National Polling Summary

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December 17, 2009
Anzalone Liszt Research
National Polling Summary

Welcome to the Anzalone Liszt Research National Polling Summary, a quick look at national public polls detailing key political environmental measures as well as attitudes of voters on the pressing issues of the week.

With the Copenhagen talks underway and the EPA's recent pronouncement on regulation, climate change and potential legislation on energy policy is demanding attention. An overwhelming 74% of Americans feel that global warming is caused more by human actions than naturally occurring forces. A majority of Americans (52%) support Cap and Trade legislation working itself through Congress and a voters trust Obama on energy policy over Republicans by a wide 46% to 36% margin.

Enjoy,

John Anzalone and Jeff Liszt

Energy Policy

Cause of global warming

Polling Firm	Date	Caused more by human actions	Cause more by naturally occurring forces
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	74%	20%

NBC/ WSJ: I'm going to read you two statements. Please tell me whether the first statement or the second statement comes closer to your own view, even if neither is exactly right. Statement A: Global warming is caused more by human actions than by naturally occurring forces. Statement B: Global warming is caused more by naturally occurring forces than by human actions.

Who do you trust to do a better job handling energy policy?

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps	Neither
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	46%	36%	12%

Cap and Trade

Polling Firm	Date	Support	Oppose	Not Sure
Ipsos/ McClatchy	12/6/09	52%	41%	7%

Ipsos/ McClatchy: There's a proposed system called 'cap and trade' that some say would lower the pollution levels that lead to global warming. With Cap and Trade, the government would issue permits limiting the amount of greenhouse gases companies can put out. Companies that did not use all their permits could sell them to other companies. The idea is that many companies would find ways to put out less greenhouse gases, because that would be cheaper than buying permits. Would you support or oppose this system?

The Economy

Condition of America's economy?

Polling Firm	Date	Starting to recover	Has not started to recover but has stabilized	Still in a downturn and continuing to worsen
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	15%	46%	39%

CNN/ ORC: Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of economic conditions today?

Do you think America is in a state of decline, or do you feel that this is not the case?

Polling Firm	Date	State of decline	Not in a state of decline
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	61%	35%
NBC/ WSJ	9/22/08	74%	22%
NBC/ WSJ	11/07	57%	38%

Compared with this year do you feel that next year will be better?

Polling Firm	Date	Better	About the same	Worse
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	46%	27%	25%

Do you feel confident or not confident that life for our children's generation will be better?

Polling Firm	Date	Feel confident	Do not feel confident
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	27%	66%

President Obama's Job Rating on the Economy

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	42%	51%
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	46%	52%
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	47%	43%

Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy?

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	48%	36%
ABC/ Wash Post	11/15/09	52%	37%

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment Rate

Date	Rate
Nov. 2009	10%
Sept. 2009	9.8%
August 2009	9.7%
Nov. 2008	6.8%

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index

Polling Firm	Date
CB	Nov.	49.5
CB	Oct.	48.7
CB	Sept.	53.1

Financial Reform

Condition of America's Financial System

Polling Firm	Date	Okay way it is	Minor reforms	Major reforms	Total overhaul
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	5%	22%	43%	27%

Anzalone Liszt: In your opinion, would you say that America's financial system is okay the way it is, needs minor reforms, needs major reforms, or needs a total overhaul?

Informed support for President Obama's financial reform plan

Polling Firm	Date	Favor	Oppose	DK
Anzalone Liszt	12/3/09	60%	33%	6%

Anzalone Liszt: Now I'd like to give you a little more information about President Obama's financial reform plan and get your reaction: The plan would aim to reduce the risk of another financial crisis and prevent future government bailouts by increasing oversight over big banks on Wall Street, banning financial incentives that encourage Wall Street employees to take risks that threaten people's savings, and closing the loopholes that allow banks to avoid regulation. It would also create a Consumer Protection Agency to crack down on abuses committed by credit card companies and mortgage lenders. From what you have heard , do you favor or oppose President Obama's financial reform plan?

Health Care

Should government expand Medicare to cover people between the ages of 55 and 64?

Polling Firm	Date	Should	Should Not	No Opinion
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	63%	33%	4%

ABC/ Wash Post: Do you think the government should or should not expand Medicare to cover people between the ages of 55 and 64 who do not have health insurance?

Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care reform

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps	Neither
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	46%	39%	13%

President Obama's Job Rating on Health Care

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove	Und
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	44%	53%	3%
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	42%	50%	8%

Support for Health Care Reform Proposals

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Favor	Oppose	DK Enough/ Neither/ No opinion
AP-GfK	12/14/09	36%	44%	-
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	44%	51%	5%

AP-GfK: In general, do you support, oppose or neither support nor oppose the health care reform plans being discussed in Congress? ABC/ Wash Post: Overall, given what you know about them, would you say you support or oppose the proposed changes to the health care system being developed by Congress and the Obama administration?

Public Option Support

Polling Firm	Date	Support/ Favor	Oppose
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	59%	29%
Quinnipiac	12/6/09	56%	38%

CBS/ NY Times: Would you favor or oppose the government offering some people who are uninsured the choice of a government-administered health insurance plan - also known as a 'public option' - that would compete with private health insurance plans? Quinnipiac: Do you support or oppose giving people the option of being covered by a government health insurance plan that would compete with private plans

Afghanistan

President Obama's Job Rating on Afghanistan

Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove	Und/ Neutral
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	46%	42%	-
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	52%	44%	4%
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	48%	38%	-

Who do you trust to do a better job handling Afghanistan?

Polling Firm	Date	Obama	Reps	Neither
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	47%	35%	14%

Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan?

Polling Firm	Date	Bush	Obama	Both equally/ Neither
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	64%	17%	18%

USA Today/ Gallup: Whose policies do you blame for the problems that the U.S. is currently facing in Afghanistan: the policies of George W. Bush or the policies of Barack Obama?

Considering the cost versus benefits of the war in Afghanistan has it been worth it?

Polling Firm	Date	Worth Fighting	Not Worth Fighting
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	52%	44%

ABC/ Wash Post: On another subject, all in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting, or not?

Barack Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan

Polling Firm	Date	Favor/ Approve	Oppose/ Disapprove
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	58%	40%
CBS/ NY Times	12/8/09	51%	43%

ABC/ Wash Post: Do you support or oppose Obama's decision to send approximately 30,000 additional U.S. military forces to Afghanistan? CBS/ NY Times: As you may know, Barack Obama announced that an additional 30,000 U.S. troops will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming months. Do you approve or disapprove of sending additional troops to Afghanistan?

Barack Obama's plan to start removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011

Polling Firm	Date	Favor/ Approve/ Good idea	Oppose/ Disapprove/ Not a good idea
CNN/ ORC	12/3/09	66%	32%

CNN/ ORC: President Obama also announced that he plans to start removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011. Thinking specifically about that policy and not about Obama's decision to announce it at this time, do you favor or oppose Obama's plan to start removing troops from Afghanistan in 2011?

President Obama

President Obama's Job Rating

Polling Firm	Date	Positive/ Approve	Negative/ Disapprove
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	47%	46%
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	50%	46%
USA Today/ Gallup	12/13/09	49%	46%

President Obama's Popularity

Polling Firm	Date	Favorable/ Positive	Unfavorable/ Negative
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	50%	37%
Bloomberg	12/7/09	58%	38%

Congress and the U.S.

Congressional Job Approval

Group	Polling Firm	Date	Approve	Disapprove
Congress	AP-GfK	12/14/09	33%	65%
Dems in Congress	Pew	12/13/09	36%	47%
Reps in Congress	Pew	12/13/09	29%	51%

Generic Ballot

Polling Firm	Date	Dem	Rep
USA Today/ Gallup	12/13/09	48%	45%
PPP	12/7/09	44%	42%

Preferred party in control after the 2010 Congressional Elections

Polling Firm	Date	Dem	Rep
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	43%	41%

NBC/ WSJ: What is your preference for the outcome of next year's congressional elections-a Congress controlled by Republicans or a Congresss controlled by Democrats?

Does your representative deserve to be reelected in 2010?

Polling Firm	Date	Deserves to be reelected	Give new person a chance
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	38%	49%

NBC/ WSJ: In the next election for U.S. Congress, do you feel that your representative deserves to be reelected or do you think that it is time to give a new person a chance?

Misc.

Do you think the war in Iraq has been successful

Polling Firm	Date	Successful	Unsuccessful
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	57%	40%

Tiger Woods Popularity

Polling Firm	Date	Favorable/ Positive	Neutral	Unfavorable/ Positive
NBC/ WSJ	12/14/09	15%	38%	42%
ABC/ Wash Post	12/13/09	42%	-	43%
CNN	12/3/09	60%	-	25%

Energy Policy

Cause of global warming

Polling Firm

Date

Caused more by human actions

Cause more by naturally occurring forces

NBC/ WSJ

12/14/09

74%

20%

Who do you trust to do a better job handling energy policy?

Polling Firm

Date

Obama

Reps

Neither

ABC/ Wash Post

12/13/09

46%

36%

12%

Cap and Trade

Polling Firm

Date

Support

Oppose

Not Sure

Ipsos/ McClatchy

12/6/09

52%

41%

7%

The Economy

Condition of America's economy?

Polling Firm

Date

Starting to recover

Has not started to recover but has stabilized

Still in a downturn and continuing to worsen

CNN/ ORC

12/3/09

15%

46%

39%

CNN/ ORC: Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of economic conditions today?

Do you think America is in a state of decline, or do you feel that this is not the case?

Polling Firm

Date

State of decline

Not in a state of decline

NBC/ WSJ

12/14/09

61%

35%

NBC/ WSJ

9/22/08

74%

22%

NBC/ WSJ

11/07

57%

38%

Compared with this year do you feel that next year will be better?

Polling Firm

Date

Better

About the same

Worse

NBC/ WSJ

12/14/09

46%

27%

25%

Do you feel confident or not confident that life for our children's generation will be better?

Polling Firm

Date

Feel confident

Do not feel confident

NBC/ WSJ

12/14/09