Condi Rice beats Sarah Palin

A new Vanity Fair/ 60 Minutes poll finds that former Secretary of State Condi Rice’s memoir is more anticipated than Sarah Palin’s upcoming book.

From VF/60: “Several noted Republicans will publish memoirs within the year, and the most anticipated turns out to be neither that of the two-term president nor the media magnet John McCain chose as his running mate last year. Rice, the first black, female secretary of state, beat out both Bush and Palin. Asked which memoir–Rice’s, Bush’s, Palin’s, Laura Bush’s, or Dick Cheney’s–they would most likely read, 22 percent of respondents picked Rice’s, followed by 11 percent for Bush’s, 9 percent for Palin’s, 7 percent for Laura Bush’s, and just 4 percent for Cheney’s.”

Below, release from Vanity Fair/60 MINUTES….

November 1, 2009

More than 4 in 10 Americans Are Taking No Steps to Avoid the H1N1 Flu

More Await Condoleezza Rice’s Book than George W. Bush’s or Sarah Palin’s; Dick Cheney’s Garners the Least Interest

If a State Could Be Removed from U.S., Take California or Texas

More than 4 in 10 Americans are taking no steps to avoid the H1N1 virus, and more are anticipating the memoirs of former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice than those of George W. Bush or Sarah Palin. And if a state could be removed from the U.S., 10 percent say take California, while 8 percent vote Texas–the majority of respondents (60 percent) opt for an intact country or are undecided. Those are a few of the findings in the latest 60 MINUTES/Vanity Fair poll, the full results of which will be published on 60 MINUTES and in Vanity Fair, and on 60Minutes.com and VF.com.

The poll also asked Americans about their opinions on professions (including what they thought parents today want their children to become), and the legality of assisted suicide, prostitution, marijuana, and steroids in pro sports, in addition to other topics.

The news media’s focus on the H1N1 virus has apparently done little to convince almost half of the public to take any measures to protect themselves against it. When asked what changes they had made to avoid the swine flu, 44 percent answered, “None–I’ll take my chances.” Just 2 percent said they would refrain from kissing or hugging friends, and only 8 percent said they would stop shaking hands. Thirty-eight percent did say they changed their sanitary habits, though, picking “Wash hands and use so much sanitizer I should own stock in the company.”

Several noted Republicans will publish memoirs within the year, and the most anticipated turns out to be neither that of the two-term president nor the media magnet John McCain chose as his running mate last year. Rice, the first black, female secretary of state, beat out both Bush and Palin. Asked which memoir–Rice’s, Bush’s, Palin’s, Laura Bush’s, or Dick Cheney’s–they would most likely read, 22 percent of respondents picked Rice’s, followed by 11 percent for Bush’s, 9 percent for Palin’s, 7 percent for Laura Bush’s, and just 4 percent for Cheney’s.

Among those identifying themselves as either Republicans or Democrats, Rice won out again with 25 percent of both groups saying they would read her book. Cheney was just as unpopular within his own party, as only 4 percent of the Republicans picked his book as the one they would most likely read.

The idea of secession has been seemingly more popular lately–from the Alaskan Independence Party to the signs carried by health-care-reform protestors. When asked to pick one state to remove from the United States, 10 percent chose California, while 8 percent said Texas. Hawaii and Alaska tied for third, garnering 3 percent each. And 60 percent of respondents said none or not sure.

Just 2 percent of the parents and 3 percent among all those asked picked movie star or rock star as professions they thought parents would want their children to pursue if they had the choice. Professional athlete didn’t get much more, with 9 percent of parents and 6 percent among all picking sports as a profession. Similar amounts chose humanitarian aid worker (all: 9 percent; parents: 6 percent), while a little more interest was shown for Internet mogul, (all: 10 percent; parents: 13 percent). But on this question, tradition ruled, with 65 percent of parents and 63 percent overall picking doctor, lawyer, banker, or the president as the most likely choice parents would make if they could.

The results of the second 60 MINUTES/Vanity Fair Poll follow, including opinions about Facebook and obsolete occupations, and the finding that most Americans believe mankind will conquer cancer before it ends its dependence on oil. Click here to see and participate in the 60 MINUTES/Vanity Fair Poll.

The 60 MINUTES/Vanity Fair Poll is a monthly measure of the American conversation on a range of topics rather than one specific subject. Geared to offer a wide-angle view of the country every 30 days, attitudes on culture, lifestyle, current events, and politics are explored to create a national survey. 60 MINUTES and Vanity Fair work together to formulate topics and question; the poll is conducted by the CBS News Election and Survey Unit, a high-profile source of American opinion since 1969.