Behind the Numbers - Public opinion in this country is everything.

Posted at 10:10 AM ET, 05/09/2011

Virginia poll: Obama’s fortunes improve post OBL, but economy still lingers as issue

By Peyton M. Craighill

President Obama gained an immediate boost in his job ratings in a new Washington Post Virginia poll after the killing of Osama bin Laden, but people remain concered about the economy.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 10:10 AM ET, 05/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Virginia, Barack Obama, Presidential Approval

Posted at 12:29 PM ET, 05/03/2011

Approval bounces: Obama and Bush

By Peyton M. Craighill

There is a quick lift in approval ratings for President Obama in a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll. Fifty-six percent now approve of his job, up nine points since April.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 12:29 PM ET, 05/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:57 AM ET, 04/27/2011

Mistaken belief about Obama’s birth has persisted in a segment of population, polls find

By Peyton M. Craighill

The mistaken belief that President Obama was born outside of the United States has persisted among a hard-core segment of the population.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 11:57 AM ET, 04/27/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:07 AM ET, 04/19/2011

Obama and 2012: approval down, but little enthusiasm for GOP field

By Peyton M. Craighill

Early in President Obama’s re-election bid, he’s running ahead of each of the seven potential Republican challengers tested in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 09:07 AM ET, 04/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, Barack Obama, GOP nomination

Posted at 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011

Poll Watchers: the Trump card, Afghanistan, Obama and the birthers, the economy and nuclear energy

By Peyton M. Craighill

New polling on Donald Trump and the 2012 election, the war in Afghanistan, President Obama and the birthers, declining views of the economy and support for new nuclear power plants.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Economy, GOP nomination

Posted at 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011

Poll Watchers: New polls on government shutdown, budget debate, GOP 2012

By Peyton M. Craighill

New polling on a possible governement shutdown, Obama’s approval ratings, polling in Florida, Republican primary standings, support for military action in Libya and new interest.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, Barack Obama, Federal Budget Deficit

Posted at 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011

Poll Watchers: Florida governor ratings, gas prices, Huckabee continues to lead, government shutdown

By Peyton M. Craighill

A review of polling on a potential government shutdown, Florida governor Rick Scott’s declining ratings, gas prices and Mike Huckabee continues to lead GOP field in name recognition.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Federal Budget Deficit, 2012 polls

Posted at 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011

Poll summary: Libya, federal government shutdown, rating Congress

By Peyton M. Craighill

Summary of new national polls

By Peyton M. Craighill | 05:40 PM ET, 03/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:13 PM ET, 03/30/2011

Polls show public divided on military action in Libya

By Peyton M. Craighill

Two new polls on Libya reinforce the divided public reactions to the United States’ role there.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 01:13 PM ET, 03/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama

Posted at 07:39 PM ET, 03/28/2011

Military action in Libya: Polls show public skepticism

By Peyton M. Craighill

New data from the Pew Research Center published Monday afternoon show just under half the public – 47 percent – thinks it was the right decision to conduct military air strikes in Libya.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 07:39 PM ET, 03/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama

Posted at 01:44 PM ET, 03/23/2011

2012: Obama runs ahead in generic Pew poll

By Peyton M. Craighill

President Obama runs ahead of an unnamed Republican opponent by 47 to 37 percent in a new Pew poll.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 01:44 PM ET, 03/23/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, Barack Obama, GOP nomination

Posted at 12:07 PM ET, 03/23/2011

Poll: Deficit best closed by cuts and taxes

By Jon Cohen

A sizable majority of all Americans — and nearly half of Republicans — say the best way to slice the federal budget deficit is by cutting spending and increasing taxes, according to last week’s Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Jon Cohen | 12:07 PM ET, 03/23/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 03/22/2011

Haley Barbour, man of the South

By Peyton M. Craighill

Almost six in 10 Republican and GOP-leaning independents are unable to rate Haley Barbour, placing him in the same company as other GOP hopefuls such as former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, the outgoing ambassador to China Jon Huntsman and Indiana governor Mitch Daniels.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 11:45 AM ET, 03/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, GOP nomination

Posted at 12:52 PM ET, 03/21/2011

Tim Pawlenty’s first battle: familiarity

By Jon Cohen

Nearly six in 10 Republicans replied with a resounding “don’t know” when asked their opinion of Tim Pawlenty, the former Republican governor of Minnesota who is poised to form a presidential exploratory committee Monday afternoon

By Jon Cohen | 12:52 PM ET, 03/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:10 PM ET, 03/18/2011

Support for gay marriage, the details

By Peyton M. Craighill

For the first time in Washington Post-ABC News polls, a slim majority supports legal same-sex marriage, an increase of 16 percentage points over eight years of polls.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 01:10 PM ET, 03/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Crosstabs

Posted at 06:41 PM ET, 03/14/2011

Poll: Partisan reactions to Afghanistan and optimism on government

By Peyton M. Craighill

Two new Washington Post/ABC News poll stories on Tuesday highlight public opinion on the war in Afghanistan and the broad uncertainty over the direction of the U.S. government. Digging deeper into the numbers finds differing reactions from Democrats, Republicans and independents.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 06:41 PM ET, 03/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Afghanistan, Crosstabs

Posted at 11:48 AM ET, 03/10/2011

Poll: Investigating radical American Muslims

By Peyton M. Craighill

By Peyton M. Craighill | 11:48 AM ET, 03/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Congress

Posted at 03:49 PM ET, 03/04/2011

Huckabee, Portman and the morality of single mothers

By Peyton M. Craighill

By Peyton M. Craighill | 03:49 PM ET, 03/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:40 AM ET, 03/03/2011

Tea party anger with government subsides

By Peyton Craighill

A new poll by the Pew Research Center finds that these levels of anger have dissipated significantly. Overall, 14 percent of the public says they are angry, down 9 percentage points from a poll in September when anger reached its peak at 23 percent.

By Peyton Craighill | 11:40 AM ET, 03/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:37 PM ET, 03/02/2011

The Westboro Baptist case: Testing the limits of free speech

By Peyton M. Craighill

A new ruling from the Supreme Court on Wednesday protects the First Amendment free speech rights for the Westboro Baptist Church. This tiny church has made a practice of demonstrating at funerals of U.S. soldiers killed in action, reasoning that military deaths are God's retribution for the expanding acceptance of homosexuality.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 02:37 PM ET, 03/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Gay marriage, Supreme Court

Posted at 09:37 AM ET, 03/01/2011

The politics of blame, shutdown edition

By Peyton M. Craighill

People say they would apportion blame about evenly between the Obama administration and the Republicans in the event of a government shutdown. Some 36 percent in a new Washington Post poll conducted with the Pew Research Center say they'd blame Republicans and 35 percent Obama, with 17 percent volunteering that they'd blame both.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 09:37 AM ET, 03/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Congress, Federal Budget Deficit

Behind the Numbers: May, 2011