Blagojevich Statement Less Believable Than Michael Vick...More Believable Than Drew Peterson

- Governor Blagojevich's denial speech slightly sways viewers, yet believability is still low -

FLEMINGTON, N.J., Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national study conducted among 313 self-reported Democrats, Republicans and Independents revealed that Governor Rod Blagojevich's speech on December 19 was slightly effective in gaining support from all parties, yet viewers were still uncertain of his believability.

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Prior to viewing the speech, 66% of respondents reported that Blagojevich was guilty of the allegations regarding his office. The percentage dropped slightly (55%) after viewing Blagojevich's denial speech. In addition, prior to viewing the speech, 70% of respondents indicated that Blagojevich should step down from office, compared to 54% after viewing the speech.

Although viewers slightly increased their support for Blagojevich, when asked to rate him on scales of likeability, believability and sincerity, his believability scored significantly lower than the other categories.

The study was conducted by HCD Research on December 22 to obtain Americans' perceptions of a speech by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, on December 19, in which he denies guilt and vows to fight charges regarding his alleged scheme to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat. To view believability curves and detailed results go to: www.mediacurves.com.

While viewing the video clip, participants indicated their levels of believability by moving their mouse from left to right on a continuum. The responses were recorded in quarter-second intervals and reported in the form of curves. The participants were also asked pre and post-viewing questions.

The believability curves that were generated for Blagojevich's denial speech were compared to believability curves from previous studies conducted by HCD Research, which focused on statements from prominent figures in the media who were accused of or connected to alleged criminal activity. Below is a comparison of how Blagojevich ranks among other subjects of past studies (the higher the number, the more believable they were):

Believability Scores

    Andy Petitte      61.6
    Gov Spitzer       51.2
    Michael Vick      47.8
    Senator Craig     47.7
    Gov Blagojevich   44.3
    Drew Peterson     42.6
    Paris Hilton      39.2

Governor Blagojevich, with a believability score of 44.3, was considered more believable than Drew Peterson and Paris Hilton and less believable than Andy Petitte, Governor Elliot Spitzer, Michael Vick and Senator Larry Craig.

Among the findings:

"Do you think Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is guilty of the crimes he is being accused of?"

                               BEFORE Watching Speech

                Total   Democrats      Republicans     Independents
    Yes           66%         67%              63%              68%
    No             3%          1%               4%               3%
    Not sure      32%         32%              34%              29%


                               AFTER Watching Speech

                Total   Democrats      Republicans    Independents
    Yes           55%         53%              54%             58%
    No             5%          5%               6%              5%
    Not sure      40%         42%              40%             37%

"Do you think Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich should step down from office?"

                                BEFORE Watching Speech

                  Total     Democrats     Republicans    Independents
    Yes             70%           69%             71%             69%
    No               7%            7%              6%              8%
    Not sure        24%           25%             23%             23%


                                AFTER Watching Speech

                   Total    Democrats     Republicans    Independents
    Yes              54%          53%             54%             56%
    No               16%          19%             15%             14%
    Not sure         30%          28%             31%             30%

"Do you think the public should withhold judgment of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich until he is proven guilty or innocent of these crimes?"

                                BEFORE Watching Speech

                  Total     Democrats     Republicans    Independents
    Yes             52%           55%             56%             47%
    No              27%           24%             26%             32%
    Not sure        20%           22%             18%             21%


                                AFTER Watching Speech

                   Total    Democrats     Republicans    Independents
    Yes              61%          68%             61%             54%
    No               23%          18%             22%             29%
    Not sure         16%          14%             17%             17%

The Media Curves web site provides the media and general public with a venue to view Americans' perceptions of popular and controversial media events and advertisements.

HCD Research is a communications research company headquartered in Flemington, NJ. The company's services include traditional and web-based communications research. For additional information on HCD Research, access the company's web site at www.hcdi.net or call HCD Research at 908-788-9393.