"Robo-calls" reach 2 out of 3 U.S. voters: study

[sabra]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2741368

"Robo-calls" reach 2 out of 3 U.S. voters: study


Dec 20, 2006 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly two out of three U.S. voters received the much-despised prerecorded "robo-calls" from political candidates during the past election, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that the automated messages trailed only direct mail among "get out the vote" techniques used by political candidates in the November elections.

"Direct mail can go from the mailbox to the wastebasket, but with a robo-call at least you've picked up the phone," said Pew Director Lee Rainie. "The chance of capturing even a sliver of people's attention is somewhat greater, I would guess."

Phone calls from actual human beings were less common, the survey found. Sixty-four percent of registered voters surveyed said they had received a robo-call before the last election, while 24 percent said they had received a political call from a live person.

Republicans were more likely than Democrats or independents to receive robo-calls, the survey of 2,562 people found.

[Donnachaidh]

1. we changed our number the week before elections

We were getting so slammed with robo-calls we had to.

[snooper2]

2. Numbers are way off,,

considering they don't take in to account people who only have a cell phone and refuse to pay the local monopolies a dime for a land line...

[EST]

3. I got a few robo calls and immediately hung up on them.

The most interesting human call I got came from a male voice identifying himself as being from the "democrat" party something or other and I unloaded on him, using an epithet or two and screaming at him that he was no goddamned democrat and if they dared call me back I was going to sue their asses off.

They didn't call back.

[Ezlivin]

4. That's why I have my Robo-voicemail

I don't answer the phone anymore. More often than not it's just a distraction.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. I don't know if I received any robo-calls or not. I watch my caller ID

and if the unknown name appears with a number I don't recognize, I just don't answer the phone. Experience has taught me that anyone I want to talk to will show either name, phone number or both when they call.

[damntexdem]

6. Maybe so, but they still didn't ...

induce me to vote for any robots. ;-)