by The Harris Poll, AARP Research | AARP

1. Caucus turnout expected to be strong

2. Nevada women tired of division

3. Independents strike bipartisan approach

4. Retirement security is a priority

By Kristin Toussaint | Fast Company

• 87 percent feel purpose protects their company’s reputation.


• 75 percent say purpose supports recruiting.


• 75 percent agree prioritizing purpose had a positive impact on their growth.


• 64 percent feel purpose is critical or nearly critical to everything they do .

• B2B companies are increasingly embracing purpose as a driver of business growth, contrary to the commonly accepted belief that they lag well behind their B2C counterparts.


• The C-suite drives purpose strategy within respondent organizations, while HR, corporate strategy, and planning lead implementation.


• Hybrid B2B/B2C companies (serving both consumers and other businesses) are more effectively integrating purpose than companies that are solely B2B.


• The financial services, insurance, and professional services sectors lead in purpose, while manufacturing and telecommunications lag, among the eight industries surveyed.


• B2B companies admire and do business with other companies that are purpose-centric: The majority of B2B purchasing decision-makers choose companies with purpose and are willing to pay more for their products and services.

• A pizza my heart. Valentine’s Day dinner doesn’t need to include fancy dishes. In fact, 41% of Americans say pizza is among the most underrated Valentine’s day foods, with 20% secretly wishing their partner would make pizza for their romantic meal at home.

• An all-dessert meal (22%)


• Fried chicken (20%)


• BBQ (19%)


• Tacos (18%)

• Roses are red, burgers are… sexy? Thinking about trying out a new Greek or Burmese recipe this V-Day? Think again. Our survey findings show that “American” cuisine tops the list of the most romantic cuisines to have for a Valentine’s Day dinner at home — with 46% of U.S. adults backing the claim. Following American, Italian (44%) and French (22%) come in as the #2 and #3 most romantic cuisines, respectively.


• It really is the thought that counts. 63% of Americans describe the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner at home as thoughtful and personal (i.e. my partner making my favorite foods), while 45% describe their ideal night as easy and low key. Furthermore, just over half of Americans (51%) would prefer to cook the special meal together with their sweetie versus cooking for their date or having their date cook for them.

• Bringing sexy back. Sure, James Bond suits and LBDs are great, but have you ever worn sweatpants on a date?

• Love isn’t always messy. 50% of Americans believe a clean house is one of the best ways to set the stage for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal at home. Women (53%) especially share this viewpoint — more so than men (47%). Once the house is clean, don’t forget the candlelight and tabletop flowers, with more than half of Americans (57% and 55%, respectively) agreeing they help set the mood.

• Chocolate, yes! Heart-shaped, no. Chocolate tops the list of foods that people consider a turn-on for Valentine’s Day, with 61% of Americans admitting to it setting a mood and Instacart search data showing a 1,125% search increase the week leading up to V-Day. However, be careful about which chocolate you choose … 43% of people also say that heart-shaped chocolate boxes are among the most overrated, stereotypical Valentine’s Day foods.


• Chocolate-dipped be damned. While over half of Americans (51%) consider strawberries to be among their biggest turn-ons for Valentine’s Day, 33% of people say that the chocolate-dipped version is overrated. Our data tells a different story, however, with searches for chocolate-covered strawberries up 678% in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.


• Feeling Fishy. Under-the-sea entrees have a place on the V-Day table, but make sure you choose wisely. While 37% of Americans think lobster is one of the biggest turn-ons for Valentine’s Day, more than 1 in 3 Americans consider traditional aphrodisiacs like caviar (36%) and oysters (35%) to be among their biggest turnoffs. Our search data confirms lobster is top-of-mind over other seafood with searches for the popular shellfish up 235% during Valentine’s Day week.

• Getting intimate with Italian. 44% of Americans find Italian cuisine to be among the most romantic cuisine to have for Valentine’s Day dinner with 34% of people saying that pasta is a “turn-on.” But nix the garlic and leave the spaghetti slurping to Lady and the Tramp — about 1 in 4 Americans find garlic (25%) and ‘messy foods’ (33%) to be a turnoff.

by The Harris Poll, AARP Research | AARP

On Voting

• Nine in ten (93%) women voters ages 50 and older say they will probably vote in their state’s primary election, including 80 percent who say they will definitely vote.


• 87 percent of all 50+ women voters in New Hampshire say they think about their children and future generations when they vote.

On Healthcare

• Healthcare is by far the most important issue among older women voters in New Hampshire — it was cited as the top issue facing the country by 44 percent of all women voters ages 50 and older in the state, well ahead of the environment (33%), immigration (26%), terrorism (20%), and the economy and jobs (16%).


• For many older women voters, healthcare costs are both a personal and pocketbook issue.
  
  
  
  • Half (50%) who aren’t confident about retirement say it’s because their healthcare costs are very expensive.
  
  
  • A third (33%) say they can’t afford to pay for their healthcare.
  
  
  • Nearly a third (30%) say they have skipped medical care because it was too expensive.
  
  
  
  


• Only 5 percent of all women voters ages 50 and older say that the healthcare system is working “very well” overall.


• Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) of all older women voters in New Hampshire give their elected officials a D or F grade on dealing with the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs.


• Across party lines, women voters ages 50 and older in New Hampshire agree that the  Number 1 reason for rising healthcare costs is drug companies charging too much for medication (52%).

On Other Priority Issues

• Democratic women voters ages 50 and older cite the environment and climate change as the top issue facing the country (60%) significantly more often than Independents (28%) and Republicans (5%).


• 61 percent of Democratic women voters ages 50 and older give elected officials a D or F grade on dealing with the impact of climate change on their communities.

On the Candidates

• Among all 50 and older women voters, regardless of party affiliation, the top trait for leaders is ethical (47%) followed by trusted (34%) and intelligent (32%).


• Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all agree that they would prefer to vote for an experienced candidate (49% among all 50+ women voters) to one that brings a fresh perspective (38%), although Independents are the most evenly split (43% experienced candidate vs. 39% fresh perspective).