The next GOP presidential debate is Wednesday. It will be the third of almost a dozen in 2015 and 2016. There has been endless talk about the effect of debates: who wins and loses, whose poll numbers will go up the most afterward, how big are the TV ratings, etc.
But here's something to consider: What kind of people actually think the debates are important in changing their votes? Are they the same as average voters — or are they demographically and categorically different?
For the answers, we looked at data from Resonate, a digital media marketing firm that has served hundreds of advocacy groups and political campaigns on both sides of the aisle. The company's research-based data sets go into extreme detail on consumers — their beliefs, interests, opinions and preferences.
Among people who are likely voters in the Republican primary — and consider debates to be influential sources to their voting — here's what we know:
They are 147 percent more likely than the public at large to value "patriotism" as a very important factor. That's far and away bigger than any other "value." At the bottom of the list? Happiness. Republican debate watchers are 33 percent less likely than the public to think happiness is important.