FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jimungo’s Pulse of the Nation unveils overall political swings of 10,000-strong community, with lessons for each political party

Three months consolidated data reveals both macro trends and in-depth analysis

AUCKLAND, 25 September 2008 - Jimungo, the company that runs Virtual Rugby, has today released consolidated data from three months of ‘virtual voting’ within the 13,000 strong Pulse of the Nation online community, www.pulseofthenation.co.nz.

Launched in June, online virtual elections have been held every two weeks on Pulse of the Nation, with the community growing from an initial 6,000 to more than 13,000 members today.

The consolidated information provides insights into the voting behaviour of Jimungo’s members, and swing voting in particular.

Key insights include:
 The ACT Party’s core vote is almost 75% Pakeha male, the greatest gender discrepancy for any party
 New Zealand First’s core vote comprises 43% Maori
 The National Party has had the staunchest support over three months; 54.9% of its voters staying resolute from week to week. The Maori Party has the most volatile support base; only 32.9% of its votes came from constant loyalists, followed closely by ACT on 33.6%
 Most volatile electorates (members changing their vote at least once) are Hamilton East with 62% , Dunedin North also 62% and Te Tai Hauauru with 61%; while the least volatile are Waimakariri with 35%, Helensville on 37% and Nelson on 38%
 The Green Party core vote has the highest proportion of younger voters (ie under 30 age group) with 28%
 While National’s lead has slowly trended down, it still has a commanding 48% vote, with Labour’s slow rise suffering a reversal in the latest poll, back down to 26% from a high of 28.1%
 Most minor parties enjoy an upward trend, though New Zealand First has been fluctuated between 2.7%-3.9%
Craig Neilson, Jimungo’s Virtual Election Officer says, “Pulse of the Nation is able to take an instant ‘pulse’ on the mood of the nation. Our virtual results mirror the trends of well known polls, yet we’re able to provide detailed macro analysis on how our members are behaving. The introduction of a weekly virtual vote will give further insights into the habits of swing voters, where they are swinging from and where they are going.”

About Pulse of the Nation - Players visit www.pulseofthenation.co.nz each round to place a virtual vote for one of the political parties such as Labour, National, Greens, NZ First, Maori, United Future, Act, etc. The total votes are then aggregated to produce an outcome for each virtual election, with participants receiving points for accurate predictions.

In a similar vein to other Jimungo communities such as Virtual Rugby, players of ‘Pulse of the Nation’ compete against friends and family, winning prizes, such as an iPod Touch. Individual political preferences are kept private and confidential at all times.

About Jimungo - Jimungo runs the internationally acclaimed Virtual Rugby, which saw more than 144,000 players signed up to the 2008 Rebel Sport Super 14 season. Jimungo is also the creator of Jimungo Netball and Jimungo League. More information at: www.jimungo.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media