Half of Americans Approve of Obama's Handling of Libya
President Obama's handling of Libya gets the approval of half of Americans who have an opinion on it (and about one-fifth do not), despite criticism from right, left and abroad, according to a CBS News poll conducted March 18-21. (Poll data here.) Critics say the administration waited too long to act or, once it did, took military action whose goals were not as defined as Obama had said they would be. Fifty percent said they approved of Obama's handling of the situation, 29 percent disapproved, while 21 percent expressed no opinion. Obama does better when it comes to ratings on his ...
Opposition Rises to Increased Nuclear Power Use; Offshore Drilling Support Rebounds
How long lasting are the effects of disasters on public opinion? The nuclear plant crisis that resulted from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has prompted a spike in opposition in the U.S. to increased use of nuclear power, much like the rise in opposition to increased offshore oil drilling following the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that was set off last April by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform. But almost a year later, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted March 17-20, support for more offshore oil drilling has rebounded. Fifty-two percent ...
Democrats, Republicans, Independents Differ on Issues That Worry Them Most
The top five issues that Americans worry about the most would not surprise anyone -- the economy, federal spending and the deficit, availability and affordability of health care, unemployment and the Social Security system. But one polling snapshot zeroes in on the difference in emphasis that Republicans, Democrats and independents regard as the top issues. For the overall population, 71 percent say they worry a great deal about the economy, 64 percent name federal spending and the deficit, 58 percent are concerned about health care, 57 percent fret about unemployment and 51 percent mention ...
As States Struggle With Deficits, Few Proposals for Cutting Red Ink Get Majority Support
When it comes to dealing with the gaping budget deficits plaguing many states, public opinion presents the same dilemma for governors and lawmakers as it does for policymakers in Washington: while everyone wants to see deficits cut, few of the specific ways to achieve that result command majority support. In a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted March 10-13, only two of 12 ways of dealing with deficits were supported by a majority of those surveyed -- freezing wages for state employees (55 percent) and reducing their pension benefits (51 percent). But between 61 percent and 89 percent ...
Support for Construction of Nuclear Plants in the U.S. Drops Following Japan Crisis
The nuclear crisis in Japan has had its impact on U.S. public opinion about construction of nuclear power plants here, with 47 percent now in opposition to building more plants compared to 44 percent who favor doing so, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 15. Nine percent were undecided. Prior to the Japan disaster, a large majority of Americans supported the construction of nuclear power plants, peaking at 62 percent last year, and slipping only slightly to 57 percent in Gallup's last pre-crisis survey in early March. Seventy percent of those surveyed said they now were a ...
Palin Seen More Negatively by Republicans Than Other Possible 2012 Candidates, Poll Finds
If Sarah Palin is seriously considering a run for president in 2012, the latest poll on her standing among Republican candidates contains the same kind of bad news found in earlier surveys. A Washington Post/ABC News poll, conducted March 10-13, found that among eight frequently mentioned candidates, Palin was viewed negatively by a significantly higher percentage of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents than the others. (Story; Poll data). While 58 percent expressed a favorable view of her, those seeing her unfavorably added up to 37 percent. That's a jump from a year ago when the number ...
Republicans Losing Their Advantage on How to Handle the Deficit, Poll Finds
A new poll released Wednesday echoes what a Washington Post/ABC News poll reported a day earlier: President Obama doesn't get good marks for his handling of issues involving the economy, but faith in Republicans doing a better job has slipped. While the way the questions were framed in the Post/ABC News poll was different from the one by the Pew Research Center -- the Post/ABC survey focused on the economy in general and the Pew poll focused on dealing with the deficit -- the results point to a similar trend suggesting a drop in enthusiasm for Republican policies since the party won big in ...
Huckabee, Bachmann Score Highest in GOP 2012 Field on 'Positive Intensity' of Support
Mike Huckabee and Michele Bachmann score the best among the field of potential GOP presidential candidates when it comes to a "positive intensity score" calculated by Gallup, but neither they or anyone else in the Republican field generates a high level of intensely positive opinions. Gallup arrived at this measure by asking Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, in a poll conducted Feb. 28-March 13, whether they had a strongly favorable, favorable, unfavorable or strongly unfavorable opinion of each potential candidate that they recognized. The intensity score is arrived at by ...
Poll Shows Faith in Government Plummets; Warning Signs for Republicans Emerge
While voters may have vented their anger at Washington in last year's elections and altered the balance of power, the public at large is no happier now with the way government is working, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted March 10-13. Almost half of those surveyed -- 49 percent -- express uncertainty about "our system of government and how well it works" and what it portends for the future. Twenty-six percent said they were optimistic about how well the system of government would serve the nation and 23 percent were pessimistic, with 7 percent undecided. The 26 percent ...
New Poll Shows Public Split Over U.S. Enforcing a Libya 'No-Fly' Zone
In contrast to an earlier CNN poll showing a majority of Americans supporting establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, another survey released Tuesday finds the public almost evenly split on whether the U.S. should taker such action. A Pew Research Center poll, conducted March 10-13, shows that a slim majority (51 percent) favor increasing sanctions on Libya, but when it comes to enforcing a no-fly zone, 45 percent are opposed while 44 percent favor doing so, with 11 percent undecided. The CNN poll said Americans favored a no-fly zone by a 56 percent to 40 percent margin, with 4 percent ...
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