This poll, fielded April 25-29, 2008, 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. Opinions were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the economy, and the situation with Iraq. Views were sought on the Republican party, the Democratic party, how well Congress was handling it's job, the condition of the national economy, and whether the economy was getting better or worse. Respondents were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, whether they were more likely to vote in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, who they wanted to see as the Democratic/Republican nominee, their level of support for this candidate, for whom they would vote if the election were held that day, and who they expected to actually win the election. Respondents gave their opinions of Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Respondents also gave their opinions of Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, and Cindy McCain. Other questions about the election and the candidates addressed who respondents wanted to see as the Democratic nominee's vice presidential running mate, the importance of the candidates' religious service attendance, whether the method of nominating presidential candidates in caucuses and primaries produced the best candidates, and the treatment of the candidates by the media. Several questions about the Democratic and Republican party were asked and included questions such as which party came closer to sharing the moral values of the respondent, which party was more likely to improve health care, make sure the United States military defenses were strong, and make the right decisions regarding immigration, a strong economy, and the war in Iraq. Additional questions asked about tax rebate checks, foods containing genetically modified ingredients, household income, whether the respondent or any member of the respondent's household owned a handgun, and whether the respondent had a relative or family friend that was currently serving in Iraq. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll 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 to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency. Opinions were also gathered on Vice President Dick Cheney, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Arizona Senator John McCain, and the United States Congress. Responding to questions about Bush, those polled gave their opinions on Bush's handling of foreign policy, the economy, the energy situation, and the environment. Respondents were asked if Bush could be trusted to keep his word, whether Bush had strong qualities of leadership, whether they had confidence in Bush's ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, and how much they thought Bush cared about the needs and problems of people like themselves, as well as Blacks. Opinions were gathered on whether Bush was seen as more liberal, moderate, or conservative, whether he was a different kind of Republican, whether he was working hard enough at the job of being president, and whether he had good judgment under pressure. Respondents were queried on whether Bush could negotiate effectively with world leaders and if those leaders had respect for him. The next set of questions dealt with the President and Congress. Opinions were gathered on both the Republican and Democratic parties, whether the close division between Republicans and Democrats had decreased partisanship by forcing the parties to work together, whether Bush would compromise with the Democrats to get things done and if the Democrats would do the same, if the Democrats or the president would have more influence over the direction of the country, whether respondents trusted the president or the Senate to make the right decisions about who should sit on the Supreme Court, and whether Bush's appointees would be more conservative than respondents would like. Another set of questions dealt with Social Security, including whether respondents thought individuals should be allowed to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes on their own and whether the government should be responsible to make up any losses as a result of personal investment. On the subject of Medicare, respondents were asked if reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly mattered to them personally and if they would favor having Medicare pay for the costs of prescription drugs for all recipients or only for low-income recipients. Opinions were also solicited on whether respondents favored a law guaranteeing people in HMOs and other managed care plans the right to sue their plans for denying coverage. Respondents were asked if they favored raising the minimum wage and if there should be mandatory testing of students every year in public schools to determine the allocation of federal funds. With respect to the economy, respondents were asked how they rated the condition of the national economy, whether they thought it was getting better, whether the tax cuts would be good for the economy, and whether using a significant portion of the budget surplus to cut taxes would be the best thing to do or if it would be better to spend the money on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. On the subject of the environment and energy, questions were asked concerning whether continuing environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost, whether producing energy or protecting the environment was more important, whether the environment must be protected even if it meant paying higher prices for electricity and gasoline, whether respondents thought that the energy shortages were real, and whether they thought energy companies decided among themselves what prices to charge for energy. Respondents were also asked whether they approved of the building of more nuclearpower plants to generate electricity and whether they would still feel that way if one were built in their own community, whether the government should increase production of petroleum, coal, and natural gas, or instead encourage people to conserve energy, whether there should be fewer regulations placed on oil and gas companies to make it easier for them to increase energy production, whether the oil industry had too much influence, and how they felt Bush and Cheney's ties to the oil industry would affect the administration's energy policy. Opinions of respondents were also elicited on the California power shortages, including whether the problems in California were a result of real power shortages or if power companies were claiming power shortages in order to charge consumers more for power, whether the federal government should help California with its energy problems, and whether respondents were in favor of price caps on power. On the issue of cars and fuel, respondents were asked what type of vehicle they had most recently purchased and whether they approved of the government requiri...

This poll, conducted March 8-12, 2001, is part of a continuing series of surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions about President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency, as well as their views on how Congress was handling its job. Those polled also gave their opinions of Vice President Dick Cheney, former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton, and former Vice President Al Gore. Respondents expressed their views about whether Bush legitimately won the election, whether he would compromise with congressional Democrats and vice versa, and whether Bush cared about Black people. A number of questions examined respondents' views about the budget surplus, a United States missile defense system against nuclear attacks, the Democrats' tax cut proposals versus Bush's, and Clinton's pardons. The survey also queried respondents on the most important problems for the government, abortion, environmental protection, the death tax, layoffs, the national economy and the stock market, the Social Security system, school violence, and Cheney's health problems. Those polled were asked whether they participated in the last presidential election on November 7, 2000, and whom they voted for. They also gave their opinions about public schools, mandatory testing of students, tax-funded vouchers for children's education, federal funding for schools and religious organizations, the Democratic and Republican parties, the hearings over the sinking of the Japanese fishing boat by a United States submarine, and the influence of conservative Christian groups in the Bush administration. Additional questions concentrated on the use of computers and the Internet, including whether respondents had access to a computer and to the Internet, and if they had an e-mail address. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, education, religion, race/ethnic identity, voter registration, political party affiliation, political orientation, marital status, age of children in the household, and household income.

This poll 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 to give their opinions of the 2004 presidential campaign and the candidates, the way George W. Bush was handling certain issues, the economy, the war in Iraq, terrorism, and the Patriot Act. Background information on respondents includes voter registration status, party identification, voting record in the 2000 election, marital status, sex, religious preference, education record, age, ethnicity, income, and reachable call-back phone numbers.

This poll 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 to give their opinions of the 2004 presidential campaign and the candidates, the way George W. Bush was handling certain issues, the war in Iraq, and consumption of organic foods. Background information on respondents includes voter registration status, party identification, voting record in the 2000 election, marital status, sex, religious preference, education record, age, ethnicity, income, and reachable call-back phone numbers.

This poll, conducted June 10-14, 2005, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, the situation with Iraq, terrorism, and Social Security. Those polled also expressed their opinion on various topics regarding Social Security, including its future, if it will have money available when the respondent retires, whether the Democrats, Republicans, or George W. Bush have a proposal to change Social Security, and which party was more likely to make the right decision about it. Additionally, they were asked whether it was the government's responsibility to provide a decent standard of living for the elderly. The issue of self investment in Social Security was also raised. Respondents were asked if they thought it was a good idea to allow individuals to invest portions of their Social Security taxes themselves. Other questions were asked in regards to this topic, including whether the respondent thought it would be okay if the government had to borrow two trillion dollars to set up a program in which members could invest their Social Security taxes on their own. Another question asked if the respondent was opposed to or favored tax increases to help the Social Security program. A series of questions focused on the respondent's current savings goal, any difficulty in paying bills, and plans for retirement was also queried. Demographic variables include race, sex, age, level of education, income, voter registration status, political ideology, party affiliation, marital status, religious affiliation, and whether a member of the household is in college.

This poll, conducted April 13-16, 2005, 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 to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency and issues such as the economy and the campaign against terrorism. Respondents were asked how well the United States Congress and their own representatives were doing their jobs, and gave their opinions of the Republican and Democratic parties, House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, and the late Pope John Paul II. Respondents voiced their concerns about the most important problem facing the country, whether the United States did the right thing by taking military action against Iraq, and how well the United States was doing to restore stability in Iraq. A set of questions addressed the recent death of Pope John Paul II, the Catholic church and priesthood, the church's handling of the sexual abuse of children by priests, and the position the next Pope should take on issues such as birth control and the ordainment of women. Additional topics focused on abortion, Social Security, the Patriot Act, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the use of stun guns, gasoline prices, and laws regarding life and death. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, religious affiliation, frequency of religious service attendance, political party affiliation, political philosophy, education level, marital status, household income, voter registration and participation history, gun ownership, and whether there were children in the household.

This poll 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 to give their opinions of the 2004 presidential campaign, the candidates, and the way George W. Bush was handling certain issues including the economy, the war in Iraq, and terrorism. Respondents were also asked their opinions of George W. Bush and John Kerry, and which candidate they favored in the election. The survey also included questions about various issues of the campaign such as abortion, affirmative action, anti-terrorism efforts, and same-sex marriage. Background information on respondents includes voter registration status, party identification, voting record in the 2000 and 2002 elections, marital status, sex, religious preference, education record, age, ethnicity, and income.

This poll, fielded February 20-24, 2008, 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. Opinions were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the economy, and the situation with Iraq. Opinions were also sought on the most important problem facing the nation, the condition of the national economy, and the war in Iraq. Respondents were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, for whom they would vote for if the election were held that day, whether they were more likely to vote in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, who they wanted to see as the Democratic/Republican nominee, their level of support for this candidate, and who they expected to actually win the election. Respondents gave their opinion of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, and John McCain. Other questions about the election and the candidates addressed the preferred qualities in the next president, the respondent's confidence in the candidates' abilities to handle various issues, how superdelegates should vote at their party's convention, how important the candidates' religious beliefs were, and whether the candidates were paying too much attention to people with strong religious beliefs. Respondents were also asked their opinion of Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama. Additional questions asked about the respondents' job security, financial situation, and whether they were comfortable with having debt. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, whether respondents had children less than 18 years of age, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, conducted January 14-18, 2005, 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 to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency and issues such as the campaign against terrorism and the situation in Iraq. Those polled stated their opinions of Vice President Dick Cheney and the Republican and Democratic parties, how well the United States Congress was doing its job, and whether things were currently going better in the United States than five years ago. Respondents voiced their concerns about the most important problem facing the country, the condition of the national economy, their own household's financial security, and whether various things such as the federal budget deficit would be different by the end of President Bush's second term in office. Views were sought on Iraq's upcoming elections, how much the Bush Administration knew about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq prior to the war, whether military action should have been taken against Iraq, and whether the United States was winning the war on terrorism. Additional questions focused on abortion, Social Security and other retirement savings, federal income tax cuts, the recent flat tax rate proposal, the type of Supreme Court Justices that President Bush would be likely to nominate, the upcoming presidential inauguration, the recent tsunami in South Asia, and the effect of new technologies on respondents' lives. Demographic variables include age, sex, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, religious affiliation, marital status, whether there were children in the household, and for whom the respondent voted in the 2004 presidential election.

This poll, fielded May 1-3, 2008, 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. Opinions were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency and the condition of the national economy. Respondents were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, who they would vote for if the election were held that day, whether they were more likely to vote in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, who they wanted to see as the Democratic or Republican nominee, their level of support for this candidate, and who they expected to actually win the election. Respondents gave their opinions of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Other questions addressed the treatment of the candidates by the news media and the respondent's knowledge of the religious faith of the candidates. Opinions were also sought on Barack Obama's former minister Reverend Jeremiah Wright's statements and whether his statements affected the respondent's opinions of Obama, how well Obama handled the situation, the degree of influence Reverend Wright had on Obama's spiritual and political views, whether Obama shared Wright's feelings toward the United States, whether Wright's comments would affect how they voted in November, whether the media spent an appropriate amount of time covering the situation, and why Obama decided to renounce his ties to Reverend Wright. Additional questions asked about removing federal tax on gasoline during the summer months and whether the respondent ever disagreed with the statements made by their own religious leader. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

This poll, fielded April 25-29, 2008, 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. Opinions were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the economy, and the situation with Iraq. Views were sought on the Republican party, the Democratic party, how well Congress was handling it's job, the condition of the national economy, and whether the economy was getting better or worse. Respondents were asked how much attention they were paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, whether they were more likely to vote in a Democratic or Republican primary or caucus in their state, who they wanted to see as the Democratic/Republican nominee, their level of support for this candidate, for whom they would vote if the election were held that day, and who they expected to actually win the election. Respondents gave their opinions of Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Respondents also gave their opinions of Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, and Cindy McCain. Other questions about the election and the candidates addressed who respondents wanted to see as the Democratic nominee's vice presidential running mate, the importance of the candidates' religious service attendance, whether the method of nominating presidential candidates in caucuses and primaries produced the best candidates, and the treatment of the candidates by the media. Several questions about the Democratic and Republican party were asked and included questions such as which party came closer to sharing the moral values of the respondent, which party was more likely to improve health care, make sure the United States military defenses were strong, and make the right decisions regarding immigration, a strong economy, and the war in Iraq. Additional questions asked about tax rebate checks, foods containing genetically modified ingredients, household income, whether the respondent or any member of the respondent's household owned a handgun, and whether the respondent had a relative or family friend that was currently serving in Iraq. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.

Abstract (en): This poll 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 to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency. Opinions were also gathered on Vice President Dick Cheney, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Arizona Senator John McCain, and the United States Congress. Responding to questions about Bush, those polled gave their opinions on Bush's handling of foreign policy, the economy, the energy situation, and the environment. Respondents were asked if Bush could be trusted to keep his word, whether Bush had strong qualities of leadership, whether they had confidence in Bush's ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, and how much they thought Bush cared about the needs and problems of people like themselves, as well as Blacks. Opinions were gathered on whether Bush was seen as more liberal, moderate, or conservative, whether he was a different kind of Republican, whether he was working hard enough at the job of being president, and whether he had good judgment under pressure. Respondents were queried on whether Bush could negotiate effectively with world leaders and if those leaders had respect for him. The next set of questions dealt with the President and Congress. Opinions were gathered on both the Republican and Democratic parties, whether the close division between Republicans and Democrats had decreased partisanship by forcing the parties to work together, whether Bush would compromise with the Democrats to get things done and if the Democrats would do the same, if the Democrats or the president would have more influence over the direction of the country, whether respondents trusted the president or the Senate to make the right decisions about who should sit on the Supreme Court, and whether Bush's appointees would be more conservative than respondents would like. Another set of questions dealt with Social Security, including whether respondents thought individuals should be allowed to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes on their own and whether the government should be responsible to make up any losses as a result of personal investment. On the subject of Medicare, respondents were asked if reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly mattered to them personally and if they would favor having Medicare pay for the costs of prescription drugs for all recipients or only for low-income recipients. Opinions were also solicited on whether respondents favored a law guaranteeing people in HMOs and other managed care plans the right to sue their plans for denying coverage. Respondents were asked if they favored raising the minimum wage and if there should be mandatory testing of students every year in public schools to determine the allocation of federal funds. With respect to the economy, respondents were asked how they rated the condition of the national economy, whether they thought it was getting better, whether the tax cuts would be good for the economy, and whether using a significant portion of the budget surplus to cut taxes would be the best thing to do or if it would be better to spend the money on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. On the subject of the environment and energy, questions were asked concerning whether continuing environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost, whether producing energy or protecting the environment was more important, whether the environment must be protected even if it meant paying higher prices for electricity and gasoline, whether respondents thought that the energy shortages were real, and whether they thought energy companies decided among themselves what prices to charge for energy. Respondents were also asked whether they approved of the building of more nuclearpower plants to generate electricity and whether they would still feel that way if one were built in their own community, whether the government should increase production of petroleum, coal, and natural gas, or instead encourage people to conserve energy, whether there should be fewer regulations placed on oil and gas companies to make it easier for them to increase energy production, whether the oil industry had too much influence, and how they felt Bush and Cheney's ties to the oil industry would affect the administration's energy policy. Opinions of respondents were also elicited on t...

Abstract (en): This poll 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 to give their opinions of the 2004 presidential campaign and the candidates, the way George W. Bush was handling certain issues, the war in Iraq, and consumption of organic foods. Background information on respondents includes voter registration status, party identification, voting record in the 2000 election, marital status, sex, religious preference, education record, age, ethnicity, income, and reachable call-back phone numbers. Adult population of the United States aged 18 and over having a telephone at home. A variation of random-digit dialing using primary sampling units (PSUs) was employed, consisting of blocks of 100 telephone numbers identical through the eighth digit and stratified by geographic region, area code, and size of place. Within households, respondents were selected using a method developed by Leslie Kish and modified by Charles Backstrom and Gerald Hursh (see Backstrom and Hursh, SURVEY RESEARCH. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1963). The data contain weight variables that should be used for analysis.