This poll, fielded April 1-5, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy and foreign policy. A series of questions addressed the Obama Administration's approach to solving economic problems and whether the administration's policies favored the rich, the middle class, or the poor. Respondents gave their opinions of First Lady Michelle Obama, the United States Congress, the Republican and Democratic parties, and whether President Obama or the Republicans in Congress were more likely to make the right decisions about the national economy and national security. Views were sought on President Obama's proposed budget plan, including changes in federal income taxes and government spending, and proposals to give financial assistance to the banking and automotive industries. A series of questions addressed the condition of the national economy, the most important economic problem facing the nation, the financial situation of the respondent's household, and how the recession was affecting their life. Respondents compared their current standard of living with that of their parents at the same age and gave their expectations about the standard of living of their children. Other questions asked respondents what the phrase "American dream" meant to them and whether they had achieved the "American dream" or expected to in their lifetime. Additional topics addressed the bonuses given to AIG insurance company executives, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, international trade, health insurance coverage, and government spending on cancer research. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, whether respondents had children under the age of 18 years, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded September 19-23, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency, the situations in Iraq and in Afghanistan, health care and the economy, whether they thought the country was on the right track, how they would rate the condition of the national economy and whether they thought the economy would get better. Respondents were also asked questions about the economic recession, whether they believed the stimulus package had made the economy better, whether the stimulus package would make the economy better in the future, and whether it was acceptable to raise the deficit to create jobs and stimulate growth. Several questions about health care were included that asked respondents how much change was needed in the health care system, how changes to the health care system would affect the Medicare program, whether they favored government administered health insurance plans, how satisfied they were with the quality of health care they were receiving, whether they were satisfied with their health care costs, whether they believed health care coverage could be increased without increasing the budget deficit, whether fixing the cost or providing coverage for the uninsured had the higher priority, and whether the respondent would consider public health care that anyone could join at any age. Other topics that were covered included, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, respondents' opinion of Michelle Obama, how the federal government should use taxpayer's money, how the deficit should be handled, personal finances, and job security. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, perceived social class, religious preference, whether the respondent considered themselves to be a born-again Christian, and voter registration status and participation history.

This poll, fielded June 12-16, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy and the federal budget deficit. Opinions were solicited about the most important problem facing the country, whether the country was moving in the right direction, the condition of the national economy, and the Republican and Democratic parties. Respondents were asked about their level of satisfaction with the quality and cost of health care in the United States, whether it was the responsibility of the federal government to guarantee health insurance for all Americans, whether the federal government or private insurance companies would do a better job providing coverage and holding down health care costs, and the possible effects of universal health care. Views were sought on health care reform proposals, such as requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance, taxing employer-paid health insurance benefits to pay for those who were uninsured, and requiring health insurance companies to provide coverage regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. Information was collected on the financial situation of the respondent's household, whether they had health insurance coverage, the source of their insurance coverage, and the affordability of basic medical care under their current health insurance plan. Additional topics addressed Roe versus Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States, gay marriage, affirmation action programs for minorities and low-income individuals, the Supreme Court and the nomination of federal appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, television political commentators, and the possible closure of the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, the presence of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 in the household, whether respondents had children under the age of 18 years, and whether they considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded February 5-10, 2010, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling his job as president, whether things in the country were going in the right direction, to rate the condition of the national economy, and what they thought was the most important problem facing the nation. Opinions were solicited on how respondents felt about the current administration, health care reform, the federal budget deficit, and terrorism. Respondents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of the current Congress, the chance they would re-elect members of Congress, whether there was a need for a third party to be formed, how well Congress represents the general population compared to special interests, whether the stimulus package created a substantial number of new jobs or not, whether government programs do enough or too much for the people, new regulations and proposed taxes on financial institutions, the amount of influence the Tea Party has, gays and lesbians in the military, and personal finances. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, marital status, religious preference, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, and voter registration status and participation history.

This poll, fielded February 18-22, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy, the war in Iraq, and foreign policy. Respondents gave their opinions of First Lady Michelle Obama, the United States Congress, the Republican and Democratic parties, and how they will work together. Views were sought on the condition of the national economy, the government bailout of the automotive and financial industries, and whether the federal government should provide financial help to homeowners having trouble paying their mortgages. Additional topics addressed the stimulus package, the national debt, baseball players and steroid use by the players, household finances, job security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whether Iran was a threat to the United States, whether the Bush Administration should be investigated for the treatment of detainees, the use of wiretaps, the likelihood that respondents would watch President Obama's address to Congress on February 24th, 2009. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, home ownership, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded December 4-8, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling his job as president, job creation, the economy, the situation in Afghanistan, and health care. Several questions addressed the economy and included questions that asked for respondents' opinions on the condition of the economy, the recession, who they thought was to blame for the current high employment rate in the United States, whether they thought Republicans or Democrats would create new jobs, and whether the government's stimulus package made the economy better or created new jobs. Respondents were asked about their personal financial situation, their rating of their household's financial situation, whether they thought their financial situation was getting better, what worried them the most about their finances, whether they had made cutbacks in their day-to-day spending, how their family had been affected by the recession, and whether they discussed the financial changes with their children. Information was collected on respondents' employment status. Unemployed respondents were asked how long they had been out of work and seeking employment, how long they expected it to take to find employment, whether they were laid off, whether they were offered a severance package with their last employer, what was most effective in finding leads for new jobs, and whether they had relocated, considered changing their career, or pursued job re-training programs to increase their chances of finding employment. Respondents were asked how confident they were that they would find a job with the same income and benefits as their last job, whether they were receiving unemployment benefits, and whether they took any money from their savings account, borrowed money from family or friends, increased the household's credit card debt, cut back on vacations or doctors visits, or received food stamps as result of being unemployed. Respondents were also asked whether the following things occurred as a result of them being unemployed: positive experiences, increase in volunteer work or religious service attendance, increased stress levels or exercise time, threatened with foreclosure, had more arguments with family, emotional or mental health issues, or had trouble sleeping. Other topics covered included global warming, health insurance plans, health care reform, job security, and the war in Afghanistan. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, military service, religious preference, reported social class, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born again Christians.

This poll, fielded April 5-12, 2010, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way that Barack Obama was handling his job as president, the economy, health care, and the federal budget deficit, what they liked best and least about Obama, whether they thought things in the country were going in the right direction, and what they thought was the most important problem facing the country. Information was collected on whether respondents approved or disapproved of the way Congress was handling its job, whether they approved or disapproved of the way their representative in Congress was handling their job, whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of President Obama, how respondents would rate the national economy, and who they thought was mostly to blame for the state of the national economy. Respondents were queried on whether they thought that the government's stimulus package made the economy better or worse, whether they thought that the country needed a third political party, whether they would rather have a smaller government with fewer services or a bigger government providing more services, how they felt things were going in Washington, DC, whether they thought the federal government should spend money to create jobs even if it means increasing the budget deficit, and whether they would rather reduce the federal budget deficit or cut taxes. Respondents were also asked who they thought was to blame for the current federal budget deficit, whether they thought providing government money to banks and other financial institutions was necessary to get the economy out of a recession, whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, John McCain, George Bush, Ron Paul, Glen Beck, and Sarah Palin. Information was collected on what political figure the respondents admired most, whether they thought Sarah Palin would have the ability to be an effective president, whether they thought President Obama understands the need and problems of people like themselves, whether respondents thought he was more of a liberal, a moderate, or a conservative, whether they thought his policies were moving the country more towards socialism, whether they thought he favored a particular race over another, and whether they thought the Obama Administration had raised or lowered taxes for most Americans. Respondents were asked whether they thought that the federal government should require nearly all Americans to have health insurance, whether they thought it would be a good idea to raise income taxes on households that make more than $250,000 a year in order to help provide health insurance for people who do not already have it, whether they approved or disapproved of requiring health insurance companies to cover anyone who applies regardless of whether they have an existing medical condition, and whether they thought that the programs such as Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost of those programs for taxpayers. Respondents were queried on whether they thought legal immigration into the United States should be kept at its presents level, increased, or decreased, how serious a problem they thought illegal immigration was, whether they thought that global warming was causing a serious environmental problem, whether they thought gay couples should be allowed to marry, whether they thought abortion should be legal, whether they thought gun control law should be made more strict, what socialism means to them, and whether they thought it was ever justified for citizens to take violent action against the government. Respondents were also asked a number of questions about the Tea Party movement, including how much have they heard about it, whether they had a favorable opinion of it, whether they supported it, and whether they thought the Tea Party movement generally reflected the views of most Americans. Finally, respondents were asked if they were ever active in a political campaign, whether they purchased gold bars or coins in the past year, what political party they usually vote for, what news network they watched most, how concerned were they that they or someone in their household would lose their job in the next year, whe

This poll, fielded May 20-24, 2010, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling his job as president, whether things in the United States were going in the right direction, and how they would rate the condition of the national economy. Respondents were also asked what they thought was the most important problem facing the United States today, whether they approved or disapproved of the way President Obama was handling the economy, the situation with Afghanistan, health care, and the threat of terrorism. They were also asked whether they approved of the way Congress was handling its job, whether most members of Congress have done a good enough job to deserve re-election, and whether they felt the economy is getting better or worse. They were also queried on their feelings for the Democratic and Republican parties, about the way things are going in Washington, DC, how important they thought it was for there to be another woman on the Supreme Court, and their opinion of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Respondents were asked how serious a problem they thought illegal immigration was, whether they thought the Arizona documentation policy went too far in dealing with illegal immigration, whether the federal government should have provided financial help to United States homeowners who were having trouble repaying their mortgages, whether the federal government should have provided financial help to United States automakers who were in financial trouble, and whether the federal government should have provided financial help to United States banks and financial institutions who were in financial trouble. Respondents were asked about the new health care reform bill and whether they approved it, and whether this new reform bill will mostly help, hurt, or not affect them. They were also queried on whether they favored increased drilling for oil and natural gas off the coast of the United States, whether they approved of the way the Obama Administration was handling the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and whether they approved the way BP was handling the same oil spill. They were asked to rate their family financial situation, how concerned they were about making ends meet financially in the next 12 months, how concerned they were in the next 12 months they or someone in their household might be out of work, how much the economic recession affected them and their family, and whether the economic recession affected plans for their children's future. They were also asked their opinion of the Tea Party movement and whether they considered themselves to be a supporter of the Tea Party movement. They were also asked whether they thought being gay or homosexual was a choice, whether same-sex relations between consenting adults is wrong, whether it is necessary to have laws to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing and employment, and whether they personally know someone who is gay or lesbian. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, military service, religious preference, reported social class, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born again Christians.

This poll, fielded July 24-28, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as foreign policy and health care. Opinions were solicited about the most important problem facing the country, whether the country was moving in the right direction, the condition of the national economy, and the Republican and Democratic parties. Respondents were asked about the federal government's stimulus package, including its effect on the creation of new jobs, the federal budget deficit, and the national and local economy. A series of questions addressed the health care system in the United States, whether respondents thought they would benefit from the health care legislation under consideration in Congress, the effects of this legislation on the federal budget deficit and the economy, and the likelihood that a health care reform bill would be signed into law by the end of the year. Views were sought on specific health care reform proposals, such as taxing employer-paid health insurance benefits, raising taxes on Americans with high incomes, and requiring health insurance companies to provide coverage regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. Respondents were also polled on whether they believed it was the federal government's responsibility to guarantee health insurance for all Americans and the possible effects of a government-created universal health care system on the quality of health care, health care costs, taxes, jobs, and the number of uninsured Americans. Information was collected on the financial situation of the respondent's household, whether they had health insurance coverage, the source of their insurance coverage, and the affordability of basic medical care under their health insurance plan. Additional topics addressed police treatment of minorities, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and whether women should be allowed to participate in military combat and serve in combat zones. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, employment status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, the presence of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 in the household, whether respondents had a child under the age of 18 years, and whether they considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

Abstract (en): This poll, fielded April 5-12, 2010, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way that Barack Obama was handling his job as president, the economy, health care, and the federal budget deficit, what they liked best and least about Obama, whether they thought things in the country were going in the right direction, and what they thought was the most important problem facing the country. Information was collected on whether respondents approved or disapproved of the way Congress was handling its job, whether they approved or disapproved of the way their representative in Congress was handling their job, whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of President Obama, how respondents would rate the national economy, and who they thought was mostly to blame for the state of the national economy. Respondents were queried on whether they thought that the government's stimulus package made the economy better or worse, whether they thought that the country needed a third political party, whether they would rather have a smaller government with fewer services or a bigger government providing more services, how they felt things were going in Washington, DC, whether they thought the federal government should spend money to create jobs even if it means increasing the budget deficit, and whether they would rather reduce the federal budget deficit or cut taxes. Respondents were also asked who they thought was to blame for the current federal budget deficit, whether they thought providing government money to banks and other financial institutions was necessary to get the economy out of a recession, whether they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, John McCain, George Bush, Ron Paul, Glen Beck, and Sarah Palin. Information was collected on what political figure the respondents admired most, whether they thought Sarah Palin would have the ability to be an effective president, whether they thought President Obama understands the need and problems of people like themselves, whether respondents thought he was more of a liberal, a moderate, or a conservative, whether they thought his policies were moving the country more towards socialism, whether they thought he favored a particular race over another, and whether they thought the Obama Administration had raised or lowered taxes for most Americans. Respondents were asked whether they thought that the federal government should require nearly all Americans to have health insurance, whether they thought it would be a good idea to raise income taxes on households that make more than $250,000 a year in order to help provide health insurance for people who do not already have it, whether they approved or disapproved of requiring health insurance companies to cover anyone who applies regardless of whether they have an existing medical condition, and whether they thought that the programs such as Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost of those programs for taxpayers. Respondents were queried on whether they thought legal immigration into the United States should be kept at its presents level, increased, or decreased, how serious a problem they thought illegal immigration was, whether they thought that global warming was causing a serious environmental problem, whether they thought gay couples should be allowed to marry, whether they thought abortion should be legal, whether they thought gun control law should be made more strict, what socialism means to them, and whether they thought it was ever justified for citizens to take violent action against the government. Respondents were also asked a number of questions about the Tea Party movement, including how much have they heard about it, whether they had a favorable opinion of it, whether they supported it, and whether they thought the Tea Party movement generally reflected the views of most Americans. Finally, respondents were asked if they were ever active in a political campaign, whether they purchased gold bars or coins in the past year, what political party they usually vote for, what news network they watched most, how concerned were they that they or someone in their household would lose their job in the next year, whether they ever felt at risk of falling out of their social class, how they would rate...