OCCUPY WALL STREET – HERE TODAY BUT GONE TOMORROW?
ORC International’s Sentiment Analysis Shows Almost Equal Proportions of Social Media
Chatter are Positive and Negative
(Princeton, NJ, October 10, 2011) – ORC International’s comprehensive social media analysis* over the last 30
days of Occupy Wall Street, shows sentiment is split toward the movement with 39% positive, 33% negative, and
28% mixed sentiment. Additionally, the global market research firm showed that while social dialog peaked on
October 6- post President Obama’s response- with an estimated one million posts, the amount of conversation
occurring has since steadily dropped. The primary focus of social conversations has centered on the protesters
themselves and arrests rather than specific issues on which the movement was founded.
These findings are further supported by a poll released today by ORC International** showing that about half of all
US adults have heard of the Occupy Wall Street movement. While more than one-fourth agree (27%) with the
movement’s position on the financial system and the need for social change, more than half (54%) express no
opinion. Among those who have heard of the movement, the percentage agreeing with the Occupy Wall Street
movement increases to more than four-in-ten (42%).
According to Jeffrey Resnick, Global Managing Director of Innovation and Strategy, the findings reflect the nascent
nature of the movement. “If the coverage of Occupy Wall Street by the main stream media continues to increase
and the crescendo of social dialog does not abate, we may be seeing the beginning of a movement that is tapping
into the frustration of everyday Americans. The movement’s future is going to be highly dependent on its ability to
focus its message and prove its relevance to Main Street. Failure to do so may result in a short-lived movement.”
Jenny Verbitsky, Product Manager for ORC’s Social Analytics Solutions further commented saying “our ongoing
analysis of social dialog for Occupy Wall Street will be very telling. The degree to which the erratic volume of
dialog becomes more consistent and overall sentiment becomes more positive will be leading indicators of the
movement’s potential.”
*Social media analysis gathered using Infegy’s Social Radar listening tool.
**Poll conducted using ORC International’s CARAVAN® service from October 6 – 9, 2011. The poll interviewed
1005 US Adults by telephone.