78.8% Say Management and 63.8% Say Unions Responsible for Trouble in Detroit

Holiday Spending: Almost a Third of Americans Under Budget, 13.8% Over

| Source: BIGresearch BIGresearch

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - December 22, 2008) - 78.8% say Management is somewhat/very responsible for the downfall of Detroit automakers, according to the December American Pulse™ Survey of 4,117 respondents. 63.8% say the same about Unions, while 57.7% feel the uncertainty of the economy is to blame.

Speaking of Unions, close to two in three (59.1%) say the UAW Union should be prepared to offer give backs/concessions in light of the trouble in Detroit. And half of Americans are just as likely to consider a Ford, GM or Chrysler as they were prior to the problems.

Regarding the economy, 29.6% of Holiday shoppers say they are staying under budget, 56.6% are on budget and 13.8% are over spending. The biggest over spending group is 18-34 year olds with 18.3% saying so.

Other Key Findings: 

--  On a lighter note, Americans say Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer is
    the most annoying Christmas song (28.1%), followed by I Want a Hippopotamus
    for Christmas (20.3%) and Santa Baby (13.3%).
--  73.2% say children are spoiled by the holiday gifts they
    receive...12.4% aren't sure.
--  76.8% believe in God, 60.5% believe in true love and 54.8% in
    miracles. 6.7% still believe there is a Santa.

For complimentary findings: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com.

About American Pulse™

The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over 4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how Americans really feel about issues they currently face. http://www.bigresearch.com

About Survey Sampling International (SSI)

Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling consulting, and survey optimization. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing research clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in Shelton, CT with 14 additional offices worldwide. http://www.surveysampling.com

Contact Information: Contacts: BIGresearch Chrissy Wissinger 614.846.0146 SSI Diane Urso 203.567.7236

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