opinion polls

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Voters Favor Sotomayor 2-1: Poll

55% approve of Obama's pick

(Newser) - Another poll has shown widespread support for Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, Bloomberg reports. Of 3,000 voters polled by Quinnipiac University, 55% approved of President Obama's choice and 25% disapproved. But the Senate will ultimately decide, and Sotomayor is spending her third straight day meeting with lawmakers on the...

GOP Torn on 2012 Frontrunner
 GOP Torn on 2012 Frontrunner 
Jun 3, 2009 4:44 AM CDT

GOP Torn on 2012 Frontrunner

(Newser) - A frontrunner has yet to emerge among Republican candidates for the 2012 presidential election, according to a new CNN poll. Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney are currently tied as the most popular potential candidate, each winning roughly 21% of support among those surveyed. They're trailed by Newt Gingrich...

Reid's Approval Sinks in Nevada

(Newser) - Harry Reid may have a tough time getting Nevadans to re-elect him in 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. If the election were today, 45% would definitely vote against him and another 17% would consider it, a new poll shows. About a third of voters would keep the Senate majority...

Hackers Cook Time's Most- Influential Poll; Mag Shrugs

(Newser) - The results of Time’s online “world’s most influential person” poll have fallen victim to shenanigans, TechCrunch reports. Moot, leader of the devious web forum 4Chan, sits atop Time’s leaderboard, above Barack Obama and other usual suspects. And the first letters of the top 20 spell out...

Poll: US on 'Right Track' for First Time in 5 Years

48% are optimistic, up eight points in two months

(Newser) - For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, according to an AP poll. The percentage of Americans saying the country is headed in the right direction rose to 48%, up eight points from February, while 44% say the nation...

Zuma Coasting to South African Presidency

Landslide predicted for ANC, but could lose parliamentary majority

(Newser) - With less than 24 hours to go before South Africa's fourth post-apartheid general election, polls confirm that Jacob Zuma will sail to victory as the country's new president. But while his African National Congress has gained votes in every election since 1994, allegations of corruption and a revitalized opposition may...

Obama Approval Hits 66% High in New Poll

Prez lauded on foreign policy, economy, but not from GOP voters

(Newser) - President Obama's approval ratings are at the highest since he took office, according to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll. Of those surveyed, 66% approve of how Obama is handling the job, up two points from last month, and 67% said they believed world leaders respected the US president,...

AIG Gaffe Puts Dodd 16% Behind GOP Challenger: Poll

(Newser) - The AIG bonus scandal has battered Connecticut Democrat Chris Dodd’s Senate reelection chances, the Hartford Courant reports. A new poll shows the five-term incumbent trailing GOP challenger Rob Simmons by 16%, a deficit one analyst calls “staggering.” Overall, Dodd’s approval is at 33%. And since AIG,...

Woes Won't Sour Obama Numbers ... Yet

(Newser) - If Barack Obama is lucky, and the predictions of most economists indicate he will be, the US economy will emerge from recession long before the populace expects it to, Nate Silver writes on FiveThirtyEight. And “it will be quite some time yet before the public pins most of the...

Americans See a Lot of Bull on Wall Street

Most in poll give execs low grades for ethics, honesty

(Newser) - The executives who run Wall Street are bankrupt—at least, morally, say Americans in a new poll. Nearly 60% gave them poor grades for dishonesty and unethical behavior, Reuters reports. Most also blame the executives for Wall Street's mess. “We can’t act like it’s the fault of...

Americans Want Torture Investigation: Poll

(Newser) - Two-thirds of Americans want an investigation into alleged Bush administration misdeeds, including torture and warrantless wiretapping, a USA Today/Gallup poll shows. Forty percent of respondents would like to see criminal probes; one-quarter would prefer investigations without the possibility of criminal charges. And even more—70% of those surveyed—said the...

Poll: Americans' Trust in Gov't Plummeted in '08

62% trust feds less than a year ago; 65% think US is on wrong track

(Newser) - 2008 wasn’t a great year for the federal government’s reputation, with a Politico poll finding that 62% of Americans say their confidence in Washington has decreased in the past year. The main worry is the economy: 45% say that economic stimulus should be the highest priority (no other...

Poll: Nation Prefers a Mutt for Obamas

43% want first family to get pooch from shelter

(Newser) - A majority of Americans think the First Family should adopt a mutt, according to an AP poll. While the nation’s pet-less are split on the issue, pet owners, who represent 60% of the population, went 2-1 in favor of a mixed breed. That may not be enough to sway...

79% Support Obama Stimulus Plan, Poll Says

And public places more confidence in him than in Congress

(Newser) - Most Americans favor Barack Obama's pricey antidotes for the economy, and they like him better than his pals in the legislative branch, Politico reports. A recent poll says 79% back Obama's fiscal plans, which include a $775 billion injection into infrastructure and alternative energy. The president-elect's favorable rating sits high...

'Lockstep' Support of Israel Doesn't Represent US

(Newser) - You wouldn't know it to hear our political leaders talk, but the country is deeply divided over Israel’s attacks on Gaza, writes Glenn Greenwald on Salon. Most Republican voters support the action, while most Democratic ones do not. Yet Democratic bigwigs such as Pelosi and Reid offer "blind,...

Poll Backs Obama's War Plans
 Poll Backs Obama's War Plans 
ANALYSIS
Dec 16, 2008 12:49 PM CST

Poll Backs Obama's War Plans

Americans' opinion of Iraq effort most upbeat in 5 years

(Newser) - Barack Obama echoes most Americans’ war views, if not those of his national-security team, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. Though 27% fewer Americans are pessimistic about efforts in Iraq compared to 2 years ago, 70% say they want troops withdrawn within 16 months, as Obama has promised. Most—67%—...

Nearly 50% of Women Prefer the Web to Sex

(Newser) - Almost half of American women would be willing to go without sex for 2 weeks in order to keep their Internet access, a new survey says. Of 2,119 adults surveyed last month, only 30% of men agreed, but that number rose to 39% in the younger 18-to-34 range. The...

Americans, Swarming Polls, Use Vote to Vent Frustrations

Latest poll shows record pessimism but also enthusiasm among Americans

(Newser) - Americans are more depressed than ever about the state of the nation and unsure whether its fate can be redirected by a new president—but they’re still breaking voting records before Election Day has even arrived. Early voting is up 50% from 2004 according to polls, and two-thirds of...

Why the Polls May Be Wrong
 Why the Polls May Be Wrong 
Oct 30, 2008 6:08 PM CDT

Why the Polls May Be Wrong

Use of cell phones, unexpected turnout could skew results

(Newser) - Opinion polls can be wrong—just look at Thomas Dewey in 1948 or even Barack Obama, who led Hillary Clinton before the New Hampshire primary but lost anyway. Reuters outlines some factors that could be skewing current results:
  • Turnout: Polls filter the results of phone surveys through models of who
...

23% of Texans Say Obama Is Muslim

Fraction under mistaken impression much greater than 5-10% nationally: poll

(Newser) - Nearly a quarter of Texas voters still believe Barack Obama is a Muslim, the Houston Chronicle reports. Polling shows 23% of registered voters there buy internet-fueled rumors the Democrat is hiding his Islamic faith—compared to just 5-10% of voters nationwide. The same poll gives John McCain a comfortable lead...

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