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One in Four Americans Believe the South Asian Tsunami Was an Act of God

Seattle, Washington - January 19, 2005 - Half of southern evangelicals and one in ten Catholics in America believe the devastation caused by the South Asian Tsunami was an act of God of religious significance, according to independent market research solutions company GMI, Inc.

"Horrendous tragedies like a tsunami are hard to comprehend and even when science offers an explanation of the forces and immediate causes, many are still left searching for a deeper explanation for why this occurred. Religion often provides a comforting answer," explains , COO and chief pollster at GMI.

GMI Poll™ conducted a 20,000 person survey on the South Asian Tsunami and Religion January 8 through 12 (representative samples of 1,000 persons in 20 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary*, India, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, United Kingdom, United States). The findings suggest that Christians were more likely than any other religion to identify the Tsunami as an act of God. Key findings include:

• Half of Malaysian respondents felt that the Tsunami was an act of God; similarly, half of Malaysian respondents indicated they were much closer to God after the Tsunami
• 27% of Russians, 26% of Americans, and 15% of Korean respondents felt that the Tsunami was an act of God
• 16% of all global respondents indicated that the Tsunami was an act of God

The survey also revealed differences in how distinct demographics responded to the questions. For example:

• Persons living in the Southeast U.S. were more likely to believe the Tsunami was an act of God when compared to other geographical regions

Respondents in Japan, a country where religion does not play a big role in everyday life of most people, did not attribute the Tsunami to God.

"The Japanese people have a pragmatic approach to religion and because of this don't turn to religion when a natural disaster, such as a tsunami, strikes," explains Dr. Donald Hellmann, Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington.

GMI Poll™ questions are designed to solicit opinions on numerous topical issues and critical global events. GMI surveys use highly profiled double opt-in panels from more than 500 global sources to help achieve 97% accuracy in their statistical results.

*GMI did not collect religious data in Hungary because it is prohibited by the Hungarian Government.

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About GMI Poll

GMI Poll quickly and accurately gathers international opinions about topical issues and critical global events, with real-time results available in as little as 24 hours. GMI Poll is the only survey that polls global opinions in real time, online, and with statistically accurate results.

About GMI

GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.) is the only company that provides comprehensive integrated solutions for global market intelligence for both market research firms and corporate market research departments at Global 2000 companies. Solutions include Net-MR®, a suite of software tools to manage and automate research throughout the project lifecycle, desktop analysis tools, 24x7x365 service bureau capabilities, and one of the world’s largest, highly profiled, double opt-in managed panels, spanning across 200 countries. In addition, GMI offers high-value, real-time enterprise feedback solutions for customer, partner and employee programs. Founded in 1999 with world headquartersin Seattle, Wash., GMI has operations on five continents.