GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- While the date of the official beginning of the new millennium is somewhat controversial -- with the calendar suggesting January 1, 2001 as the actual beginning, while virtually the whole world seems ready to celebrate January 1, 2000 -- most Americans are ready to celebrate the occasion this January 1, not the one a year from now.
Because the calendar begins with the year "1" rather than the year "zero," the end of the year 2000 would seem to be the completion of the second millennium rather than the beginning of the third. But a new Gallup poll, conducted December 28th, shows that Americans are about evenly divided over the matter: 49% say the new millennium officially begins with the year 2000, while 45% say it begins a year later. Still, when asked which year deserves the bigger celebration, Americans agree, by a margin of 68% to 19%, that this coming New Year's Eve, rather than the one a year from now, is the time to celebrate the end of the old millennium and the beginning of the new one.
Despite this consensus, just 28% of Americans say they expect to do something different on this New Year's Eve from what they have been doing on previous New Year's Eves. Thus, for most Americans, while they may be toasting or acknowledging the new millennium, their celebration of the new year will be about the same this year as it has been in previous years.
Americans Expect Good Time on New Year's Eve
Overwhelmingly, Americans expect to enjoy themselves this New
Year's Eve, with 90% saying they expect to have a good time, while
just 3% say a bad time, and the rest are unsure. When asked how
they expect to feel on New Year's Eve, 79% say joyous, 67% excited,
and 61% reflective. Only 11% say they expect to feel bored, while
22% say apprehensive. Despite all of the buildup in anticipation of
the new millennium celebrations, only 40% of Americans say they are
annoyed by the New Year's hype in advertising and the media, while
59% say they are not.
Overall, one in 25 Americans -- 4% -- expect to be working at midnight on New Year's Eve. Half of them will be working because they normally do so, and the other half because of special concerns this year dealing with the year 2000.
Public Optimistic About 2000
The vast majority of Americans are optimistic about the coming
year, both for themselves personally and -- to a lesser extent --
the world in general. Overall, 85% say they feel hopeful, while
just 6% are fearful, about what the year 2000 holds in store for
them personally. And 68% say they are hopeful about what the year
2000 holds in store for the world in general, while 22% say they
are fearful.
Not surprisingly, optimism is highly correlated with household income. Still, even the lowest-income households are more optimistic than pessimistic. Among Americans with yearly incomes greater than $50,000, 91% are hopeful about what the year 2000 will bring them personally, compared with 79% who feel that way among households earning less than $20,000 a year. An even larger difference is found when Americans express their feelings about what the year 2000 has in store for the world in general: 81% in the highest income group are hopeful, compared with just 58% among the lowest income group.
Survey Methods
The results reported here are based on telephone interviews with a
randomly selected national sample of 622 adults, 18 years and
older, conducted December 28, 1999. For results based on the whole
sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum
error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or
minus 4 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls
-- especially in polls conducted in just one evening, as occurred
with this poll.
As far as you know, which date will officially mark the beginning of the new millennium -- January 1, 2000, or January 1, 2001?
| January 1, 2000 | 49% |
| January 1, 2001 | 45 |
| No opinion | 6 |
| 100% |
Regardless of when you think the new millennium will begin, which date do you think deserves the bigger celebration -- January 1, 2000, or January 1, 2001?
| January 1, 2000 | 68% |
| January 1, 2001 | 19 |
| BOTH EQUALLY (vol.) | 4 |
| NEITHER (vol.) | 4 |
| No opinion | 5 |
| 100% |
Do you, personally, expect to have a good time or a bad time this New Year's Eve?
| Good time | 90% |
| Bad time | 3 |
| No opinion | 7 |
| 100% |
Next, please say whether each of the following describes or does not describe the way you are likely to feel on New Year's Eve this year. How about … ? [RANDOM ORDER]
| Yes, likely to feel that way | No, not likely to feel that way | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| Excited | 67 | 32 | 1 |
| Apprehensive or fearful | 22 | 77 | 1 |
| Annoyed by the New Year's hype in advertising and the media | 40 | 59 | 1 |
| Bored | 11 | 88 | 1 |
| Reflective | 61 | 34 | 5 |
| Joyous | 79 | 19 | 2 |
Do you think you will do something special on New Year's Eve this year, which will be different from what you have done on previous New Year's Eves?
| Yes | No | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| 1999 Dec 28 | 28 | 71 | 1 |
| 1999 Nov 10-11* | 26 | 72 | 2 |
| 1999 Jan 7* | 32 | 63 | 5 |
| 1992 Jul 22-23* | 34 | 59 | 7 |
* CNN/Time
Will you be working at your job at midnight this New Year's Eve, or not?
| Yes | 4% |
| No | 89 |
| NOT EMPLOYED (vol.) | 6 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
(IF WORKING) Would you normally be working at midnight on New Year's Eve, or is this year a special case because of the Year 2000?
| Would normally work at midnight | 2% |
| Special case because of Year 2000 | 2 |
| NOT WORKING [based on previous question] | 96 |
| 100% |
Looking ahead to next year, are you more hopeful or more fearful about what the Year 2000 holds in store -- [ROTATE A-B]? How about … ?
| A. For you personally | B. For the world in general | |
|---|---|---|
| More hopeful | 85% | 68% |
| More fearful | 6 | 22 |
| EQUALLY MIXED (vol.) | 5 | 5 |
| No opinion | 4 | 5 |
| 100% | 100% |
(vol.) = volunteered response