Poll: 90 percent say truthfulness affects voting

Ninety percent of U.S., British and Indian adults say truthfulness influences their vote, a survey by a U.S. company that advises global firms indicates. McCann Truth Central, the global intelligence unit of the McCann Erickson advertising agency, surveyed about 3,000 people in the three countries -- supplemented by focus groups with U.S. voters identified across the political spectrum from conservative to liberal. The survey indicated adult Americans want companies and politicians to behave in a similar manner. The top three things they wanted from them are: to understand the lives of ordinary people (61 percent), to possess strong values (48 percent) and to always to tell the truth (48 percent). "The issue of truth has become a huge part of the national discourse," Daryl Lee, McCann's global chief strategy officer, said in a statement. "Every day is Election Day for brands." While the Internet can be a fast-moving source of misinformation, it can promote political transparency, with 59 percent of global consumers agreeing it "makes it harder for politicians to lie." Seventy-five percent of consumers globally said they would be willing to give up chocolate, sex, alcohol, magazines or reality TV for a month if it resulted in politicians in their country being more honest. No further survey details were provided.