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

Posted at 03:44 PM ET, 10/10/2011

Romney maintains wide lead in New Hampshire; Cain surges

By Scott Clement

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a big lead over all other Republican primary contenders in New Hampshire, but businessman Herman Cain has surged into second place according to two newly released polls.

By Scott Clement | 03:44 PM ET, 10/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 11:19 AM ET, 10/05/2011

Herman Cain supporters most fervent in current GOP field

By Scott Clement

Twice as many Cain supporters say they support him ”strongly” as say the same about Mitt Romney and more than any other announced candidate.

By Scott Clement | 11:19 AM ET, 10/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 03:53 PM ET, 09/29/2011

#pollwatch: Perry down; GOP excited for 2012, but not for Christie; economic confidence on the brink

By Scott Clement

A host of new polls provide new perspective on the 2012 election and how America sees the nation’s economic woes.

By Scott Clement | 03:53 PM ET, 09/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Economy

Posted at 08:54 AM ET, 09/29/2011

Fewer than 1 in 3 say Obama favors the ‘have-nots,’ but many say GOP helps the ‘haves’

By Peyton M. Craighill and Jon Cohen

Nearly half of all Americans say President Obama treats “haves” and “have-nots” about equally, perhaps blunting “class warfare” criticism.

By Peyton M. Craighill and Jon Cohen | 08:54 AM ET, 09/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama

Posted at 05:59 PM ET, 09/28/2011

#Pollwatch: Chris Christie unknown to many Americans; 2012 race tight in Pa. and Ohio; tea party less popular

By Scott Clement

Polls this year show many people have no opinion at all about the New Jersey governor.

By Scott Clement | 05:59 PM ET, 09/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, 2012 polls

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/28/2011

Washington Post-ABC poll: Michele Bachmann polarizes; Ron Paul draws more even support

By Scott Clement

Ron Paul draws few strong reactions from either side, while Bachmann is a darling among conservatives and a nightmare for many liberals.

By Scott Clement | 07:00 AM ET, 09/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:45 PM ET, 09/26/2011

#Pollwatch: Romney and Perry, Florida straw poll, government satisfaction and following local news

By Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement

A daily summary of polling.

By Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement | 01:45 PM ET, 09/26/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, GOP nomination

Posted at 03:37 PM ET, 09/23/2011

#Pollwatch: How rich is “rich”? Who trusts the media? And what about pre-existing conditions?

By Scott Clement

How do Americans define “rich”? Two Fox News polls show wildly different answers to this question.

By Scott Clement | 03:37 PM ET, 09/23/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Health care

Posted at 05:51 PM ET, 09/22/2011

Republican debate #pollwatch: State of the GOP race

By Scott Clement

Ahead of tonight’s debate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry continues to hold a modest lead over Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican nomination.

By Scott Clement | 05:51 PM ET, 09/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 01:22 PM ET, 09/21/2011

#Pollwatch: Perry vs. Romney in S.C., and what parts of Obama’s Jobs act are popular?

By Scott Clement

Two new polls offer clear looks at the critical South Carolina GOP primary and one of Obama’s key reelection pitches: the American Jobs Act.

By Scott Clement | 01:22 PM ET, 09/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, GOP nomination

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 09/21/2011

Obama’s popularity slips along with job approval in Washington Post poll

By Jon Cohen

With President Obama’s approval ratings mired near career lows, the number of Americans holding favorable impressions of him has – for the first time in his presidency – sagged under 50 percent in Washington Post-ABC News polls. Barely more than one in five now holds “strongly” positive views, down significantly since the spring.

By Jon Cohen | 07:00 AM ET, 09/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:00 PM ET, 09/20/2011

Poll: High ambivalence on Palestinian statehood

By Jon Cohen

A plurality of Americans say the United States should recognize Palestine as an independent nation, even as public sympathies continue to lie with Israel.

By Jon Cohen | 06:00 PM ET, 09/20/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:08 PM ET, 09/20/2011

#Pollwatch: Perry holds strong; taxing rich is popular; text messaging flourishes

By Scott Clement

Rick Perry maintains his frontrunner status in the first major national poll since the Texas governor was bombarded with criticism by his primary opponents.

By Scott Clement | 12:08 PM ET, 09/20/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Polls, GOP nomination, methodology

Posted at 06:33 PM ET, 09/19/2011

Obama deficit cuts popular in polls

By Scott Clement

In laying out how he'd pay for the sweeping American Jobs Act, President Obama stuck to measures that have backers across the political spectrum, at least according to the polls.

By Scott Clement | 06:33 PM ET, 09/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Federal Budget Deficit

Posted at 11:58 AM ET, 09/16/2011

New polls: “Ponzi” claim is palatable to GOP, Hillary shines and origins of homosexuality

By Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement

Rick Perry’s comments about Social Security — describing it as a Ponzi scheme doomed for failure — don’t appear to damage his chances.

By Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement | 11:58 AM ET, 09/16/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 04:23 PM ET, 09/15/2011

What Obama’s approval ratings can’t tell us

By Scott Clement

A review of Gallup year-out approval ratings seems to bolster the case for generalizing results of Tuesday’s GOP win and Obama’s low approval ratings to next year’s presidential contest.

By Scott Clement | 04:23 PM ET, 09/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Presidential Approval

Posted at 01:08 PM ET, 09/14/2011

Pollwatcher: Obama’s troubles on the economy, jobs and in California; new Virginia poll

By Peyton M. Craighill

A summary of daily polling.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 01:08 PM ET, 09/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Economy, Virginia, Congress

Posted at 12:21 PM ET, 09/13/2011

No quick bounce for Obama, but speech proposals seen as promising

By Scott Clement

President Obama's job approval rating received no immediate bounce following his prime time speech before Congress, but Americans do say several of his specific job proposals are promising.

By Scott Clement | 12:21 PM ET, 09/13/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Presidential Approval, Economy

Posted at 12:05 PM ET, 09/12/2011

Pollwatcher: Republican nomination, Obama approval, Anthony Weiner seat, interracial marriage

By Peyton M. Craighill

Summary of daily polling.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 12:05 PM ET, 09/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Barack Obama, Presidential Approval, Race

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 09/09/2011

Public sees wars in Iraq, Afghanistan as least effective means of reducing terrorism

By Peyton M. Craighill

In the post-9/11 world, the public judges a variety of U.S. efforts as effective ways to reduce the threat of terrorism. But the two biggest and most costly – the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – are seen as the least effective.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 12:01 AM ET, 09/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Afghanistan, Iraq

Posted at 05:03 PM ET, 09/08/2011

Obama speech: Will he channel Deion Sanders

By Scott Clement

So will it be pepperoni or stuffed crust? If his recent town hall forums are any indication, Obama plans to channel Sanders and endorse “both.”

By Scott Clement | 05:03 PM ET, 09/08/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Economy

Posted at 01:23 PM ET, 09/08/2011

Republican debate, the public opinion angle

By Peyton M. Craighill

The feisty Republican debate Wednesday night allowed the candidates to lay out their visions on a variety of hot-button issues. Here’s a roundup of public opinion on some of last night’s topics.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 01:23 PM ET, 09/08/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Health care

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 09/07/2011

Public more focused on jobs; less sure of fixes

By Jon Cohen and Peyton M. Craighill

Americans are increasingly focused on the flagging jobs situation, but broadly skeptical about the most frequently discussed remedies, according to a new poll by The Washington Post and Pew Research Center.

By Jon Cohen and Peyton M. Craighill | 12:00 PM ET, 09/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Economy

Posted at 09:15 AM ET, 09/07/2011

Obama hits new lows among strongest 2008 supporters

By Scott Clement

The president’s key base groups give him some of their lowest marks to date according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Scott Clement | 09:15 AM ET, 09/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Presidential Approval

Posted at 09:39 AM ET, 09/06/2011

Poll: Flagging views of Obama on the economy

By Peyton M. Craighill

Almost half the country -- 47 percent -- thinks Obama’s current plan is having no real effect on the economy.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 09:39 AM ET, 09/06/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:20 PM ET, 09/01/2011

Poll: Recession-bit workers continue to feel brunt of downturn

By Scott Clement

As lawmakers hold their breath for the new batch of unemployment numbers to be released Friday, workers who felt the sting of unemployment in 2008 and 2009 are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession almost three years later.

By Scott Clement | 05:20 PM ET, 09/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Economy

Behind the Numbers: October, 2011