Below, from release….
OBAMA APPROVAL TIPS POSITIVE FOR FIRST TIME THIS YEAR,
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL POLL FINDS;
MORE VOTERS APPROVE OF KAGAN SUPREME COURT PICK
American voters approve 48 – 43 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, up from a negative 44 – 46 percent April 21, the first time since December that more voters give him a thumbs up rather than thumbs down, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
But voters say 74 – 21 percent that the U.S. economy is in a recession now and disapprove 50 – 44 percent of the way President Obama is handling the economy, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds.
Voters approve 48 – 30 percent, with 22 percent undecided, of Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Men approve 45 – 34 percent and women approve 50 – 27 percent. Republicans disapprove 57 – 22 percent, but Kagan wins 73 – 10 percent backing from Democrats and 45 – 31 percent support from independent voters.
American voters also say 42 – 36 percent that they would vote for a Democrat rather than a Republican in this year’s Congressional elections, reversing a 44 – 39 percent Republican lead March 24.
Obama’s policies have hurt rather than helped their personal financial situation, voters say 29 – 16 percent, with 54 percent who say the policies have made no difference. Going forward, voters expect Obama’s policies to hurt rather than help them personally 36 – 28 percent, with 32 percent who expect no difference.
“The increase in President Barack Obama’s job approval is a welcome step for the White House. His ratings have been in the no man’s land of just below parity for some time and now the question is whether this is the beginning of an upward trend or just a blip,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll.
-more-
Quinnipiac University Poll/May 26, 2010 – page 2
“The fact that three out of four American voters still see the nation in recession, despite the claims from the so-called experts, highlights the disconnect between Wall Street, Washington D.C.’s K St. and Main Street,” said Brown.
“For Obama to get his job approval back over 50 percent, where the White House would like to be, he needs to convince Joe and Jill Six-pack that his programs are helping them.”
American voters trust Obama 45 – 36 percent over Congressional Republicans to handle the economy. Independent voters trust Obama more 38 – 34 percent.
There is a noticeable gender gap in Obama’s approval rating: Men disapprove 48 – 45 percent, while women rate him positively 51 – 39 percent. His 48 – 43 percent disapproval from independent voters is a sizable jump from a 50 – 38 percent disapproval in April and responsible for much of the President’s overall increase. Democrats approve of his performance 78 – 13 percent while Republicans disapprove 77 – 17 percent.
“On the economy, President Obama gets slightly less negative grades: 50 – 44 percent disapprove, compared to 55 – 40 percent disapproval in April. And on creating jobs his 56 – 38 percent disapproval rating last month has improved to 51 – 40 percent disapprove,” Brown said.
A total of 70 percent of American voters are “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the nation today. And 80 percent say the way things are going makes them more likely to vote this November.
Looking at the Kagan nomination, voters split 43 – 43 percent on whether Senators should consider her views on controversial issues, or just her qualifications for the Supreme Court. But voters say 50 – 37 percent that Senators who disagree with Kagan’s views would not be justified using a filibuster to block her nomination.
Looking at other aspects of Obama’s job performance, American voters:
Approve 48 – 43 percent of the way he is handling foreign policy;
Disapprove 51 – 44 percent of his handling of health care;
Approve 45 – 40 percent of his handling of Afghanistan;
Approve 49 – 41 percent of his handling of terrorism.
From May 19 – 24, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,914 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.
1. If the 2010 election for the U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for – the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in your district?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Republican 36% 85% 5% 33% 40% 32% 42% 12% 21%
Democrat 42 5 87 30 39 45 35 81 52
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 1 1 6 4 3 4 – 3
WLDN’T VOTE(VOL) 1 – – 2 1 1 1 – –
DK/NA 18 9 7 29 17 19 19 6 24
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Republican 27% 42% 37% 28% 42% 50% 8% 27% 65%
Democrat 54 38 39 49 40 35 78 48 16
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 4 3 4 2 3 2 5 2
WLDN’T VOTE(VOL) 2 – 1 1 1 1 2 1 –
DK/NA 17 15 20 19 15 11 11 21 17
TREND: If the 2010 election for the U.S. House of Representatives were being held today, would you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in your district?
May 26 Mar 24 Jul 2 Jun 4 Apr 29
2010 2010 2009 2009 2009
Republican 36 44 34 32 34
Democrat 42 39 42 42 41
SMONE ELSE(VOL) 3 1 2 2 1
WLDN’T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 1
DK/NA 18 16 21 22 22
2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 48% 17% 78% 43% 45% 51% 40% 90% 67%
Disapprove 43 77 13 48 48 39 51 8 24
DK/NA 9 6 9 9 7 10 9 2 9
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 60% 46% 42% 51% 45% 50% 79% 58% 19%
Disapprove 30 47 49 40 47 45 12 33 75
DK/NA 10 7 9 9 8 6 9 9 6
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (*High also 59% Mar 2009)
PostVt PreVt APPROVE…….
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jun 4 Apr 21
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009* 2010
Approve 48 44 45 46 45 59 44
Disapprove 43 46 46 49 46 31 46
DK/NA 9 10 9 6 9 10 10
INDEPENDENTS…………………………………..
PostVt PreVt APPROVE……
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jun 4 Dec 9
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009
Approve 43 38 40 40 40 57 37
Disapprove 48 50 44 53 49 30 51
DK/NA 9 12 15 7 10 13 11
3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 34% 8% 64% 25% 31% 36% 27% 66% 50%
Disapprove 57 86 26 65 62 52 64 22 37
DK/NA 9 6 11 10 6 12 9 13 14
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 43% 33% 28% 38% 30% 36% 60% 37% 16%
Disapprove 47 59 62 50 63 59 32 51 79
DK/NA 10 8 10 12 7 5 8 12 5
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job?
PostVt PreVt APPROVE…….
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Mar 4 Mar 25
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010
Approve 34 36 30 28 32 45 30
Disapprove 57 55 62 63 59 45 62
DK/NA 9 9 8 9 9 10 8
4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 26% 48% 16% 20% 25% 28% 26% 27% 30%
Disapprove 62 41 73 69 67 58 62 65 55
DK/NA 11 11 10 11 8 14 11 8 15
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 26% 29% 24% 25% 27% 31% 17% 21% 38%
Disapprove 61 61 65 61 65 61 74 67 53
DK/NA 13 9 11 14 8 8 9 12 9
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job?
PostVt PreVt APPROVE……
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Mar 25 Oct 8
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009
Approve 26 34 31 28 32 34 25
Disapprove 62 58 60 61 58 58 64
DK/NA 11 8 9 11 11 8 11
5. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Very satisfied 3% 2% 5% 2% 3% 3% 2% 9% 6%
Smwht satisfied 26 13 44 21 24 28 21 53 28
Smwht dissatisfied 31 28 31 34 30 32 33 20 31
Very dissatisfied 39 56 18 43 41 36 43 17 33
DK/NA 1 1 1 – 1 2 1 – 1
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Very satisfied 4% 2% 3% 3% 4% 4% 4% 3% 2%
Smwht satisfied 37 22 23 29 23 25 45 31 11
Smwht dissatisfied 32 31 31 31 32 33 32 37 25
Very dissatisfied 26 43 42 36 41 37 17 28 61
DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 – 1
TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
VERY+SMWHT SAT
High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 24 Feb 11 Dec 11 Nov 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2001 2008
Very satisfied 3 3 4 3 2 21 2
Smwht satisfied 26 28 25 26 24 47 14
Smwht dissatisfied 31 29 28 29 33 19 38
Very dissatisfied 39 40 41 41 40 10 44
DK/NA 1 – 2 1 1 3 2
6. Does the way things are going in the nation today make you more likely or less likely to vote in the elections in November this year?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
More likely 80% 89% 81% 77% 81% 80% 80% 91% 73%
Less likely 7 2 5 10 7 6 6 2 13
No diff(VOL) 12 9 13 11 11 13 12 5 10
DK/NA 1 – 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
More likely 82% 82% 79% 80% 83% 86% 80% 80% 84%
Less likely 7 7 6 8 4 6 6 7 7
No diff(VOL) 10 11 14 10 12 8 14 11 9
DK/NA 1 – 1 1 – – – 1 1
7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – the economy?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 44% 16% 73% 38% 42% 46% 37% 78% 57%
Disapprove 50 81 22 54 54 46 57 18 34
DK/NA 6 2 6 8 4 8 6 4 9
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 53% 41% 39% 45% 42% 49% 73% 54% 18%
Disapprove 39 55 55 48 54 48 19 39 79
DK/NA 8 4 6 7 4 3 7 7 3
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy?
APPROVE……
High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Mar 4 Mar 25
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010
Approve 44 40 39 41 41 57 39
Disapprove 50 55 57 54 54 33 57
DK/NA 6 5 5 5 6 10 5
8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – foreign policy?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 48% 19% 78% 41% 47% 48% 41% 84% 63%
Disapprove 43 71 14 49 47 39 50 7 32
DK/NA 9 10 8 9 6 12 10 9 5
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 58% 46% 41% 49% 45% 54% 78% 57% 22%
Disapprove 35 44 48 40 47 42 17 33 70
DK/NA 7 9 11 11 8 4 5 10 8
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy?
APPROVE…….
High Low
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 13 Apr 29 Jan 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010
Approve 48 48 46 46 45 57 45
Disapprove 43 42 43 43 46 32 46
DK/NA 9 10 12 11 9 11 9
9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – health care?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 44% 12% 75% 38% 42% 45% 35% 88% 51%
Disapprove 51 86 19 56 53 49 60 8 38
DK/NA 6 2 7 7 4 6 5 4 11
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 56% 39% 40% 45% 41% 43% 78% 50% 15%
Disapprove 38 58 53 47 56 56 16 43 81
DK/NA 6 3 7 8 3 1 6 6 4
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care?
PostVt PreVt APPROVE…….
Poll Poll High Low
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 July 2 Jan 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010
Approve 44 40 44 36 35 46 35
Disapprove 51 55 50 58 58 42 58
DK/NA 6 5 6 6 6 13 6
10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – the situation in Afghanistan?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 45% 38% 57% 43% 51% 40% 41% 72% 48%
Disapprove 40 47 33 41 38 42 43 20 45
DK/NA 14 15 10 16 10 18 16 7 7
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 49% 49% 40% 43% 46% 56% 51% 52% 35%
Disapprove 39 40 42 40 44 37 41 31 51
DK/NA 12 11 18 17 10 7 8 16 14
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation in Afghanistan?
APPROVE…….
High Low
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 13 Mar 25 Nov 18
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009
Approve 45 49 52 51 45 52 38
Disapprove 40 39 36 39 45 36 49
DK/NA 14 12 12 10 10 12 12
11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – creating jobs?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 40% 17% 67% 33% 37% 43% 34% 69% 56%
Disapprove 51 77 26 58 57 47 58 24 34
DK/NA 9 6 7 9 6 10 9 8 9
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 48% 38% 36% 43% 39% 41% 64% 50% 17%
Disapprove 43 55 54 48 57 52 27 43 76
DK/NA 9 7 10 10 5 7 9 7 7
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling creating jobs?
May 26 Apr 21 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009
Approve 40 38 37 37 34 37
Disapprove 51 56 57 56 59 56
DK/NA 9 6 6 7 7 8
12. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling – terrorism?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 49% 21% 75% 46% 50% 48% 42% 87% 57%
Disapprove 41 70 18 43 42 41 47 10 34
DK/NA 10 9 7 11 8 11 10 3 9
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 55% 49% 44% 50% 48% 52% 74% 61% 23%
Disapprove 34 43 45 38 45 43 19 28 70
DK/NA 10 8 11 11 7 5 7 11 7
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling terrorism?
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 13
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010
Approve 49 49 49 49 48
Disapprove 41 41 41 44 44
DK/NA 10 10 9 8 8
14. Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 48% 22% 73% 45% 45% 50% 43% 79% 49%
Disapprove 30 57 10 31 34 27 34 10 24
DK/NA 22 21 18 25 21 23 23 11 26
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 50% 49% 47% 47% 49% 57% 72% 61% 22%
Disapprove 24 34 30 28 33 31 12 17 56
DK/NA 26 17 23 25 18 12 16 23 21
15. Should Senators support or oppose Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court based only on whether she is qualified to be a justice, or should they also consider her views on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Qualifications 43% 34% 47% 48% 46% 41% 44% 35% 35%
Consider views 43 57 39 36 41 44 43 49 40
DK/NA 14 10 14 16 13 15 13 16 25
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Qualifications 43% 47% 39% 38% 47% 55% 51% 53% 31%
Consider views 45 43 41 44 45 39 41 37 52
DK/NA 12 10 20 18 8 6 9 10 17
16. If Senators did not agree with Elena Kagan on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage, do you think they would be justified, or not justified in using the filibuster to prevent her nomination from coming to a vote?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Justified 37% 63% 22% 33% 39% 35% 39% 32% 23%
Not justified 50 28 64 54 52 49 50 51 58
DK/NA 13 9 14 13 9 16 11 17 19
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Justified 35% 38% 40% 37% 43% 33% 23% 30% 54%
Not justified 55 52 45 49 51 63 66 60 34
DK/NA 10 9 15 14 6 4 11 10 13
17. Would you describe the state of the nation’s economy these days as – excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Excellent – 2% – – – 1% – 2% 1%
Good 12 7 19 10 14 11 10 19 15
Not so good 46 42 52 44 45 47 46 47 52
Poor 40 49 26 44 40 40 43 29 32
DK/NA 1 – 2 1 1 1 1 2 –
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Excellent 1% – – – – 2% – 1% –
Good 13 13 11 12 16 13 18 16 5
Not so good 51 45 42 47 43 48 52 53 35
Poor 35 41 44 40 41 36 29 29 59
DK/NA – 1 2 1 – 1 1 1 1
TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation’s economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
EXLNT+GOOD….
High Low
May 26 Dec 22 Nov 18 Aug 6 July 2 Dec 10 Mar 4
2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2003 2009
Excellent – – – – 1 3 –
Good 12 7 8 6 7 37 3
Not so good 46 46 42 49 44 42 28
Poor 40 45 49 44 47 16 68
DK/NA 1 1 1 – 1 1 –
18. Do you think the nation’s economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Better 32% 12% 52% 30% 35% 30% 30% 42% 34%
Worse 24 31 13 27 22 25 25 17 17
The same 43 56 35 42 42 43 44 40 46
DK/NA 1 1 – 2 1 2 1 1 2
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Better 39% 31% 29% 29% 38% 36% 53% 40% 13%
Worse 17 27 25 26 20 21 15 16 38
The same 44 41 45 44 41 42 32 44 47
DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2
TREND: Do you think the nation’s economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6 July 2 Apr 29 Apr 1
2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009
Better 32 28 28 27 24 19
Worse 24 28 29 29 33 32
The same 43 43 41 42 42 47
DK/NA 1 1 2 2 2 2
19. Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy – President Obama or the Republicans in Congress?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Pres Obama 45% 10% 82% 38% 45% 45% 36% 85% 65%
Reps in Congress 36 79 7 34 40 32 43 5 20
DK/NA 19 11 12 27 15 22 21 10 15
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Pres Obama 54% 45% 40% 48% 43% 48% 79% 55% 18%
Reps in Congress 30 40 37 31 44 38 10 25 65
DK/NA 16 15 23 21 13 14 11 20 17
TREND: Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy – President Obama or the Republicans in Congress?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6 July 2 Apr 1 Mar 4
2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009
President Obama 45 45 47 54 55 56
Reps in Congress 36 36 36 32 27 26
DK/NA 19 19 17 14 18 18
20. Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped the economy, hurt the economy, or haven’t made a difference?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Helped 39% 12% 69% 31% 37% 41% 33% 77% 40%
Hurt 29 59 6 30 31 27 35 3 21
No difference 28 28 21 34 28 28 30 16 30
DK/NA 4 1 4 5 4 4 2 4 9
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Helped 50% 37% 34% 43% 38% 38% 68% 48% 15%
Hurt 15 34 35 25 35 29 8 17 56
No difference 31 27 26 28 25 31 20 33 27
DK/NA 4 1 5 4 2 1 5 2 2
TREND: Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped the economy, hurt the economy, or haven’t made a difference?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009
Helped 39 37 37
Hurt 29 28 29
No difference 28 31 31
DK/NA 4 4 4
21. Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help the economy, will hurt the economy, or won’t make a difference?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Will help 45% 12% 77% 38% 41% 48% 38% 82% 58%
Will hurt 32 65 6 35 36 29 39 3 17
No difference 18 19 13 22 19 17 18 9 26
DK/NA 5 4 4 5 4 6 5 5 –
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Will help 59% 41% 37% 48% 44% 43% 76% 54% 17%
Will hurt 21 39 35 26 43 34 8 20 61
No difference 15 17 21 20 12 20 14 21 17
DK/NA 4 3 7 6 1 3 2 5 4
TREND: Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help the economy, will hurt the economy, or won’t make a difference?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009
Will help 45 49 49
Will hurt 32 29 33
No difference 18 17 14
DK/NA 5 5 4
22. Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped your personal financial situation, hurt your personal financial situation, or haven’t made a difference?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Helped 16% 5% 29% 11% 15% 17% 12% 32% 30%
Hurt 29 50 6 35 31 27 34 4 21
No difference 54 45 63 52 53 54 53 60 48
DK/NA 2 – 2 2 1 2 1 4 1
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Helped 19% 18% 11% 17% 14% 15% 29% 17% 7%
Hurt 17 34 34 24 32 36 12 22 47
No difference 63 48 53 58 52 49 57 60 44
DK/NA 2 – 2 1 2 – 1 1 2
TREND: Do you think President Obama’s policies have helped your personal financial situation, hurt your personal financial situation, or haven’t made a difference?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009
Helped 16 15 13
Hurt 29 26 23
No difference 54 58 63
DK/NA 2 1 1
23. Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help your personal financial situation, will hurt your personal financial situation, or won’t make a difference?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Will help 28% 7% 52% 21% 25% 31% 22% 62% 42%
Will hurt 36 72 7 39 40 33 43 4 18
No difference 32 19 36 36 32 32 31 31 39
DK/NA 4 2 4 3 2 5 4 3 1
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Will help 40% 28% 20% 33% 26% 24% 53% 33% 10%
Will hurt 20 45 39 29 43 43 10 27 63
No difference 38 25 35 34 29 32 35 37 24
DK/NA 2 2 6 4 2 1 2 3 3
TREND: Looking forward, do you think President Obama’s policies will help your personal financial situation, will hurt your personal financial situation, or won’t make a difference?
May 26 Dec 22 Aug 6
2010 2009 2009
Will help 28 31 33
Will hurt 36 37 36
No difference 32 30 28
DK/NA 4 2 3
24. Do you think the United States economy is in a recession now?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Yes 74% 85% 64% 76% 75% 74% 76% 63% 79%
No 21 13 29 21 22 20 20 28 18
DK/NA 5 2 7 3 3 6 4 9 3
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Yes 71% 77% 75% 75% 78% 69% 68% 72% 83%
No 25 19 19 19 20 28 28 25 14
DK/NA 3 4 6 6 2 3 4 3 3
TREND: Do you think the United States economy is in a recession now?
May 26 May 15
2010 2008
Yes 74 71
No 21 24
DK/NA 5 5
25. Do you approve or disapprove of the federal health care overhaul?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Approve 40% 13% 69% 35% 40% 41% 34% 68% 52%
Disapprove 51 83 23 54 53 50 58 23 40
DK/NA 8 4 8 11 8 9 8 9 8
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Approve 51% 37% 37% 44% 36% 44% 73% 51% 12%
Disapprove 40 59 52 46 60 54 21 41 81
DK/NA 9 4 11 10 4 1 6 8 8
TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the federal health care overhaul?
May 26 Apr 21
2010 2010
Approve 40 39
Disapprove 51 53
DK/NA 8 8
26. Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?
Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His
Right thing 49% 70% 35% 50% 55% 44% 54% 29% 42%
Shld not be inv 42 23 56 40 39 44 36 63 53
DK/NA 9 7 9 10 6 13 10 8 5
AGE IN YRS……. INCOME…………. POL PHIL………
18-34 35-54 55+ 100K Lib Mod Con
Right thing 42% 57% 46% 39% 57% 63% 35% 48% 60%
Shld not be inv 48 37 42 50 35 32 60 44 30
DK/NA 10 6 12 11 8 6 5 8 10
TREND: Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?
RIGHT THING…
High Low
May 26 Apr 22 Mar 25 Feb 10 Jan 14 Jan 14 Nov 18
2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009
Right thing 49 56 55 56 59 59 48
Shouldn’t be inv 42 36 37 37 35 35 41
DK/NA 9 8 8 7 6 6 11
