polling

Emulating Reagan Won't Cut It

Isaiah J. Poole — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:06:23 -0800

Majority of Americans Believe Economic Downturn is Here

Armand Biroonak — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0700

According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 69 percent of Americans believe our economy is in a recession or worse, 33 percent think this is a depression.

Americans Worried About Financial Outlook

Armand Biroonak — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0700

A recent USA Today/Gallup Poll shows that 73 percent of Americans say our nation’s financial troubles will get worse and 64 percent are worried that they may not have enough money for retirement.

Military Officers Believe Military Has Been Diminished By Iraq War

Alexander Sewell — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0700

A poll of 3,400 military officers found that 60 percent say the U.S. military is weaker today than it was five years ago, and nearly 90 percent say the Iraq war has “stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin.”

Poll: The American Dream No Longer a Reality

Armand Biroonak — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:00:00 -0700

A June poll by Rockefeller Foundation/Time Magazine found that half of Americans no longer think the American dream is within reach.

More Than Half of Workers Want Unions

Armand Biroonak — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:12:29 -0700

Recent findings suggest that more than half of all U.S. workers—nearly 60 million—say they would join a union right now if they could.

McCain Losing "Maverick" Brand; Voters Most Likely To See Him As "Old"

Cliff Schecter — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:36:34 -0700

According to the Pew Research Center, when asked to describe their views of McCain in a word, the term "maverick" didn't even come up. Nor did "reformer" or "independent." Ruh-roh. It looks like the bear-hug embrace of Bush, 100 years in Iraq and his newfound affection for Bushenomics have all done serious damage to McCain's perceived maverickness:

John McCain once had the most powerful brand in American politics.

He was often called the country's most popular politician and widely admired for his independent streak. It wasn't too many years ago that "maverick" was the cliche of choice in describing him.

But that term didn't even make the list this year when voters were asked by the Pew Research Center to sum up McCain in a single word. "Old" got the most mentions, followed by "honest," "experienced," "patriot," "conservative" and a dozen more. The words "independent," "change" or "reformer" weren't among them.

Voters have notoriously short memories, but it could be argued that McCain cheapened his own brand.

He embraced President Bush and attempted to become, like Bush, the choice of the Republican establishment. In the process, he helped obliterate recollections of his first run for president, when he became the first Republican in a long time with strong crossover appeal to independents and Democrats.

Losing his reputation for independence could prove particularly costly this year.

It turns out that there may be a cost for flip-flopping on tax cuts for the top 1% and wanting to "bomb bomb bomb Iran." Who would have thunk it?

And the cost could be a whole set of voters (independents) who will be very important in determining the outcomes in states such as Colorado, New Mexico and Montana, to name a few. Additionally, being tied to the GOP brand this year is as close as it gets to a political death sentence (ask GOP House candidates in Mississippi, Louisiana and Illinois about that).

John McCain may just have lost his greatest asset.

First Draft of History: 98% of historians call Bush a "Failure"

Eric Lotke — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:06:40 -0700

U.S. News and World Report reports President Bush "often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can't be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network." The survey found that 98% of historians believe that Bush's presidency has been a failure. 61% say Bush is the worst in American history. Among the reasons given for his low ratings: invading Iraq, tax breaks for the rich, and alienating nations around the world.

Government not Doing Enough on Economy

Alex Carter — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:16:12 -0700

A poll released Monday by Rasmussen Reports found that 63% of Americans believe the U.S. government isn't doing enough to help out the economy, while 19% believe the government's response has been adequate this election year.

Mostly Democrats believe that the government's response has been inadequate, however. Seventy seven percent of Democrats say the government hasn't done enough, while 43% of Republicans gave that response. Meanwhile, 67% of independent voters said the government isn't doing enough.

The economy is a key issue this election season. A Rasmussen poll released Sunday found that 38% of likely voters believe the economy is the top voting issue of the 2008 election, compared to 19% who said it's the war in Iraq. That same poll found that 48% of voters said the best thing the government can do for the economy is reduce taxes and regulations. The poll found that 36% disagree with that approach while 16% aren't sure. April 7, 2008.

Gallup gets it wrong

Eric Lotke — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:45:29 -0700

A brand new Gallup poll reports:

“Americans prioritize protecting the environment over economic growth by 49% to 42% -- but this seven-point margin is near the low of the past couple of decades.”

This simple, perhaps disappointing poll, hides as much as it reveals.

First, the good news. Even in this time of economic stress, people are willing to swap economic growth for environmental protection. They are worried about the environment and they would sacrifice to protect it.

Second and even more important is the false choice hidden in Gallup’s poll. The question asked whether “protection of the environment should be given priority, even at the risk of curbing economic growth (or) economic growth should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent.” [Order rotated].

Gallup is asking a wrong question, falling into the conservative ideological trap that we must choose one or the other. We do not need to sacrifice economic growth to protect the environment. They go hand in hand. The Apollo Alliance, for example, maps out a strategy to create next-generation jobs in a green economy. Apollo advises $30 billion a year in targeted public investment to create 3 million green-collar jobs, paid for by repealing oil company subsidies.

The people already know this. A survey of voters by Democracy Corps revealed that nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) want to “act immediately” on global warming. Nearly three out of four voters (74%) want to “move from oil to alternative fuels for our vehicles because it will cause less pollution, stop global warming and make us more energy independent.”

Given a choice, people even reject Gallup’s false choice. By an overwhelming margin (79% to 17%) voters surveyed by Democracy Corps believe that “shifting to new, alternative energy production will help America’s economy and create jobs, not cost Americans jobs.”

Van Jones said it clearly in our Take Back America conference last week. The path to energy security and a cleaner environment goes through wind farms and solar cells. These need to be built. “Thousands of contracts, millions of jobs.”

That’s where people want to go. Maybe our leaders will finally take us there. And next time, maybe Gallup will ask a better question.