Politics Daily

Half of Americans Approve of Obama's Handling of Libya

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-22T12:46:00+00:00

Filed under: Polls, Foreign Policy, Obama Administration, Poll Watch, Independents

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 performance on Libya and other foreign policy matters than on some major domestic issues. The CBS poll found that Republicans, who uniformly give Obama low marks on domestic issues, particularly health care, the economy and the deficit, approve of his handling of the Libya situation by a 43 percent to 41 percent margin.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll, conducted March 18-20, found that 54 percent of those surveyed approved of Obama's handling of foreign affairs, and 50 percent agree with the way he's dealt with the Libyan crisis. By contrast, CNN's polling found that only 36 percent approved of Obama's handling of the deficit, 39 percent approved of his economic policy and 41 percent liked the way he was handling health care.

While the CBS poll found little change in Obama's overall job approval rating -- 49 percent approve and 41 percent disapprove -- there was a good sign for him in the fact that independents, who soured on him last year, approved of his performance by 46 percent to 39 percent, with the remainder undecided.

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Opposition Rises to Increased Nuclear Power Use; Offshore Drilling Support Rebounds

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-21T17:08:00+00:00

Filed under: Polls, Energy, Poll Watch

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 of those surveyed by Pew following the drama at Japan's nuclear plants said they opposed increased use of nuclear power compared to 39 percent who supported it. That's a turnaround from February 2010, when 52 percent favored increased use of nuclear power and 41 percent were opposed.

Pew's measures of public opinion on nuclear plants has fluctuated over recent years between support and opposition for more use of nuclear power plants.

A Gallup poll conducted March 15 found that 47 percent opposed building more nuclear plants compared to 44 percent in favor, a turnaround from the 57 percent to 38 percent margin of support for more plants in a previous poll. But Gallup's polling figures shows more consistent support over the years for more plants. (Pew asked respondents if they favored or opposed "promoting the increased use of nuclear power" while Gallup asked if those surveyed favored or opposed "construction of nuclear power plants in the U.S."

After last year's Deepwater Horizon spill occurred, support for more offshore oil drilling fell from 63 percent in in February 2010, just prior to the spill, to 44 percent, with 52 percent opposing increased drilling. But Pew's latest poll finds support for increased drilling has rebounded to 57 percent who are in favor of it, compared to 37 percent who are opposed.

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Democrats, Republicans, Independents Differ on Issues That Worry Them Most

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-21T11:51:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Environment, Crime, Health Care, Race Issues, Immigration, Polls, Poll Watch, Independents, Deficit, Jobs, Economy

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 Social Security, according to a Gallup poll conducted March 3-6.

But looked at along party lines, federal spending tops the list for Republicans at 79 percent, with the economy a close second at 76 percent. The size and power of government is a major worry for 62 percent of Republicans, compared to 48 percent for the overall public. Illegal immigration is another issue higher on the list for Republicans (at 55 percent) than it is for the general public (42 percent).

Democrats put health care at the top of their list with 69 percent saying that's their top worry, followed by the economy at 64 percent, unemployment at 60 percent and Social Security at 53 percent.

Among independents, the order of concerns is: the economy (72 percent), federal spending (65 percent), health care (58 percent) and unemployment (55 percent).

The issue Americans worry about least is race relations, which only 16 percent call a top worry, with the environment second to last at 34 percent. In between, for the public at large, is availability and affordability of energy (46 percent), crime and violence (44 percent), illegal immigration (42 percent), hunger and homelessness (41 percent), possibility of a terrorist attack in the U.S. (40 percent) and drug use (40 percent).

Health care did not break into the ranks of top concerns for Republicans, and a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, conducted March 8-13, shows that it continues to be a polarizing issues, with Republicans strongly opposed to the year-old reform measure and Democrats strongly in support.

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Poll: Slim Majority Supports Gay Marriage

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-03-18T12:08:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Gay Rights, Obama Administration, Poll Watch, Conservatives

For the first time, more Americans support legalization of same-sex marriage than oppose it, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey, showing 53 percent backing for gay marriage, comes amid signs of increased acceptance of homosexuals in the U.S. Just five years go in polling by the same news group, only 36 percent favored gay marriage, the Post said.

Taken last weekend, the new survey asked a random sample of 1,005 adults, "Do you think it should be legal or illegal for gay and lesbian couples to get married?" Support for that proposition grew among college-educated whites, political independents, and respondents who didn't regard themselves as religious, the Post said. Men, in general, were on the positive side of the question at the same rate as women.

Republicans, conservatives and white evangelical Christians were among the 44 percent opposed. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Brian Brown, a gay marriage foe and president of the National Organization for Marriage, said the term "illegal" may have skewed the numbers, since most Americans wouldn't favor imprisonment for violating a law against same-sex marriage. But Brown noted that voters in 31 states have approved ballot issues banning gay marriage.

Although a bill legalizing gay marriage failed this month in the Maryland legislature, gay-rights advocates have had their share of victories. Congress last year repealed the Pentagon's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibited openly gay men and women from serving in the military. And the Obama administration announced last month that it would no longer defend in court a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act -- which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, said the Post-ABC findings were "consistent with a lot of other polling data we've seen, and the general momentum we seen over the past year and a half. As people have come to understand this is about loving, committed families dealing, like everyone, with tough times, they understand how unfair it is to treat them differently."

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As States Struggle With Deficits, Few Proposals for Cutting Red Ink Get Majority Support

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-17T13:10:00+00:00

Filed under: Budget, Polls, Poll Watch, Deficit

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 opposed measures that included reducing spending on roads, increasing state income taxes, cutting Medicaid funding, closing state parks, reducing public school aid, laying off public school teachers, or laying off police and firemen.

Support for Construction of Nuclear Plants in the U.S. Drops Following Japan Crisis

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-17T12:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Polls, Energy, Poll Watch

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 lot or a little more concerned about the prospects of a nuclear disaster in the U.S., with 39 percent saying they were "a lot more concerned." Twenty-seven percent said they were not more concerned.

Despite the noticeable drop in support for construction of nuclear plants in the latest poll, Gallup said, "It is not clear, however, what long-term impact the Japanese incident will have on Americans' support for nuclear power, which has been consistently above a majority and higher than it was a decade ago."

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Hillary Clinton Popular With Public but Finished With Government After 2012

Politics Daily Staff — 2011-03-17T10:36:00+00:00

Filed under: Hillary Clinton, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Obama Administration, Poll Watch, 2012 Elections

Nearly two out of three Americans like the job Hillary Clinton is doing as secretary of state, a new poll finds. But the former first lady and senator reaffirmed Wednesday that she is working her last government job and will get out of politics for good after 2012.

Clinton, interviewed by CNN in Cairo, said she is "moving on" after she completes her fourth year of service in the Obama administration. "I have the best job I could ever have. This is a moment in history where it is almost hard to catch your breath," she said. ". . . There isn't anything I can imagine doing after this that would be as demanding, as challenging, or rewarding."

The CNN/Opinion Research survey, taken last Friday and Saturday, said 65 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Clinton, including 92 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of independents. Thirty-one percent overall, and six out of 10 Republicans, had a negative opinion. The survey of 1,023 adults had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Mrs. Clinton, who has been connected with public service for most of her adulthood, said she wants to return to private life, possibly as an advocate for women and children. If she is asked, she said she would not accept another cabinet position or the vice presidency. And she said she would not run for president in 2016. "I have no intention or any idea even of running again," Clinton said.

Watch Wolf Blitzer's interview with Clinton, courtesy CNN.

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Palin Seen More Negatively by Republicans Than Other Possible 2012 Candidates, Poll Finds

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-16T14:34:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Polls, Sarah Palin, 2012 President, Poll Watch, Newt Gingrich

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 of those seeing her unfavorably was 30 percent.

The only other potential candidate who came close was Newt Gingrich, who was see unfavorably by 26 percent.

Palin's 37 percent unfavorable number included those who had "somewhat" or "strongly" unfavorable opinions. Seventeen percent had a strongly unfavorable view of Palin, while all the other Republicans were in single digits in that column.

Mike Huckabee was the most popular in the poll, with 61 percent seeing him favorably and 18 percent unfavorably. Mitt Romney was next, with 60 percent seeing him favorably and 21 percent unfavorably.

The numbers for Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman and Mitch Daniels don't mean much because 57 percent or more of those surveyed in each case didn't know enough to have an opinion.

A Bloomberg poll, conducted March 4-7 among all adults and not just Republicans, found 60 percent with a negative opinion of Palin.

When the Washington Post/ABC News poll of all adults conducted last December asked respondents whether they would support Palin for president or even consider it, 59 percent said they would not.

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Republicans Losing Their Advantage on How to Handle the Deficit, Poll Finds

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-16T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Polls, Obama Administration, Poll Watch, Deficit, Economy

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 last year's midterm elections.

The Post/ABC News poll found a majority disapproving of Obama's handling of the economy, but those surveyed still said they trusted him more to do a better job in dealing with the issue than the Republicans.

When it comes to the deficit issue, Pew had found last November that 35 percent thought the Republicans had a better approach than Obama compared to 24 percent who preferred Obama's approach. Thirty-three percent said there was not much difference between the two and 8 percent were undecided.

But in its latest poll, conducted March 8-14, the percentage of those who believed Republicans had a better approach dropped to 21 percent, almost the same as the 20 percent who favored Obama. The percentage of those who said there was not much difference between the two jumped to 52 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

The poll found that the deficit issue now ranks third when it comes to the public's top economic concerns, although the percentage of those who express concern about the deficit is rising. Gallup noted a similar trend in a January poll.

Thirty-four percent cite jobs as the top economic concern, followed by 28 percent who worry most about rising prices. Twenty-four percent named the deficit as the top problem, up from about 15 percent in Pew's last two surveys. Ten percent name problems in the financial and housing markets as the top concern.

When it comes to ways to reduce the deficit, those surveyed were in favor of lowering domestic spending by a 61 percent to 30 percent margin. Americans were roughly split on whether defense spending should be reduced, with 49 percent saying it should and 47 percent disagreeing, which was within the poll's 3-point margin of error. Nearly two-thirds opposed making changes to Social Security or raising taxes.

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Huckabee, Bachmann Score Highest in GOP 2012 Field on 'Positive Intensity' of Support

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-15T16:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Polls, Sarah Palin, 2012 President, Poll Watch, Newt Gingrich

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 subtracting the "strongly unfavorable" number for those names that they recognized.

One problem with this measure is the significant differences among the GOP field when it comes to name recognition. Huckabee, Newt Gingrich (in third place as far as positive intensity), Sarah Palin (fourth place) and Mitt Romney (sixth place) are recognized by 81 percent or more of those surveyed, with Palin having the highest recognition at 96 percent.

Bachmann may hold second place when it comes to positive intensity, but that's based on responses from the 52 percent who recognize her name. Rick Santorum beats out Romney when it comes to positive intensity, but that's based on the much smaller pool of 42 percent who know his name.

The showings by Bachmann and Santorum could be explained by the fact that, although they are known by a far smaller group of Republicans, their conservative credentials make them a hit among those who know them because they are their target audiences.

Gallup didn't consider any of the scores, including Huckabee's, to demonstrate a high level of intensely positive opinions.

For the Republicans who do have high name recognition, Gallup says the challenge is to "translate that name identification into strongly positive reactions from Republican voters."

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Poll Shows Faith in Government Plummets; Warning Signs for Republicans Emerge

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-15T11:11:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Polls, Obama Administration, Afghanistan, Poll Watch, Independents, Congress, Economy

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 who expressed optimism represented the lowest number in 35 years.

That compares to February 1999 when 54 percent described themselves as optimistic and 19 percent as pessimistic, with 27 percent uncertain and 1 percent undecided.

The Post/ABC finding comes on the heels of a Gallup poll conducted March 3-6 that showed the percentage of Americans who approved of the way Congress is doing its job dropping to 18 percent, after being in the low 20s in January and February.

Much of the sour outlook appears to stem from public perceptions of the economy, but there are also strong signs of disgruntlement with Republicans, who captured the House last November and strengthened their position in the Senate.

Fifty-three percent do not believe that the economy has begun to recover compared to 46 percent who think it has, with 1 percent undecided. While a majority still holds that view, it is an improvement over December when 57 percent said they saw no improvement.

Forty-nine percent said the economic stimulus program pushed through the last Congress by President Obama and the Democrats had no effect on the economy. Twenty-eight percent said it helped and 21 percent said it had hurt.

Fifty-five percent disapproved of Obama's handling of the economy compared to 43 percent who approved, with 2 percent undecided. That represented an uptick in the percentage of those who disapproved of the job Obama was doing on the economy, and his worst showing since last September.

But that was not necessarily good news for Republicans. Forty-six percent trusted Obama more than the Republicans to do a better job handling the economy compared to 34 percent who believed the Republicans would do a better job, with the remainder answering "both" or "neither."

Those surveyed said Obama represented their values more than the Republicans by a 46 percent to 41 percent margin, with 1 percent undecided. Forty-seven percent said Obama better understood the economic problems people were having than the Republicans, compared to 35 percent who said the Republicans understood better, with the remainder answering both or neither.

ABC polling analyst Gary Langer said, "The drop in trust to handle the economy has occurred chiefly among independents, now drawing away from the GOP after rallying to its side. As recently as January, 42 percent of independents preferred the Republicans in Congress over Obama to handle the economy. Today just 29 percent say the same, and there's been a rise in the number who volunteer that they don't trust either side."

Another possible factor in the overall gloom about government is the continuing war in Afghanistan. Sixty-four percent of Americans do not believe the war is worth fighting, a number that has been rising steadily since last April, when it stood at 52 percent.

Seventy-three percent said the U.S. should withdraw a substantial number of combat troops by this summer. Eighty-seven percent of Democrats held that view, as did 78 percent of independents. Fifty-six percent of Republicans, who have been more supportive than Democrats of the war effort, said the U.S. should withdraw troops.

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New Poll Shows Public Split Over U.S. Enforcing a Libya 'No-Fly' Zone

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-14T17:21:00+00:00

Filed under: Polls, Foreign Policy, Poll Watch

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 undecided.

Most Americans Back a 'No-Fly Zone' Over Libya, But Oppose Stronger Moves

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-14T14:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Polls, Foreign Policy, Obama Administration, Poll Watch

A majority of Americans support establishing a "no-fly zone" over Libya as a way of supporting rebels there who appear to be losing ground to the forces of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted March 11-13. But, at the same time, most oppose more aggressive military action.

The idea of enforcing a no-fly zone to take away the Gadhafi's ability to use warplanes in the fight against his opposition has drawn support from some leading senators like Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry and John McCain, the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

But although President Obama said he was keeping all options on the table in regard to Libya, other administration officials like Defense Secretary Robert Gates and White House Chief of Staff have expressed caution about moving down that path.

In the CNN poll, 56 percent of those surveyed said they supported the idea of the U.S. and other countries establishing a no-fly zone, while 40 percent were opposed, with 4 percent undecided. Fifty-three percent back sending arms and supplies to the rebels while 43 percent are opposed, with 4 percent undecided.

CNN polling director Keating Holland said, "The no-fly zone wins support from Democrats and Republicans alike, with virtually no partisan differences. That's rare in politics these days. A gender gap does exist though, which is typical for questions on military action. More than sixty percent of men favor a no-fly zone, compared to 50 percent of women."

However, the public opposes using planes and missiles to strike at Gadhafi's forces by a 62 percent to 32 percent margin, with 6 percent undecided. And, it opposes using ground troops by 76 percent to 22 percent, with 2 percent undecided.

About 7 of 10 Americans say the removal of Gadhafi is a very or somewhat important foreign policy goal for the U.S., but most of those (47 percent) are in the "somewhat important" category.

When it comes to Obama's handling of the situation, 45 percent approve and 40 percent disapprove, with 15 percent undecided. Obama gets a slightly higher mark for his handling of the unrest sweeping across many Arab nations in the Mideast, with 49 percent approving of his performance while 43 percent do not, with 8 percent undecided.

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Americans Turning More to Mobile Devices for News

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-14T00:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Media, Polls, Poll Watch

The struggling newspaper industry has been frantically trying to reinvent itself to stay alive in the digital age by beefing up Web operations and packaging its contents for mobile devices. But while there has been rapid growth in the use of smartphones and tablets, like the iPad, to get news and information, a new study did not find a lot of bright spots for local papers.

A survey conducted Jan. 12-25 by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the Knight Foundation found that nearly half of all Americans - 47 percent -- get at least some local news and information on their cellphone or tablet computer.

Forty-two percent use their devices to check up on the weather, 37 percent use them to get information on local restaurants and businesses, 30 percent search out local news, 24 percent follow local sports scores and updates, 19 percent want to find local coupons and discounts, and 15 percent get news alerts.

But while more and more newspapers have developed "apps" for this mobile audience, only 13 percent say they have used them. And that number includes not only apps from news organizations but specialized apps that provide online classified advertising, like Craigslist, and such programs as the Girl Scouts' Cookie Locator app, which helps users find the nearest location to buy Girl Scout cookies.

Only 10 percent of adults who use mobile apps to connect to news and information pay for them, which works out to just 1 percent of the overall adult population.

About three-quarters of those surveyed said they would not be willing to pay to get full access to the content of their local paper online.

Worse yet for newspapers is that a plurality of those surveyed - 39 percent - say the loss of their local newspaper would have no impact on their ability to keep up with news and information in their area. (Forty-two percent of those who are mobile news consumers say the loss of the paper would have no impact). Thirty-nine percent said it would have a minor impact.

Only 28 percent said the loss of the local paper would have a major impact and those tend to be adults over 50, non-Internet users and people who have lived in their community for more than 20 years.

The study said that tablets, like the iPad, "have become one of the most quickly adopted consumer goods of the recent era," with their use almost doubling in four months time, from 4 percent to 7 percent.

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Congressional Approval Drops Below 20 Percent, Poll Finds

Christopher Weber — 2011-03-11T16:40:00+00:00

Filed under: House, Democrats, Republicans, Poll Watch, Congress, Conservatives

Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing is on the decline again, hitting 18 percent this month after inching above the 20 percent mark in February, according to a new poll out Friday.

The Gallup survey found that Congress' approval rating is "essentially back to where it was just after last November's midterm elections."

Following a historical trend, voters' approval bumped up slightly when the new Congress took office in January, giving the GOP control of the House. Americans generally feel better about their representatives on Capitol Hill immediately following power shifts. But this year it didn't last.

Friday's approval (or disapproval) numbers fall evenly along party lines, with just 20 percent of both Republicans and Democrats giving thumbs up to Congress, according to Gallup. Fifteen percent of independents approve.

Since Gallup began tracking the measure in 1974, congressional approval has averaged about 34 percent. Since 2008, however, Congress' approval rating has been below 20 percent in 15 of 39 months, including a record-low 13 percent last December.

Read the complete results of Gallup's new poll here.

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Sarah Palin's Popularity Slips to 60 Percent Disapproval Rate in Poll

Tom Diemer — 2011-03-11T16:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Sarah Palin, 2012 President, Poll Watch, Economy, Barack Obama

Sarah Palin, perhaps the most closely watched of all potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates, is viewed in an unfavorable light by 60 percent of those questioned in a new Bloomberg News poll.

Palin's numbers suggest she would face a challenge in attracting voters beyond her conservative base if she decides to run for president next year. Bloomberg's survey of 1,001 adults was taken between March 4-7 by the Iowa firm, Selzer & Co. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Within the 60 percent who disapproved of Palin, 38 percent said they had "very unfavorable" feelings about her. She was viewed favorably by 28 percent, with only 4 percent not sure how they felt. A December Bloomberg poll had Palin's unfavorable rating at 57 percent.

But the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee isn't holding back. On Thursday night, Palin told Fox News she thought union bosses were "acting like thugs" in their fight against a bill in Wisconsin taking away public employees' collective bargaining rights. Labor leaders should "turn down the rhetoric and start getting truth out there so nobody gets hurt," she said.

There was good news for President Obama in the Bloomberg poll: 45 percent said he had a "better vision" for the nation's economic future than the Republican opposition. One-third (33 percent) of the sample preferred the GOP approach, and 22 percent didn't like either or weren't sure.

Watch Fox' Sean Hannity's interview with Palin.

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Democrats, Republicans Disagree on Peter King's Muslim Hearings, Poll Finds

Christopher Weber — 2011-03-10T12:36:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Republicans, Poll Watch, Congress, Conservatives, Islam

Opinions fall largely along party lines regarding Rep. Peter King's hearings examining the threat of radical Islam in America, with Republicans much more likely to say they are appropriate, according to a new poll.

The USA Today/Gallup survey found that 52 percent of all Americans said they support the New York Republican's exploration of the issue, compared to 69 percent of Republicans. Just 40 percent of Democrats said the hearings are appropriate.

Gallup said independents' views were similar to the national average, with 51 percent supporting King.

King heads the House Homeland Security Committee, which is holding hearings Thursday that critics say scapegoats Muslim Americans for the threat of terror attacks on U.S. soil.

Poll Finds Sharp Partisan Divide on Islam-Violence Connection

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-09T11:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Democrats, Polls, Poll Watch, Mayors, Tea Party, Islam

While Americans overall are almost evenly divided on the question of whether Islam is more likely to encourage violence, there is a sharp partisan divide on the subject, with Republicans and tea party movement supporters believing strongly that it does, while Democrats disagree, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted Feb. 22-March 1.

The subject has been brought into sharp focus with a hearing scheduled for Thursday by Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, on "Radicalization in the American Muslim community."

Forty-two percent of those surveyed said Islam doesn't encourage violence more than other religions while 40 percent said it does, with 18 percent undecided. That result is more closely divided than in the last two years Pew asked the question. In August 2010, the public said Islam did not encourage violence more than others by a 42 percent to 35 percent, and in 2009 they held that view by a 45 percent to 38 percent margin, with the remainder in both years undecided.

In March 2002, 51 percent had said Islam does not encourage violence more than others, compared to 25 percent who said it did.

Republicans who identify themselves as conservatives believe Islam encourages violence more than other religions by 66 percent to 21 percent, with the rest undecided. Those who align with the tea party movement share that view by a margin of 67 percent to 24 percent.

Democrats who consider themselves to be liberals reject that view of Islam as encouraging violence more than others by 61 percent to 29 percent, and moderate-to-conservative Democrats reject it by 48 percent to 31 percent.

Among other religious groups, Protestants overall believe by 46 percent to 37 percent that Islam encourages violence more than others, with white evangelicals holding that opinion by 60 percent to 24 percent. White mainline Protestants are evenly divided at 42 percent each.

Catholics reject the idea that Islam encourages more violence by 45 percent to 35 percent.

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Sharp Partisan Divide Over Government Role in Fighting Obesity, Poll Finds

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-08T13:58:00+00:00

Filed under: Polls, Sarah Palin, Poll Watch, Congress, Michelle Obama, Tea Party

The campaign against obesity launched just over a year ago by Michelle Obama has attracted its share of criticism and derision from conservatives such as Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Michele Bachmann.

Bachmann accused the first lady last month of trying to create a "nanny state" because of her proposal to encourage breastfeeding as a way to reduce the childhood obesity problem. Palin told conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham last November, "What [Mrs. Obama] is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat." And Limbaugh recently called her a hypocrite for preaching good nutrition habits but tucking into a meal of chili short ribs on a recent skiing trip.

(Not all conservatives share those negative views. On some of the Sunday talk shows last month, Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie, both politicians who have wrestled with their own weight problems, defended Mrs. Obama's anti-obesity efforts).

But a new Pew Research Center poll, conducted Feb. 22-March 1, makes clear that Republicans and adherents of the tea party movement are strongly against government involvement in efforts to tackle weight issues.

Americans overall support a "significant role" for government when it comes to reducing obesity. Fifty-seven percent say the government should be involved compared to 39 percent who disagree, with 3 percent undecided. That said, the public does not think the fight against obesity should be a top government priority, with only 19 percent of those surveyed saying that it should.

However, 57 percent of Republicans say the government should not be involved, and the percentage is a little higher among those who describe themselves as conservative (61 percent).

Sixty-five percent of those who agree with the tea party movement say the government should not play a role.

Seventy-one percent of Democrats favor a government role, as do 57 percent of independents.

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Lack of a GOP Front-Runner for 2012 at Odds With Republican History

Bruce Drake — 2011-03-07T11:51:00+00:00

Filed under: Republicans, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Polls, Sarah Palin, 2012 President, Poll Watch, Newt Gingrich

Although the contest for the GOP presidential nomination may seem far away (for all except those gearing up for it), there has been a lot of comment about the potential Republican field, ranging from those who regard it as weak to the fact that no one has emerged yet as a front-runner, at least according to polls.

Gallup says that situation is not typical. In reviewing its polling dating back to 1952, Gallup notes that in every presidential year up until now, there was a clear front-runner at this stage of the campaign and that, in most but not all cases, the front-runner won the nomination.

There have been a few twists and turns in that general pattern. It may have faded from memory now, but in 2007, Rudolph Giuliani was way out in front in Republican preference polls, leading John McCain by 42 percent to 25 percent in February of that year, with the remainder of support spread among other candidates or undecided. Giuliani faded fast after making the mistake of skipping the early primary states, and McCain, who had been the presumed front-runner aside from the 2007 poll, got a scare when Mike Huckabee went from a blip on pollsters' radar screens to winning the Iowa caucuses.

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