Jim Kitchens has conducted more than 200 environmental studies, coast-to-coast, in 42 states. From this experience, he has developed a new model for analyzing attitudes toward environmental issues. The FES Model, which stands for fairness, efficiency and sustainability, has been successfully implemented to pass referendums totaling more than $250 million for land conservation. Some of the landmark environmental research Jim Kitchens has conducted includes:

State Conservation — Jim Kitchens helped pass the first land conservation bonds under Florida’s Preservation 2000 Program, which became a standard for the country to develop state conservation programs. He also helped pass “Florida Forever” to permanently extend the Preservation 2000 program.

Water Protection — Jim Kitchens conducted research in a tri-state area to determine the best policies for protecting the Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle.

Changing Farming Methods — In conjunction with The Nature Conservancy, Jim Kitchens conducted a five-year study of Midwestern farmers’ willingness to institute conservation farming methods.

Statewide Environmental Attitudes — Working with a coalition of environmental and conservation groups in North Carolina, Jim Kitchens conducted focus groups of voters living in three distinct areas to find common environmental concerns. This was followed by three statewide surveys, including one survey of farmers in North Carolina.

Worldwide Research — Using the Internet, Jim conducted a worldwide survey of International Association of Conservation Biologists. Ninety-five percent of the members responded to the survey from places including the Australian Outback, the African Serengeti and the Black Forest of Europe.

Politics

The Four Pillars of the American Psyche is a new political communications model, which Jim Kitchens created based on his 25 years experience in the field and his academic background. The model is now being used in campaigns to analyze the potential persuasive impact of political campaign messages.

In 1980, Jim directed former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Jim Wright’s successful re-election against an attack campaign by an independent right-wing group. This campaign earned Jim Kitchens a national reputation and led to his consulting for 42 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Since 1980, he has worked on literally hundreds of political campaigns throughout the nation and at all levels of government. A sample of some notable races include:

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner — After three consecutive Louisiana Insurance Commissioners were convicted of crimes, Robert Wooley was appointed to the position. Jim Kitchens’ research indicated that it was essential for the Wooley campaign to educate the voters about his integrity and concern for the insurance commission. Robert Wooley was elected with 44,000 more votes than any other statewide candidate.

Missouri’s Riverboats Repeal Election — After Missouri passed legalized casino gambling and the gaming industry had invested more than $1 billion to build riverboat-style casinos, a technicality in the law led to the issue being put on the ballot again. If it failed, the casinos would have been forced to close. Jim Kitchens performed the survey research to develop the campaign message. The voters passed the measure to allow continued operation of these businesses.

Mayor Kip Holden, Baton Rouge — Mayor Kip Holden is the first African-American mayor in the city of Baton Rouge, where the majority of the population is white. Jim Kitchens was brought in by the Democratic Party to design and test the campaign’s messaging. Mayor Holden upset the incumbent Republican mayor.

The National Democratic Institute — This non-profit organization helps promote and conduct elections in emerging democracies. In countries holding democratic elections for the first time, polling data is compared to the election’s final outcome. A large discrepancy may indicate election fraud. Jim Kitchens was retained to design and execute a survey for the Armenian presidential elections. The Kitchens’ poll accurately reflected the election results. Citizens also expressed suspicion about voicing opposition to the government, a typical sentiment in post-Soviet countries, which the polling in Armenia confirmed.

2004 Presidential Elections — Jim Kitchens was hired to determine the profile of the swing voter in Florida for the 2004 Presidential election. Expanding the normal methodology, an anthropological study of target swing precincts was executed to determine the lifestyle factors related to swing voters. Jim Kitchens conducted focus groups and polls to develop a message targeted at these voters.

Business and Other Topics

Businesses often need to test messages or new products prior to their introduction into the marketplace to determine viability and/or potential problems. Jim Kitchens has worked with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies to understand public opinion and how to best position a product, service or message.

Jim Kitchens’ polling is not limited to business, politics or the environment. He has successfully executed telephone, Internet and focus group research for a variety of organizations and issues.

Disney’s Fast Pass — Walt Disney World has used Jim Kitchens’ expertise to help create the "Fast Pass," which allows visitors to schedule a time to get on a particular ride or attraction without standing in line. After a number of potential methods were tested, Walt Disney World selected the system that indicated the highest level of satisfaction among visitors.

Development Resistance Index^® — Working with a number of land conservation efforts and companies that would like to build new commercial developments, Jim Kitchens created the Development Resistance Index to test how open citizens would be to a proposed new commercial development. This method has been used to advise Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores and other commercial clients regarding the public’s perception of a proposed development. The study of the reliability and validity of this index was published in the North American Journal of Psychology.

Stress Test — The American Psychologists Association asked Jim Kitchens to execute a national survey regarding Americans’ feelings about stress, mental health and health care habits. The survey indicated Americans feel high levels of stress about numerous situations and over one-third reported having had a stress-related illness.