National Polling Summary

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May 13, 2009
Anzalone Liszt Research
National Polling Summary

Welcome to the Anzalone Liszt Research National Polling Summary. For those of you that are receiving this for the first time, each week we will send you a summary of national public polls detailing key political environment measures as well as attitudes of voters on the pressing issues of the week. We hope that this summary will be helpful to you and your clients. Please feel free to share it widely by using the "forward email" button at the bottom and to offer comments on how to make it better. This week something of interest from ABC News is that 20% of homes are reachable now by cell phones only, and an additional 15% have a landline but rarely or never use it. Also, the numbers show an increase in optimism with a growing number of people (55%) saying the country is moving in the right direction. Enjoy. John Anzalone

Issues in the News

Health care costs v. Providing Health insurance for all

Polling Firm	Date	Keeping costs down/ Controlling Costs	Providing insurance/ Expanding Coverage	Unsure
Ipsos/ McClatchy	5/3/09	51%	42%	8%
CBS/ NY Times	4/5/09	40%	54%	6%

Ipsos/McClatch: On the topic of federal health care reform, some say that controlling costs should be the main emphasis. Others say that expanding coverage so that all Americans will have insurance should be the main emphasis. Which of these comes closest to your own personal opinion? CBS/Times: If you had to say, which do you think is a more serious problem right now: keeping health care costs down for average Americans, OR providing health insurance for Americans who do not have any insurance?

Paying taxes for all to have health insurance

Polling Firm	Date	Willing	Not willing	Unsure
CBS/ NY Times	4/5/09	57%	38%	5%

CBS/Times: Would you be willing or not willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance they can't lose, no matter what?

Same-Sex Marriage

Polling Firm	Date	Legal/ Support	Civil Unions	No Legal Recognition/ Illegal/ Oppose	Unsure
Quinnipiac	4/27/09	55%		38%	-
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	42%	25%	28%	5%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	49%	-	46%	5%
Wash Post/ ABC	6/4/06	36%		58%	5%

Quinnipiac: Would you support or oppose a law in your state that would allow same-sex couples to get married? CBS/NY Times: Which comes closest to your view? Gay couples should be allowed to legally marry. OR, Gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not legally marry. Or, There should be no legal recognition of a gay couple's relationship. Wash Post/ ABC: Do you think it should be legal or illegal for gay and lesbian/homosexual couples to get married?

US doing enough to stop illegal immigration

Polling Firm	Date	Doing Enough	Not Doing Enough	Unsure
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	23%	74%	3%
Wash Post/ ABC	9/30/07	22%	67%	11%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/15/07	17%	81%	2%

Wash Post: Do you think the United States is or is not doing enough to keep illegal immigrants from coming into this country?

Support of plan to provide illegal immigrants a path to citizenship

Polling Firm	Date	Support	Oppose	Unsure
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	61%	35%	3%

Wash Post: Would you support or oppose a program giving illegal immigrants now living in the United States the right to live here legally if they pay a fine and meet other requirements?

Plans to deal with illegal immigrants

Polling Firm	Date	Apply for citizenship	Guest Workers	Leave
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	44%	21%	30%

CBS/NY Times: Which comes closest to your view about illegal immigrants who are currently working in the U.S.? They should be allowed to stay in their jobs, and to eventually apply for U.S. citizenship. Or, They should be allowed to stay in their jobs only as temporary guest workers, but not to apply for U.S. citizenship. Or, They should be required to leave their jobs and leave the U.S.?

Release of C.I.A. Interrogation Records

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Approve	Oppose/ Disapprove	Unsure
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	53%	44%	-
FOX	4/24/09	40%	52%	7%

Washington Post/ABC: Obama has ordered the release of previously secret records of Bush administration policies on the interrogation of terrorism suspects. Do you support or oppose Obama's decision to release these records? FOX: Do you approve or disapprove of the White House releasing memos detailing how the CIA interrogated top Al Qaeda operatives?

Obama's position not to toture

Polling Firm	Date	Support not using torture	There are cases to consider torture
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	49%	48%
Wash Post/ ABC	1/16/09	58%	40%

Washington Post/ ABC: Obama has said that under his administration the United States will not use torture as part of the U.S. campaign against terrorism, no matter what the circumstance. Do you support this position not to use torture, or do you think there are cases in which the United States should consider torture against terrorism suspects?

Using Harsh Interrogation Techniques

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove
CNN	4/26/09	50%	46%

CNN: As you may know, the Bush administration authorized the use of harsh interrogation procedures including the pocedure know as waterboarding, when the U.S. captured suspected terrorists. Based on what you have read or heard, do you approve or disapprove of the Bush administration's decision to use those procedures while questioning suspected terrorists?

Use of Harsh Interrogation Techniques Justified

Polling Firm	Date	S'times Justified/ Justified	Never Justified/ Not Justified	Depends	DK
CBS/NY Times	4/26/09	55%	28%	7%	17%
Gallup	4/25/09	55%	36%		9%

CBS/NY Times: Do you think it is sometimes justified to use waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics to get information from a suspected terrorist, or are these tactics never justified? Gallup: Based on what you know or have read, do you think the use of harsh interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects was justified or not justified?

Should there be an investigation on interrogation methods and the Justice Department?

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Should	Oppose/ Should Not
Gallup	4/25/09	51%	42%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	51%	47%

Gallup: Would you favor or oppose a government investigation into the use of harsh interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects? Washington Post/ ABC: Do you think the Obama administration should or should not investigate whether any laws were broken in the way terrorism suspects were treated under the Bush administration?

Country more or less safe from terrorist attacks with Obama as President

Polling Firm	Date	More Safe/ Safer	Less Safe	About the Same
NBC/ WSJ	4/26/09	26%	28%	40%
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	23%	19%	49%
Wash Post/ABC	4/24/09	32%	21%	43%

NBC/ WSJ: Do you think that, as a country, we are more safe, about as safe, or less safe than we were before the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, 2001? CBS/NY Times: Do you think the policies of the Obama Administration have made the United States safer from terrorism, less safe from terrorism, or have the policies of the Obama Administration not affected the U.S.' safety from terrorism? Wash Post/ ABC: Do you think Obama's policies are making the United States safer from terrorism, less safe, or are they not making much difference in that?

The Economy

Optimistic or Pessimistic about the state of the national economy

Polling Firm	Date	Optimistic	Pessimistic
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	55%	42%
Wash Post/ ABC	2/22/09	48%	50%

Who do you trust more handling the economy?

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps	Both	Neither
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	61%	24%	2%	11%
Wash Post/ ABC	3/29/09	58%	25%	1%	14%
Wash Post/ ABC	2/22/09	61%	26%	1%	9%

Do you have close friends or family members who have been laid off?

Polling Firm	Date	Yes	No
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	63%	36%
Wash Post/ ABC	2/22/09	60%	40%

Do you have close friends or family members who have had work hours or pay cut?

Polling Firm	Date	Yes	No
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	66%	33%
Wash Post/ ABC	2/22/09	60%	38%

Has the economic situation caused you to change your personal lifestyle in a significant way?

Polling Firm	Date	Yes	No
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	56%	43%

Feelings regarding changes in personal lifestyle

Polling Firm	Date	Angry/Upset	Not Angry/Upset
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	45%	55%

The Nation's Economy

Polling Firm	Date	Getting Better	Getting Worse	Staying the Same
Gallup	5/11/09	41%	53%	-
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	26%	25%	48%
Wash Post/ ABC	3/29/09	27%	36%	36%
Wash Post/ ABC	2/15/09	8%	58%	31%

President Obama

President Obama's Popularity

Polling Firm	Date	Fav	Unfav	Und/ Neutral
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	54%	18%	28%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	72%	26%	2%
FOX	4/23/09	68%	27%	-

President Obama's Job Rating

Polling Firm	Date	Positive/ Approve	Negative/ Disapprove	DK
Ipsos/ McClatchy	5/3/09	65%	31%	-
Gallup	5/9/09	65%	29%	-
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	68%	23%	-
CNN/ORC	4/26/09	63%	33%	-

President Obama's Job Rating on the Economy

Polling Firm	Date	Positive/ Approve	Negative/ Disapprove	DK
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	55%	24%	21%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	58%	38%	4%
Pew	4/21/09	60%	33%	-

How much has Obama accomplished in the first 100 days

Polling Firm	Date	A Great Deal	A Good Amount	Not Very Much	Little or Nothing
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	24%	39%	21%	15%

Obama meeting expectations

Polling Firm	Date	Better	Worse	As Expected
FOX	4/24/09	26%	16%	56%
Pew	4/21/09	25%	9%	61%
USA Today/ Gallup	4/21/09	24%	13%	62%

FOX: Next week President Obama will have been in office for 100 days. So far, would you say Obama is doing a better job than you expected him to do, a worse job than you expected, or is his job performance about what you expected it to be? Pew: Overall, has Barack Obama done beter than you expected as president, worse than you expected, or about as you expected? Today/ Gallup: Overall, has Barack Obama done better than you expected as president, worse than you expected, or about as you expected?

Obama's views on most issues

Polling Firm	Date	Too liberal	Too conservative	About right
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	33%	4%	62%
Wash Post/ ABC	1/16/09	29%	4%	65%

Confidence Obama will make the right decision for the Country's future

Polling Firm	Date	A Great Deal	A Good Amount	Not Very Much	Little or Nothing
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	31%	28%	25%	15%
Wash Post/ ABC	1/16/09	31%	30%	28%	9%

Obama Statements

Washington Post/ ABC	Date	Yes	No
Obama understands the problems of people like you	4/24/09	73%	25%
Obama is a strong leader	4/24/09	77%	22%
Obama Shares your values	4/24/09	60%	38%
Obama has brought needed change to Washington	4/24/09	63%	34%
Obama is a good commander-in-chief of the military	4/24/09	56%	34%

Obama meeting with hostile foreign leaders

Polling Firm	Date	Support	Oppose
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	71%	27%

Washington Post/ ABC: Obama has met or said he's willing to meet with leaders of foreign countries that have been hostile toward the United States. Do you support or oppose his approach to dealing with such countries?

Obama's Budget Plan

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Pos	Oppose/ Neg	Don't Know
FOX	4/1/09	43%	50%	7%
Dem Corp	3/29/09	52%	40%	-

FOX: In general, do you support or oppose Barack Obama's proposed three point six trillion dollar budget? Dem Corp: As you may have heard, President Obama recently released his plan for the federal budget. From what you have heard about Obama's budget plan, do you favor or oppose it?

The Parties and Congress

Party Self Identification

Polling Firm	Date	Dems	Reps	Ind	Other
Ipsos/McClatchy	5/3/09	34%	24%	41%	-
NBC/WSJ	4/26/09	30%	20%	46%	4%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	35%	21%	38%	5%

2010 Congressional Generic Ballot

Polling Firm	Date	Dems	Reps	Und/ Other	Refused
Rasmussen	5/10/09	39%	40%	5%	16%
Public Opinion Strategies (R)	4/21/09	41%	37%	-	21%
Diageo/ Hotline	3/29/09	37%	32%	30%	-

Congressional Job Rating

Polling Firm	Date	Positive/Approve	Negative/Disprove	DK
Gallup	5/10/09	37%	57%	7%
CBS/ NY Times	4/26/09	28%	55%	17%
AP-GfK	4/20/09	38%	57%	-

Congressional Democrats Job Rating

Polling Firm	Date	Pos/Approve	Neg/Disprove	DK
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	45%	49%	6%
FOX	4/23/09	50%	40%	10%
Diageo/ Hotline	3/29/09	48%	43%	10%

Congressional Republicans Job Rating

Polling Firm	Date	Pos/Approve	Neg/Disprove	DK
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	30%	64%	6%
FOX	4/23/09	36%	52%	12%
Diageo/ Hotline	3/29/09	30%	57%	13%

United States Direction

Polling Firm	Date	Right Direction	Wrong Direction	No Opinion
Ipsos/ McClatchy	5/3/09	55%	38%	7%
Wash Post/ ABC	4/24/09	50%	48%	2%
Wash Post/ ABC	3/29/09	42%	57%	1%

Issues in the News

Health care costs v. Providing Health insurance for all

Polling Firm

Date

Keeping costs down/ Controlling Costs

Providing insurance/ Expanding Coverage

Unsure

Ipsos/ McClatchy

5/3/09

51%

42%

8%

CBS/ NY Times

4/5/09

40%

54%

6%

Paying taxes for all to have health insurance

Polling Firm

Date

Willing

Not willing

Unsure

CBS/ NY Times

4/5/09

57%

38%

5%

CBS/Times: Would you be willing or not willing to pay higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance they can't lose, no matter what?

Same-Sex Marriage

Polling Firm

Date

Legal/ Support

Civil Unions

No Legal Recognition/ Illegal/ Oppose

Unsure

Quinnipiac

4/27/09

55%

38%

-

CBS/ NY Times

4/26/09

42%

25%

28%

5%

Wash Post/ ABC

4/24/09

49%

-

46%

5%

Wash Post/ ABC

6/4/06

36%

58%

5%

US doing enough to stop illegal immigration

Polling Firm

Date

Doing Enough

Not Doing Enough

Unsure

Wash Post/ ABC

4/24/09

23%

74%

3%

Wash Post/ ABC

9/30/07

22%

67%

11%

Wash Post/ ABC

4/15/07

17%

81%

2%

Wash Post: Do you think the United States is or is not doing enough to keep illegal immigrants from coming into this country?