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

Posted at 12:33 PM ET, 10/28/2011

Poll watch: Record low support for health reform, Obama economic ratings and the scariest polls

By Scott Clement

Today’s top polls: record low support for health care reform, ratings for President Obama and our scariest poll findings…

By Scott Clement | 12:33 PM ET, 10/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Health care, Presidential Approval

Posted at 12:38 PM ET, 10/27/2011

Poll watcher: Cain and Romney dominate, but GOP race is fluid; unemployed woes and handgun bans

By Scott Clement

A bevy of national and early primary state polls show businessman Herman Cain and Mitt Romney well ahead of other major candidates, but also a Republican electorate that has not fully made up its mind. We picked five key findings from these new polls.

By Scott Clement | 12:38 PM ET, 10/27/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Economy

Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 10/25/2011

Poll: Conservatives prefer flat tax over ‘9-9-9’

By Jon Cohen and Peyton M. Craighill

As far as tax politics go, a new Washington Post -ABC News poll shows a straight ahead “flat tax” a clear winner over “9-9-9,” particularly among the conservative Republicans Texas Gov. Rick Perry hopes will reinvigorate his flagging campaign for the party’s presidential nomination.

By Jon Cohen and Peyton M. Craighill | 03:00 PM ET, 10/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 12:39 PM ET, 10/25/2011

Polls: Tablet users; Obama’s ratings back home; ‘cool’ smoking

By Scott Clement

The latest computer revolution is ushering in a renaissance of news for tablet computer users, according to a new report.

By Scott Clement | 12:39 PM ET, 10/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, GOP nomination

Posted at 05:00 PM ET, 10/24/2011

A movement of one’s own — tea party is red, and OWS is blue

By Jon Cohen

Although newly minted movements, Occupy Wall Street and the tea party have been thoroughly absorbed by the pre-existing, all-too-familiar partisan divide.

By Jon Cohen | 05:00 PM ET, 10/24/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:24 PM ET, 10/24/2011

Poll watcher: Sports fandom diverse, thumbs down on electoral college and Obama’s approval ratings

By Scott Clement

Washington area sports fans range the gamut from hyper-enthused “Megafans” to “Social fans” who care more about going to the game than following sports closely.

By Scott Clement | 03:24 PM ET, 10/24/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, D.C., Voting

Posted at 01:21 PM ET, 10/21/2011

Obama: Jack of the wrong trades?; poll spins message on jobs bill

By Scott Clement

Obama earns his highest poll marks as president on issues that rank among the least important to Americans.

By Scott Clement | 01:21 PM ET, 10/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Economy, Presidential Approval

Posted at 04:49 PM ET, 10/20/2011

Will Romney’s Mormonism hurt him in Republican primaries?

By Scott Clement

“Mormon” was the top one-word description given of Mitt Romney in a Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday.

By Scott Clement | 04:49 PM ET, 10/20/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 12:58 PM ET, 10/20/2011

Poll watcher: Most say Obama is a liberal; courting the religious vote in 2012; GOP ‘horserace’; bike sharing

By Scott Clement

Fully 62 percent of Americans say President Obama is liberal, while 16 percent see him as a moderate and 18 percent as conservative.

By Scott Clement | 12:58 PM ET, 10/20/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, 2012 polls, Barack Obama, D.C.

Posted at 12:20 PM ET, 10/19/2011

New high supports legalizing marijuana, Cain and Romney close in S.C., and other top polls

By Scott Clement

Fully 50 percent of Americans say the use of marijuana should be legal according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday, the highest in polls since 1969, when just 12 percent favored legalization.

By Scott Clement | 12:20 PM ET, 10/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Economy, GOP nomination

Posted at 05:00 PM ET, 10/18/2011

Rick Perry better known, more disliked by GOP conservatives

By Scott Clement and Jon Cohen

As the Texas governor has become better known, he has become more unpopular, with the number of conservative Republicans holding “unfavorable” views of Perry more than tripling, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Scott Clement and Jon Cohen | 05:00 PM ET, 10/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 10/18/2011

Top GOP candidates, in a word

By Peyton M. Craighill and Jon Cohen

For Herman Cain, it’s “9-9-9.” Rick Perry gets “Texas.” Mitt Romney, “Mormon.” Those are the words most commonly mentioned for the three leading Republican candidates.

By Peyton M. Craighill and Jon Cohen | 04:00 PM ET, 10/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 12:17 PM ET, 10/17/2011

Poll watcher: Bloggers rave about Ron Paul; turnout in Va. elections; Romney’s winning history in Nev.

By Scott Clement

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul receives overwhelmingly positive support in the blogosphere, a recent analysis shows.

By Scott Clement | 12:17 PM ET, 10/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 11:46 AM ET, 10/14/2011

Poll watcher: Almost half say Iran is “enemy,” and more of today’s top polls

By Scott Clement

The American public has an extraordinarily low opinion of the Persian nation; top GOP candidates trail a “generic Republican” against Obama.

By Scott Clement | 11:46 AM ET, 10/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, 2012 polls

Posted at 01:54 PM ET, 10/13/2011

#pollwatch: Cain ahead in GOP race? Obama’s jobs bill potentially popular; OWS, death penalty and ‘Jersey Shore’

By Scott Clement

A new poll shows Cain outpacing Romney; Obama’s jobs bill is potentially popular; Occupy Wall Street; “Jersey Shore”

By Scott Clement | 01:54 PM ET, 10/13/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Barack Obama, Economy

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 10/12/2011

Public ire hits Wall Street, and government

By Jon Cohen

Animosity isn’t just for government anymore. The fledgling Occupy Wall Street protests tap into a deep vein of public animosity toward the country’s major financial institutions, one that is on par with the deep negativity aimed at Washington, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Jon Cohen | 07:00 AM ET, 10/12/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:49 PM ET, 10/11/2011

Poll trends to notice in tonight’s debate

By Scott Clement

Five key trends in Washington Post polling will be tested in tonight’s debate, spanning Cain’s momentum and the tea party to immigration and jobs.

By Scott Clement | 02:49 PM ET, 10/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 10/11/2011

GOP candidates out of step on immigration?

By Peyton M. Craighill

The GOP debate Tuesday night in Hanover, N.H., will focus on the economy, but immigration could play spoiler for two of the top candidates.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 12:45 PM ET, 10/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination, Immigration

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 10/11/2011

Poll: Middle-class pain necessary, but widely unpopular

By Scott Clement

More than eight in 10 Americans say the middle class will have to make financial sacrifices to reduce the nation’s budget deficit.

By Scott Clement | 12:01 AM ET, 10/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Federal Budget Deficit

Posted at 02:30 PM ET, 10/10/2011

More see crisis ahead; GOP fractured on best candidate to fix economy

By Jon Cohen

Most Americans now see a 2008-style financial crisis on the horizon, and -- reflecting the deep partisan divide in the country -- there is no consensus about whether a second term for President Obama or a Republican administration would improve the rough economic situation, according to a new Washington Post-Bloomberg News poll.

By Jon Cohen | 02:30 PM ET, 10/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:41 PM ET, 10/07/2011

Do Republicans care about values in 2012? No, and yes.

By Scott Clement

Few Republicans name “moral values” as a top issue in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, but social issues linger as an important litmus test for candidates in the eyes of GOP voters.

By Scott Clement | 04:41 PM ET, 10/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 12:40 PM ET, 10/07/2011

GOP nomination: Follow the tea party

By Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement

Thanks in large part to the shifting preferences among tea party aligned Republicans, there has been little consistency in the top tier of candidates in Washington Post-ABC News polls since July.

By Peyton M. Craighill and Scott Clement | 12:40 PM ET, 10/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: GOP nomination

Posted at 12:20 PM ET, 10/05/2011

Obama’s jobs plan, the partisan perspective

By Peyton M. Craighill

A slim majority supports the plan, nearly six in 10 believe it will improve things, nearly half trust him more on job creation than Republicans in Congress.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 12:20 PM ET, 10/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Barack Obama, Congress

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 10/04/2011

Poll: Mitt Romney’s electability

By Peyton M. Craighill

Former Mass. governor Mitt Romney no longer faces a basic question that undercut his candidacy four years ago -- the threshold issue of electability. In the fall of 2007, more people said they definitely would not vote for him in a general election than would consider him, but those numbers have now flipped in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Peyton M. Craighill | 11:00 AM ET, 10/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: 2012 polls, GOP nomination

Posted at 02:30 PM ET, 10/03/2011

Republicans expect to win in 2012

By Jon Cohen

Republicans are overwhelmingly confident about taking back the White House in 2012, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

By Jon Cohen | 02:30 PM ET, 10/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Behind the Numbers: October, 2011