Every week or two, a new poll pops up on the Stressed Out Nurses Web site. Some are serious. Some are goofy. All reveal interesting results. During the past few months, we’ve asked you questions about the nursing shortage, movies, summer vacation, the presidential election, and fast food. More often than not, your answers raised a few eyebrows.

Wondering where your answers ranked among the rest? Or perhaps you’re just curious about who the nursing community would elect as their fearless leader. Either way, here are the results:

• We asked you about the impending nursing shortage in the United States and, expectedly, the vast majority (85%) expressed concern about it. Only 9% were unsure of their opinion, and 6% said they weren’t too worried.
• Turning to our furry (or slimy or scaly) friends, we asked you about your favorite kind of pet. It was a cat-and-dog fight for a while, but the pups came out with a 54% to 32% edge. Just 7% of you confessed that you weren’t pet people, while 2% of respondents prefer fish. Interestingly, 5% of you selected “other,” giving snakes, monkeys, hamsters, and pigs their due.
• Before a so-so summer of movies, we asked you what you thought would be the blockbuster of 2007. Most of you are wizard fans, giving Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 52% of the vote. The Simpsons (19%) and Transformers (15%) were close behind, while Sicko and “other” each garnered 7% of your love. The results? According to The Internet Movie Database, Transformers earned the most cash at the box office, raking in $313,588,051 (good for 21st of all time.) Harry Potter earned just below $290,000,000, and The Simpsons brought in a measly $181,673,339. Still, both found a spot in the top 100 of all time. There’s no sign of Sicko.
• Staying with the summer theme, we asked if you’d be taking a summer vacation this year. Only 62% said yes, meaning that nearly 40% didn’t take some time for themselves over the past few months. For those of you who did find a week or two to sightsee, snorkel, or skydive, we hope you enjoyed it.
• In the most popular poll of the past few months, we asked who would earn your vote in the presidential election. In a close race, Hillary Clinton knocked off Rudy Giuliani 36% to 28%. Surprisingly, the ever-present Barack Obama garnered only 8% of your vote, good for a three-way tie with John Edwards and John McCain. Twelve percent of you went with “other.”
• Fast food was on the menu in our next poll and the gal with the red hair earned the bulk of your votes. Most of you (35%) head to Wendy’s when you have a greasy craving. Taco Bell and McDonald’s tied with 14% of the vote, while Burger King earned only 7%. Health-food nuts can take comfort with the 21% that selected “Fast food? Gross!”
• Finally, we took a trip to the dark side, asking you where you picked up your morning coffee. “Other” took the crown with 45% of the vote, while Starbucks (25%) was tops among the big names. McDonald’s (10%) and Dunkin’ Donuts (5%) barely made a ripple in the coffee pool. Surprisingly, 15% of you selected “No coffee for me, thanks,” proving that caffeine, after all, is not necessary to sustaining life.

Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more great polls on our site. Got a question we should ask? Let us know at mbriddon@hcpro.com.