Survey Results

NEW YORK -- As the holiday retailing season begins, the mood of the nation's shoppers has fallen to the lowest level since the dog days of the 1980 recession.Consumer confidence, an important indicator of business conditions, has eroded badly this month, according to a survey released yesterday by the Conference Board, a New York-based business research group. The drop extended a slide that began this summer, as euphoria from the Persian Gulf war dissipated.And that's a disturbing sign for retailers and manufacturers who already have suffered through two difficult years.

Most Baltimore-area residents just don't get it when it comes to fixing blame for polluting Chesapeake Bay, says a public opinion survey released today.A majority of 2,500 area residents surveyed said industrial dumping, commercial ships and farm runoff contribute "a great deal" to the bay's woes, according to the poll, which was conducted last spring by the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy in cooperation with the Baltimore Regional Council of Governments.Less than half of those questioned saw their own sewage, trash dumping and boating as big problems, and two out of three contended that what they do around their homes does very little to dirty the bay. "While each individual may not have a large impact on pollution, experts generally agree that the sum of individual activities is a bigger source of bay pollution than industrial and municipal discharges," says the survey.

County residents worry most about a sluggish economy, cutbacks in government services, and possible tax increases, a new Anne Arundel Community College survey shows.Reflecting uncertainty brought on by the recession, such concerns have replaced uncontrolled development as the "major problem" facing the county, according to the telephone survey of 479 county residents.In the college's twice-yearly survey, conducted between Oct. 7 and 10, 75.4 percent of respondents said they believed the county faceda "major problem."

LONDON -- The question has been around for years, but in these days of political correctness, few dare to ask it: Who drives better, men or women?To some, the question is regarded as illegitimate because if men and women are thought generally to have equal abilities, how can they be differentiated when it comes to something so everyday as driving a car?Not to be intimidated by U.S. social trends, Britain's largest automobile insurance company, Norwich Union, spent a lot of money and time trying to find an answer to the question.

Editor's note: In the May 26 edition of The Harford County Sun readers were asked if they believed James Fielder, the recently appointed county director of economic development, should have disclosed to theCounty Council and public during the interview process that he has more than $200,000 in liens filed against him in court. Here are some of the responses received to date.KEEP FIELDER ON JOBFrom: W. King SmithBel AirUnless there are specific requirements by the county for such disclosures, I believe this is strictly a private matter that does not affect James Fielder's integrity or ability to do his job.DON'T FIRE FIELDERFrom: J. ColemanJoppaThe County Council would be in error to dismiss James Fielder because of his failed business deal.