142 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
142 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
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OMNI Opinion Poll Results: PREDICTIONS FOR 2007
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The results of the second OMNI Opinion Poll, concerning predictions for the
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year 2007, turned up some interesting ideas. The least change is envisioned in
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terms of religion and the arts, while progress is seen for the medical and
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educational arenas. All in all, the opinions of the OMNI Online audience
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didn't differ too drastically from those of the experts in January's "The
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Seers' Catalog" (now up in DL13, SEERS.TXT).
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* * * * * * * * * *
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1. Timothy Leary believes that by 2007, every schoolchild will have his/her
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own computer, and that it will be as disposable as a pair of sneakers.
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What role might computers have in the public education system 20 years
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from now?
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a. Computers will supplement human teachers in nearly every classroom, and
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software will replace textbooks as the primary source of teaching
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material. (41%)
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b. Computers will eliminate the need for teachers, except in the role of
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guides and technicians. (8%)
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c. Computer science will become a required course, like math or English.
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(40%)
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d. Computers will occupy an optional role in public schools, predominantly
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being used on the secondary school level. (10%)
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e. Computers will have no great bearing on the future of public education,
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except as specialized tools. (*)
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The OMNI Online audience was similarly optimistic about the role of computers
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in the future of education. Fully 81% of the respondents saw computers and
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computer science as essential areas of study; 41% felt computers would
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supplement human teachers in nearly every classroom, and 40% thought computer
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science would take its place next to math and English as a core course by 2007.
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(*) Significantly, only one of 193 respondents believed computers would have no
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great bearing on public education.
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2. According to David Byrne, lead singer of the rock group Talking Heads,
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video has already and will continue to have a great impact on the arts,
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but books "will always be there." In your opinion, what will be the state
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of the arts in 2007?
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a. Books in print will become almost obsolete, replaced by videocassettes,
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TV, electronic media and the like. (9%)
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b. TV will become the primary source of information as well as
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entertainment, effectively eliminating big-screen movies and live
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theater. (15%)
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c. Musical performers will just sell videos, not records. (6%)
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d. Today's art mediums will remain the same, but will overlap in scope and
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include new technological innovations. (50%)
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e. There will be a resurgence of classical art forms. (20%)
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Fully half the 222 respondents essentially agreed with rock singer David
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Byrne, who feels that the arts and artistic mediums will remain the same but
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will reflect advances in technology.
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3. Richard Selzer of Yale Medical School believes boredom will be the major
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medical problem of the future. In your opinion, the nation's major
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medical problem in 2007 will be:
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a. cancer (9%)
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b. heart disease (5%)
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c. aging and age-related diseases (31%)
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d. sexually transmitted diseases (20%)
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e. drug addiction and alcoholism (24%)
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f. other (11%)
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31% of the OMNI Online audience believe that the major medical problem in
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2007 will be aging and age-related diseases. Surprisingly, only 9% felt that
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cancer would still be a major problem; it seems to suggest the opinion that a
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cure or at least an effective treatment for cancer will be discovered in 20
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years, even though recent research indicates that the mortality rate for cancer
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has been the only one to rise in recent years. 11% considered the most
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important medical problem in 20 years to be something different than the
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choices listed: their suggestions ranged from mental illness and interpersonal
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violence to space sickness and, as Dr. Selzer proposed, lethary and boredom
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(although those conditions are also implicated in drug addiction and
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alcoholism, which was selected by 24% of our respondents as the future's major
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medical problem).
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4. According to professor of economics Robert Heilbroner, Americans, long
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accustomed to being considered number one in the world in terms of
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economy, may find that the Pacific Rim nations have overtaken them. In
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your opinion, which nation or group of nations will be considered the
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predominant economic power in 2007?
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a. U.S. (33%)
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b. USSR (4%)
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c. Japan (11%)
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d. Pacific Rim Nations -- Japan, China, Korea, India, etc. (34%)
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e. West Germany (2%)
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f. Common Market Nations -- England, France, West Germany, etc. (5%)
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g. Arab League Nations (2%)
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h. Europe Free Trade Association -- Scandinavian countries, Austria,
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Switzerland, etc. (4%)
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i. other (5%)
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According to OMNI Poll-takers, the U.S. and the Pacific Rim nations were the
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clear frontrunners in terms of which would be the predominant economic power in
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2007, garnering 33 and 34% of the responses respectively. Japan alone was also
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considered a contender, with 11% of the responses. Some "other" suggestions
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for economic leader 20 years hence were moon/asteroid based non-nationalist
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economic structures and a new nation-state consisting of California, Colorado,
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Washington and Oregon.
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5. Author and Catholic priest Andrew Greeley sees an increase in pluralism
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among the world's religions, and a decrease in the power of the Pope. In
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your opinion, how will religion have changed by 2007?
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a. Traditional religions will be at least as dominant, if not moreso, in
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their separate spheres than they are today, precipitating a whole new era
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of religious wars. (10%)
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b. There will be a large number of cults and individual sects concerned with
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specific aspects of religious belief. (10%)
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c. An increased emphasis on mysticism and New Age beliefs will supplant
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traditional organized religions. (17%)
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d. Eastern religions, such as Taoism and Buddhism, will gain in popularity
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and prominence. (10%)
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e. Scientific inquiry will provide answers to many of life's spiritual
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questions, thereby reducing the need for religions. (14%)
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f. The practice of religion will not change drastically in the next 20
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years. (37%)
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The religion question was similar to the arts, in that the majority of
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respondents (37%) felt there would be no drastic change by 2007. Fully 14%,
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however, felt that scientific discoveries in the next 20 years would eliminate
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much need for religion.
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Thanks for your responses!! This month, be sure to take the OMNI Censorship
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poll; the responses will be submitted in letter form to the OMNI print version
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"Forum" section, in hopes that the magazine will include the Electronic OMNI's
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opinion with regard to this controversial subject. Type GO OMNI, Choice #5.
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