Datapoints

Palin’s Prospects 11/18/2009 

Most major pollsters ask a basic question about whether people have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of many high-profile people. But CBS News (and its polling partner the New York Times) also gives people an opportunity to say they are undecided or haven’t heard enough about the person to say. When asked about former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a new poll, 23 percent had a favorable opinion, 38 percent an unfavorable one, but 37 percent said they hadn’t made up their minds yet. Those results were virtually identical to the CBS News results from July. In the new ABC News/Washington Post poll that doesn’t give people the opportunity to say they haven’t decided about her yet, 43 percent expressed a favorable opinion of Palin and 52 percent viewed her unfavorably. Although the balance of opinion in both polls is negative, the large undecided responses in the CBS poll may indicate that Palin has room to move opinions over time. In the poll, however, two-thirds said they would not like to see her run for president. Twenty-four percent said they would.

Source: CBS News, November 2009.

What Recovery? 11/16/2009 

Despite assurances from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other economists that the recession is likely over, Americans aren’t buying it. In a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, 82 percent said the recession wasn’t over, while only 16 percent said it was. In a question asked by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation at about the same time, 17 percent said the economy is starting to recover, 50 percent that conditions have stabilized and aren’t getting worse, and a third that the economy is still in a downturn with conditions getting worse.  

Source: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, October 2009.

Democrats in the News 11/12/2009 

Gallup recently updated the questions the organization asks about people in the news. In the poll, 56 percent had a favorable opinion of President Obama, down from 78 percent in January. Hillary Clinton’s October rating was 62 percent, slightly higher than the president’s rating and one of the best in the 17 years Gallup has asked the question about her. As for John Edwards, Gallup reports that it “has never before found as steep a decline in consecutive measurements for a prominent figure as it has for John Edwards.”

Source: The Gallup Organization, October 2009.

 

Communism’s End 11/05/2009 

A new poll from the Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that attitudes about the end of communism are broadly positive. There are sharp age differences in many countries, with younger people being more positive than older ones. In Russia, for example, 65 percent of 18- to  29-year-olds approve of the change from a one-party system to a multiparty system, while only 27 percent of those 65 and over do. In east Germany, 90 percent of the youngest age group approve of this change compared to 81 percent of those 65 and over. The graph shows results from Russia and east Germany about the change to democracy and the change to a market system.

Source: Pew Global Attitudes Project, August-September 2009.

The Fall of the Wall 11/05/2009 

People living in east and west Germany are broadly positive about German reunification, according to a new poll from the Pew Global Attitudes Project. Younger people in both east and west are more positive than older ones. In the poll, 63 percent of those 29 and older living in the east say their lives are better off as a result of reunification. Only 16 percent in the poll said they were worse.

*Note: In 1991, people were asked if they approved or disapproved of reunification. In 2009, they were asked whether they had a positive or negative opinion of reunification.

Source: Pew Global Attitudes Project, August–September 2009.

The Press vs. the Military 10/28/2009 

In wartime, relations between the press and the military tend to be strained. In a mid-October survey, the Pew Research Center asked people how much they trust the press and the military to report how the war in Afghanistan is going. The military, the most trusted institution in the country according to recent polling history, is trusted more than the media in this particular case. Thirty-six percent were not confident in the military’s reporting; 59 percent gave that response about the press.  

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, October 2009.

Global Warming 10/28/2009 

The countdown to Copenhagen, where nations will gather to discuss global climate change, continues, but most Americans aren’t paying much attention. In a new poll from the Pew Research Center, just 14 percent said they had heard a lot about “a policy being considered by the president and Congress” called “cap-and-trade” that would limits carbon dioxide emissions. Thirty percent had heard some about the policy, and 55 percent not at all. In another recent poll, a Pew IQ quiz, just 23 percent of those surveyed knew that the term “cap-and-trade” related to energy. In the new late September/early October Pew poll, 35 percent, down from 47 percent in April 2009, said the global warming problem was “very serious.”

Americans have agreed on the goals they want environmental policy to serve. They want a clean and healthful environment and are willing to pay for it. But they aren’t as engaged in discussing global warming in particular or how to reach environmental goals in general. That’s part of the reason for the low level of attention.

Source: Pew Research Center, September-October 2009.

Swine Flu Surge 10/27/2009 

President Obama has declared swine flu, or H1N1, a national emergency, and public concerns are rising. Fifty-two percent of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, up from 39 percent in August, said that they were concerned that they or someone in their immediate family would get the swine flu. In the poll, 67 percent expressed confidence that the vaccine is safe. Just 22 percent were very confident.

Source: ABC News/Washington Post, October 2009.  

Americans Ignorant? 10/20/2009 

Periodically, the Pew Research Center asks Americans a series of knowledge questions. Most Americans are busy, so it’s hardly surprising they don’t pay as much attention to complex policy issues as politicians or pundits do, and they frequently give wrong answers. How much should this worry us? The great sociologist Dan Yankelovich notes that while our democracy is a “prime example of a successfully functioning democracy, it is not a prime example of a well-informed citizenry.” He argues that while reporters delight in showing how ignorant the public generally is, “the public frequently arrives at judgments that are sound, considered, and sometimes profound.” With his wise counsel in mind, we show a few recent results from Pew.

Source: Pew Research Center, October 2009.

Iran’s Intentions 10/19/2009 

Americans aren’t confident that tougher sanctions will coax Iran to give up its nuclear program. In a new poll from the Pew Research Center, only 32 percent say sanctions will work. What then? In the poll, six in ten said it was more important to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it means taking military action, while 24 percent said it was more important to avoid military conflict, even if that means Iran may develop nuclear weapons. 

Source: Pew Research Center, October 2009.