, visit www.pemco.com.

CONTACTS:

Jon Osterberg 

PEMCO Insurance

206.628.4019

Jon.osterberg@pemco.com

Kristi Clough

Firmani + Associates Inc.

206.443.9357

Kristi@firmani.com

©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.

Take the poll your self and see how your answers match up. Take the Bigfoot Poll

Want to read the the extensive pole we brought to you earlier this year? Read Americans More Likely to Believe in Bigfoot than Canadians with all our pretty custom infographics.

Americans More Likely to Believe in Bigfoot than Canadians

Last Friday (March 2nd) we released an InfoGraphic we created based on the data from the new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll. We were able to get the release of the entire poll and decided to add two more info graphics below enjoy. After the graphics is a the official release from Angus Reid, describing the methodology. There is also a link to a PDF where they subdivide the believers by political party identification too. In the same pole they also ask Brittish people about the Loch Ness

A new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found three-in-ten Americans (29%)
 and one-in-five Canadians (21%) think Bigfoot is “definitely” or “probably” real.

A new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll drills down believers
with greater granularity.

A new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll drills down even deeper,
subdividing the research by gender.

People in the United States are more likely than Canadians to consider that Bigfoot is real, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of representative national samples, three-in-ten Americans (29%) and one-in-five Canadians (21%) think Bigfoot is “definitely” or “probably” real.

The Bigfoot phenomenon is definitely bigger in the United States, where 77 per cent of respondents claim to have heard “a great deal” or a “moderate amount” about Bigfoot (compared to 61% of Canadians).

In Canada, Albertans (29%) are more likely to think that Bigfoot is real than Quebecers (19%), British Columbians (18%) and Ontarians (17%). In the United States, respondents in the West (32%) are more likely to believe that Bigfoot is real.

People in Britain were asked similar questions about another long-standing myth: the Loch Ness Monster. Overall, 78 per cent of respondents say they have heard “a great deal” or a “moderate amount” about the Loch Ness Monster.

Only 17 per cent of Britons believe the Loch Ness Monster is “definitely” or “probably” real, a proportion that jumps to 24 per cent in Scotland.

While American and Canadian men are more likely to believe that Bigfoot is real than their female counterparts, women in Britain are more likely to think that the Loch Ness Monster is real than British men.

Liberal Party voters in Canada (16%) are the least likely to believe that Bigfoot is real. Democrats in the United States more likely to believe in Bigfoot (33%) than Republicans or Independents. In Britain, almost a third of Scottish National Party (SNP) voters believe the Loch Ness Monster is real, while Liberal Democrats (15%) are the least likely to agree with that assessment.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From February 15 to February 29, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,007 Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists, 1,016 American adults who are Springboard America panellists, and 2,011 British adults who are Springboard UK panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1% for Canada and the United States, and 2.2% for Great Britain. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Canada, the US and Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

SRC:Angus-Reid.com

Scientific Poll: Bigfoot Believers; Americans vs. Canadians

A new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found three-in-ten Americans (29%)
and one-in-five Canadians (21%) think Bigfoot is “definitely” or “probably” real.

"One out of five Canadians believe the legendary Bigfoot stomps through the forests. Americans are even more inclined to believe Bigfoot lives in the West Coast mountains." --Vancouver Sun

Drilling deeper into the Canadian profile

The Vancouver Sun cites a new Angus Reid Opinion Poll. The poll compares West Coast Americans compared to varying provinces in Canada.

One out of five Canadians believe in Bigfoot (Sasquatch)

Bigfoot, also often known as “Sasquatch” in Canada, is said to be an extremely tall and hairy primate, almost nine feet (2.75 meters). The rarely-seen, or never-seen (depending on your view), creature is said to live in remote areas of Canada and the United States, particularly in Cascadia (also known as the Pacific Northwest).

Artist's rendering of a Bigfoot, aka Sasquatch

Wikipedia says: “Even though many people claim to have seen a Bigfoot, or seen their tracks, no one has ever captured one, or found a dead body. For this reason, some people do not believe in Bigfoot. Some also believe Bigfoot is a dangerous monster, because of some scary stories told about them. Most people who study Bigfoot, however, agree that the species is probably gentle and intelligent, just like humans.”

The Angus Reid survey of more than 1,000 Canadians and 1,000 Americans found that the Bigfoot phenomenon is bigger in the U.S., where 77 per cent of respondents claim to have heard “a great deal” or a “moderate amount” about Bigfoot (compared to 61% of Canadians).

In Canada, Albertans (29%) are more likely to think that Bigfoot is real than British Columbians (18%), even though B.C. is supposed to be prime Bigfoot territory. Nineteen percent of Quebecers believe Bigfoot could be the real deal, compared to 17 per cent of Ontarians (17%). In the United States, respondents in the West (32%) are more likely to believe that Bigfoot is real.

SRC: Vancouver Sun

More Than One in Three Americans Would Like to See Bigfoot Proven as Real, According to National Poll

Just in time for Halloween, Animal Planet and Zogby Explore What Americans Believe About Ghosts, Goblins and Other Creatures of the Night -

Mostly a poll regarding ghost and ghouls, there is some interesting results about Bigfoot. Below are a few of the findings from the poll

More than one third of those surveyed (39%) said they have seen a ghost or know someone who has. Fifty-four percent have never seen a ghost before, while eight percent were unsure.

When asked what legendary creature they would like to see proven as real, thirty-six percent of people said they would like Bigfoot to be real, while 21% said ghosts. Twenty-seven percent said various other creatures, including vampires and werewolves.

About one in five respondents (21%) said they have been visited by a dead friend or relative, while 72% said they haven't been and 8% were unsure.

When respondents were asked what creature they would least like to meet in a dark alley, werewolf topped the list with 20%. Thirteen percent said vampire, and 12% said zombie.

A surprising 35% percent of people said they believe in aliens, while 40% said they don't, and 25% were unsure.

Too see full results of poll click here