Prime Minister John Howard and his Liberal Party hold a commanding lead over Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party in a poll that has successfully predicted the outcome of the Federal Election since 1996 - Miss Maud's Coffee Bean Poll.
Prime Minister John Howard and his Liberal Party hold a commanding lead over Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party in a poll that has successfully predicted the outcome of the Federal Election since 1996 - Miss Maud's Coffee Bean Poll.
The 2007 Coffee Bean Poll was launched 10 days ago across 16 Miss Maud's coffee houses and restaurants, where 12,000 people have cast their vote using a coffee bean.
The voting will continue for another week and a half but so far coffee bean voters have surprisingly put Mr Howard way out in front. The Prime Minister has been lagging behind Mr Rudd in the polls for quite some time.
The early results from Miss Maud's Coffee Bean Poll show the Liberal Party hold 46.6 per cent of the 'yes' vote while Labor has 34.9 per cent. Its' followed with the Greens on 9 per cent, Nationals with 2.4 per cent, Democrats with 2.2 per cent and others attracted 4.8 per cent.
Maud Edmiston, founder and owner of Miss Maud's, says the unique poll is once again proving to be a great stimulus for people to take time out, to chat about issues that concern them in their daily lives and have their say in a relaxed way by dropping their coffee bean in the specially designed beaker.
First launched in 1996, Miss Maud's Coffee Bean Poll has run for five elections. In 2004, 36,000 people cast their vote, which revealed the Coalition's winning percentage to within one per cent proving that monitoring community views as they percolate into votes is likely to provide a true picture of public taste.
In the 1996 election the beans predicted a Coalition win to within 0.4 per cent of the final outcome.
A news release from Miss Maud's is pasted below:
Early results from a snapshot of Western Australia's caffeine inspired views on the forthcoming Federal Election are revealing some interesting figures.
Since the official launch of the 2007 Coffee Bean Poll just ten days ago in 16 of Miss Maud's coffee houses and restaurants across the Perth metropolitan area some 12,000 people have made their selection from the menu of election choices and let their coffee beans do the talking.
The figures revealed so far, with another week and a half to go are:
| Labor | 34.9% |
| Liberal | 46.6% |
| Greens | 9.0% |
| National | 2.4% |
| Democrats | 2.2% |
| Others | 4.8% |
President of the Morning Tea Party of WA, Miss Maud, aka hospitality group leader Maud Edmiston, says the unique poll is once again proving to be a great stimulus for people to take time out, to chat about issues that concern them in their daily lives and have their say in a relaxed way by dropping their coffee bean in the specially designed beaker.
"It is very gratifying to see the community responding to the invitation to be heard and for them to see that their opinion does count. It's a fun way for customers to have their say. In the relaxed environment of our coffee houses they are able to crystalise their views about the issues of the day and to also gauge what others in the community are thinking.
"There is nothing better than some 'coffee cup counselling' because people seem to feel more at ease discussing with family and friends, a range of issues that concern them", Miss Maud said.
And it would appear that having their say in a relaxed atmosphere away from the froth and bubble of electioneering provides an interesting taster for the poll outcome.
First launched in 1996, Miss Maud's Coffee Bean Poll has run for five elections. In 2004, 36,000 people cast their vote which revealed the Coalition's winning percentage to within one per cent (1%) proving that monitoring community views as they percolate into votes is likely to provide a true picture of public taste.
In the 1996 election the beans predicted a Coalition win to within 0.4% of the final outcome.
But Miss Maud says it is not the accuracy that interests her most, but the opportunity to provide a stimulus to encourage customers to get involved and express their views about community life.
Miss Maud points out that some of history's major decisions have been made over a cup of coffee with coffee houses traditionally providing a relaxing forum to discuss the issues of the day.
"In its early days Lloyds of London dispensed coffee and stimulated the business world," she said. "My goal is to stimulate discussions on the important issues of the day."
There is no doubt that these early figures will stir up more debate and fuel up some more interesting coffee drinking conversations.
With the beans tallied on a daily basis the Miss Maud Coffee Bean Poll has become an unofficial thermometer for gauging what the man in the street is thinking - a fun way of understanding the flavour and strength of the brew and getting a taste of what's on the mind of others in the community. Further results will be released as the brew strengthens.
