The Federal Government’s Favorables Fall Even Farther
Americans continue to hold their local and state governments in fairly high esteem, but positive views of the federal government are at their lowest point in at least a decade.
In the Public Eye: Who’s Up (Al Gore) And Who’s Down (Oprah Winfrey)
Since endorsing Obama, the talk show host’s popularity has fallen among Republicans while the former vice president now rivals Obama and tops Clinton in favorability.
Public Says Press Should Not Declare Obama the Winner
Fully 72% of the public – including comparable percentages of Democrats, Republicans and independents – say that journalists should not be anointing Obama as the Democratic nominee at this stage in the race.
An Increase in GOP Doubt About Global Warming Deepens Partisan Divide
The proportion of Americans who say that the earth is getting warmer has decreased modestly since January 2007, mostly because of a decline among Republicans.
Pocketbooks Top Politics
The presidential campaign once again was the most heavily covered story of the week, accounting for 38% of all news coverage. The public, however, was more interested in rising gas prices and the economy, both topics that received far less media coverage.
Pope Benedict’s Image Improves Following U.S. Visit
Currently, 61% of Americans say they have a favorable impression of the pontiff, up from 52% in late March, while views of his outreach to other faiths have also shown substantial improvement.
Democratic Campaign Taking a Toll on Both Obama and Clinton
In four separate surveys conducted since March 20, when asked about each of the Democratic candidates, between 25%-31% of the public has said their opinions have recently become less favorable.
Obama’s Lead Over Clinton Disappears; Unfavorables Rise for Both Candidates
Barack Obama’s slipping support for the Democratic nomination reflects a modest decline in his personal image rather than improved impressions of Hillary Clinton. Both retain advantage over McCain as economy tops public’s concerns.
More Americans View Campaign As Too Negative
Barack Obama’s ‘bitter’ comment registered widely but just 29% of Americans say they paid very close attention to news about the presidential campaign last week, the lowest percentage recorded since December 2007.
Less News is Good News for McCain
While McCain has been consistently less visible to the public, far more Americans say the news they have been hearing about him is generally positive than say the same about coverage of Obama or Clinton.
