Partisanship Appears to Sway Opinions on Palin

For Susan Chambers, 65, of Phoenix, the difference is stark: "I just wasn't real impressed with her. If anything happened to McCain, I don't think this woman would be able to take over as president of the United States. On the other hand, we have Joe Biden, who would be able to step into that position. That's important for the whole country, whether you're a Republican, Democrat or independent."

Biden's qualifications are in little doubt in the poll, as majorities across party lines said he has the necessary experience to be an effective president, if need be. His favorability rating stands at 54 percent in the new poll.

But some questioned whether the vice president needs

extensive experience, particularly with regard to foreign policy. "The vice president doesn't really have to have a lot of that," said Carol Kirk, 65, of Buckeye, Ariz. "A lot of that can be learned on the job."

Kirk said that someone with atypical experience could be beneficial to the country. "I think that she would think more about women's issues than would a man," she said. "It's about time that the women had someone looking after their issues."

The new poll indicates that Palin's positions on hot-button issues may sway more voters than details of her family life. In particular, her stances on abortion and gun control, along with her role in securing federal funds when she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, all appear to have a greater impact on public opinion than her decision to have a fifth child while in office or her 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy.

Americans are divided about whether the media, which have focused early coverage on personal matters, have treated Palin fairly or unfairly. Half called the coverage fair, while 41 percent said it has been slanted. Most Republicans said it has been biased; two-thirds of Democrats disagree. Among those who fault the coverage, more see political bias, not sexism, as the root cause.

A gender difference emerges on this question, although the partisan divide remains far more prominent: Men are more likely than women to think Palin has been treated fairly, and women who find the media coverage problematic are somewhat more likely than men to highlight sexism as the main cause, but more still point the finger at political bias.

With the swirling coverage of Palin's family, six in 10 of those polled said she made the right decision to join the ticket, given what they know of her personal life, with men and women saying so in similar proportions. Nearly nine in 10 Republicans said she made the right call, a view shared by just over a third of Democrats. Two-thirds of independents, including 68 percent of independent women, said she made a good decision.

"As a new mother, I think that's kind of unfair," Lynnette Liston, 34, of Marshalltown, Iowa, said responding to criticism of Palin. "She can balance anything she wants. If you plan it out and juggle it well, everything can work just fine."

To Juanita Moody, 67, of Paulding County, Ga., it was simply Palin's choice to make: "I don't think she would've accepted it if she didn't think she could handle it. She seems like a pretty strong person, and I think she thought she could do the job, and that's why she accepted."

In all, the ABC poll included telephone interviews with a random national sample of 505 adults. Interviews were completed before McCain's speech started, and the results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Assistant polling analyst Kyle Dropp contributed to this report.