Politics

reportJun 25, 2009

Perils of Polling in Election ’08
reportJun 25, 2009

Perils of Polling in Election ’08

Despite such challenges as a growing wireless-only population, possible racially-related response bias and greater-than-usual difficulties in forecasting turnout, polllsters’ methods were evidently adequate to the task.
reportJun 24, 2009

Pollwatch: Comparing the Polls on Spending and the Deficit
reportJun 24, 2009

Strong Public Interest in Iranian Election Protests

Summary of Findings The dramatic events in Iran last week captured the attention of both the public and the media as Americans tracked news about post-election protests in Tehran nearly as closely as they followed news about the troubled U.S. economy. Two-in-ten say they followed news about the street protests over disputed election results – […]
reportJun 24, 2009

Romney’s Image Improves; Palin Well Regarded by Republican Base

Overview Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has seen his favorability ratings improve and now enjoys a positive balance of opinion among the general public: 40% rate him favorably, 28% unfavorably. This marks a reversal of opinion from February 2008, during the latter stages of the GOP primary campaign, when just 30% viewed him favorably and […]
reportJun 24, 2009

Pollwatch: Comparing the Polls on Spending and the Deficit

How the question is phrased has a clear impact on whether the public rates deficit reduction or stimulus spending more important.
reportJun 19, 2009

Public More Optimistic About the Economy, But Still Reluctant to Spend

Overview The public is increasingly optimistic that the nation’s economy will improve in the next year, while a growing number also expect their personal finances to get better. But this has not caused people to open their wallets: The proportion saying they have cut back on personal spending remains as high as it was earlier […]
reportJun 18, 2009

Obama’s Ratings Remain High Despite Some Policy Concerns

Overview A solid majority of Americans (61%) continue to approve of Barack Obama’s job performance, although they express mixed views of several of his policies. An important positive sign for Obama is the public’s continued optimism that his policies will improve the economy – fully 65% express this view. A smaller majority (55%) is optimistic […]
reportJun 17, 2009

Employment News Seen As Overwhelmingly Bad

Summary of Findings Americans by a wide margin say they are hearing mostly negative news about the nation’s job situation, though they are more likely to sense a mix of good and bad news about other elements of the economy. With the jobless rate climbing, seven-in-ten (71%) say they are hearing mostly bad news about […]
reportJun 11, 2009

Week’s Major News Stories Draw Different Audiences

Summary of Findings Americans divided their attention among several major stories last week as President Obama reached out to the Muslim world in a major speech, a jetliner crashed into the Atlantic Ocean and General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection. At the same time, they continued to keep a close watch on news about the […]