April 2012 Monthly
In this poll:
With the general-election campaign beginning to take shape, President Obama holds clear advantages over Mitt Romney on personal attributes and a number of key issues, but remains vulnerable to discontent with the pace of the economic recovery, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Poll Questions
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president?
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling the economy? (Asked of half sample.)
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling The situation in Afghanistan? (Half sample)
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling The situation with gas prices? (Half sample)
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling International Affairs? (Half sample)
Q: Do you think things in this country (are generally going in the right direction) or do you feel things (have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track)?
Q: Do you think the country's (economic recession is over), or do you think the (economy is still in a recession)?
Q: Regardless of whether or not the recession is over, would you say the economy in your area is improving, or not improving?
Q: Thinking now about job opportunities where you live, would you say there are plenty of jobs available in your community, or are jobs difficult to find?
Q: Would you describe yourself as working class, middle class, upper middle class, or better off than that?
Q: (IF MIDDLE CLASS) Would you say you are struggling to remain in the middle class, comfortable in the middle class, or moving up beyond the middle class?
Q: Have recent price increases in gasoline caused any financial hardship for you or others in your household, or not? IF YES: Has that been a serious hardship, or not serious?
Q: Who do you blame for the recent rise in oil and gasoline prices - (other oil-producing countries), (U.S. oil companies), or (the Obama administration)?
Q: On another subject, overall, do you support or oppose the federal law making changes to the health care system? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
Q: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about the health care law later this month. Of these three options, which would you prefer to have the Supreme Court do? Uphold the entire law, throw out the part of the law that requires individuals to have coverage, and keep the rest of the law, or throw out the entire law.
Q: Do you think the Supreme Court justices will rule on this case mainly (on the basis of the law) or mainly (on the basis of their partisan political views)?
Q: On another subject: All in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting, or not?
Q: Considering everything, do you think most Afghans support or oppose what the United States is trying to do in Afghanistan?
Q: You may have heard about the recent incident in which a U.S. soldier has been accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians. Do you think this attack on 17 Afghan civilians was an isolated incident, or do you think it indicates broader problems with the way the U.S. military monitors the mental health of service members?
Q: In general and apart from this incident, do you think the U.S. military should do more to monitor the mental health of service members, or is it doing enough now?
Q: Do you think the military should limit the amount of time service members can be deployed to combat areas, or do you think limits on deployments are not needed?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Who would you like to see win the Republican nomination for president this year - (Newt Gingrich), (Ron Paul), (Mitt Romney) or (Rick Santorum)? Which candidate are you leaning toward
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Who would your second choice be? Which candidate do you lean towards?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Regardless of who you may support, which of the Republican candidates do you trust most to handle the economy?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Regardless of who you may support, which of the Republican candidates do you trust most to handle social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Given the current standings, do you think Santorum should (stay in the race), or (drop out)?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Given the current standings, do you think Gingrich should (stay in the race), or (drop out)?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS) Given the current standings, do you think Paul should (stay in the race), or (drop out)?
Q: (AMONG LEANED REPUBLICANS WHO DO NOT SUPPORT ROMNEY) Which of these would you prefer: to have the Republican Party nominate Romney for president, or to have the party nominate a candidate who is not currently in the race?
Q: Assuming that Mitt Romney is the nominee, do you think the Republican primary contest has done (more to weaken him for the general election campaign), or (more to make him a stronger general election candidate)?
Q: If the presidential election were being held today and the candidates were (Barack Obama, the Democrat) and (Mitt Romney, the Republican), for whom would you vote? Would you lean toward Obama/Romney?
Q: If the presidential election were being held today and the candidates were (Barack Obama, the Democrat) and (Rick Santorum, the Republican), for whom would you vote? Would you lean toward Obama/Santorum?
Q: (AMONG REGISTERED VOTERS) If the presidential election were being held today and the candidates were (Barack Obama, the Democrat) and (Mitt Romney, the Republican), for whom would you vote?
Q: (AMONG REGISTERED VOTERS) If the presidential election were being held today and the candidates were (Barack Obama, the Democrat) and (Rick Santorum, the Republican), for whom would you vote?
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Handling the economy - (Obama) or (Romney)?
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Protecting the middle class - (Obama) or (Romney)?
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Creating jobs - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Handling international affairs - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Supporting small business - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Handling taxes - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Dealing with health care policy - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Handling the federal budget deficit - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Handling terrorism - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Handling energy policy - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Dealing with social issues such as abortion and gay marriage - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job Addressing women's issues - (Obama) or (Romney)? (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you may support, who do you think better understands the economic problems people in this country are having - (Obama) or (Romney)?
Q: Regardless of who you may support, who do you think Is the stronger leader - (Obama) or (Romney)
Q: Regardless of who you may support, who do you think Seems like the more friendly and likable person - (Obama) or (Romney) (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you may support, who do you think Has a clearer vision for the future - (Obama) or (Romney) (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you may support, who do you think Is more inspiring - (Obama) or (Romney) (Half sample)
Q: Regardless of who you may support, who do you think Is more consistent in his positions - (Obama) or (Romney) (Half sample)
Q: Do you think Obama's views on most issues are too (liberal) for you, too (conservative) for you, or just about right?
Q: Do you think Romney's views on most issues are too (liberal) for you, too (conservative) for you, or just about right?
Q: Is Romney's Mormon religion a major reason to (support) that candidate, a major reason to (oppose) that candidate, or not a major factor?
Q: Is Obama's handling of the economy a major reason to (support) that candidate, a major reason to (oppose) that candidate, or not a major factor?
Q: Is Romney's wealth a major reason to (support) that candidate, a major reason to (oppose) that candidate, or not a major factor?
Q: Is Obama's views on the size and role of government a major reason to (support) that candidate, a major reason to (oppose) that candidate, or not a major factor?
Q: What do you think is the bigger problem in this country - (unfairness in the economic system that favors the wealthy), or (over-regulation of the free market that interferes with growth and prosperity)?
Q: On another subject, what is your view of the Tea Party political movement - would you say you support it strongly, support it somewhat, oppose it somewhat or oppose it strongly?
Q: How interested are you in learning more about the Tea Party movement - very interested, somewhat interested, not so interested or not interested at all?
Q: Which of these comes closest to your own view: (The more I hear about the Tea Party movement, the more I like it) or (The more I hear about the Tea Party movement, the less I like it).
Q: On another subject, do you think blacks and other minorities receive equal treatment as whites in the criminal justice system or not?
Q: There recently was a case in Florida in which a neighborhood watch volunteer shot and killed an unarmed teenager. Do you think this shooting was justified or unjustified, or do you not know enough about it to say?
Q: Some states have a law that says a person is legally entitled to fight back with deadly force if they feel threatened, even if they could retreat instead. Do you personally support or oppose that law?
Q: Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a...
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