War Tax Resistance Survey Results

with memo from Bill Ramsey, St. Louis, who Coordinated the Survey
Committee and tabulation out of the 2005 Strategy Conference
This page includes links to Bill's ideas for a 2008 campaign and a draft proposal.

Click here for PDF Summaries for:

To comment on any of this or if you would like the full tabulations in Excel emailed to you, please contact Bill Ramsey.

5/22/07

Dear Folks,

Well, we are finally to the point of developing a project for April 2008 based on the survey results. 

Please note that those indicating that those responding “yes” they are willing to consider on one-year act of WTR are:

  • 66% of all respondents who have never done WTR
  • 69% of those who have never done WTR that responded at the Jan. 27 DC Rally,
  • 62% of those who have never done WTR that responded at the SOA vigil,
  • 77% of all the of those who once did, but no longer do WTR
  • 69% of all those presently doing WTR (this % is misleading, most of those responding “no”, qualified that they would love to see it happen, but it would not increase their own willingness to continue)

Bill Quick. a friend of St. Louis WTRers and local attorney who has organized 14 lawyers to defend over 30 St. Louis Occupation Project actors, devoted a number of hours (he won’t tell me how many) to creating the formulas which now give the tables the capacity to tabulate summaries automatically.  If additional respondents are added the raw data totals, the summaries, and correlations will reflect the changes.

Not all the correlations requested by the committee have been completed. The ones that are complete are:

  • Breakdown of respondent who answered yes to one-year commitment by Age
  • Breakdown of answers to question about WTR as a tactic by income level
  • Breakdown of how respondents responding yes to one-year commitment responded to questions 1-5 and 8
  • Breakdown of responses education and religion
  • Breakdown of two most likely consequences of War Tax Resistance by sex
  • Breakdown of SOA respondents answers to Questions 1-5, 7-8
  • Breakdown of Jan. 27 respondents answers to Questions 1-5, 7-8

The remaining correlations required tables comparing the answers two or more questions and each had multiple answers and will require a great

deal of work and the resulting tables may not be that helpful to our process. (Take a look at the education and religion table and you can get an idea of the kind of table that will be produced).  The incomplete correlations are:

  • correlate religion & education with the "why not?" question #2
  • correlate age & sex with answers to question # 8 on helpful resources
  • correlate "yes" to #7 with earnings over $40,000 and with not self-employed (2 groups)
  • separate income by single and married categories
  • correlate answers to # 4 with answers to # 5
  • Correlate answers to demographic questions 1, 2, 4, & 7 to focus in on target audience

These can be done, but it will take about hour for each one.  Let me know which ones are important enough to create a very complex table.

I noted in the minutes of the CC meeting that there was discussion about whether we should be the lead organization promoting and organizing the April 2008 boycott. I agree with those who said we should be the lead organization and then ask UFPJ, Declaration for Peace, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, WRL, FOR, Pax Christi, and other national and local groups to assist us in promoting the project among their members and activists. We should ask each group to:

  • place a link on their website,
  • send out commitment cards in fall action mailing,
  • send out a special e-mail announcement of the project with a link to the NWTRCC website
  • set aside table space at their events for promotion of the project.
  • be listed as a ‘collaborating organization”

I would suggest that we create by no later than August 1 an April 2008 commitment card (both paper and online versions). I have [below] an initial draft as a starting point.

In order to carry out this project, I believe it will need to be featured on the NTRRCC website in an interactive way (see some of the suggestions on the commitment card).  It would be great if the home page could include an automatic “counter” of those committed to April 2008 with a direct link to the commitment card and resources to assist people with their decisions.

We probably need a name for the project that excites interest.  Put your creative minds to work. I have one suggestion. “April 2008: The War Stops Here.”

Finally, both as an outreach tool and a research tool, we can continue to circulate the survey. Additional respondents can now be added and tabulated with a minimum of work.

Peace, Bill Ramsey