Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll
This Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 6 to Nov. 2, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,936 adults, including users of both conventional and cellular phones. The full sample includes additional interviews with randomly selected African Americans, for a total of 808 black women and 301 black men. The added interviews (commonly referred to as an “oversample”) were completed to ensure there were enough respondents for separate analysis; the group is not over-represented in the reported results. The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points; error margins are five points for African American women, eight points for African American men, 5.5 points for white women and 6.5 points for white men. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) of Media, Pa.
*= less than 0.5 percent
1. How satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days? Would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not-too-satisfied, or not satisfied at all?
----- Satisfied ----- ------ Dissatisfied ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 86 50 37 13 9 4 1
4/29/06 90 56 34 9 7 2 1
Black women
11/02/11 85 51 34 15 9 5 *
4/29/06 84 46 38 16 11 5 *
White women
11/02/11 90 50 40 10 7 3 *
4/29/06 90 59 31 9 8 1 *
Black men
11/02/11 83 46 37 15 11 4 2
4/29/06 84 47 37 16 11 5 *
White men
11/02/11 85 48 38 13 9 4 1
4/29/06 92 54 38 6 4 2 1
2. What is the SINGLE most important problem facing you in your life these days?
-- All -- Black women White Black White
2011 2006* 2011 2006 women Men Men
Money NET 27 27 33 36 33 30 22
Money (General) 11 12 13 21 12 13 8
Financial issues/problems/
difficulties 9 9 14 9 13 14 7
Cost of living/income 2 3 2 5 2 2 1
Retirement 2 2 1 0 2 0 3
Bills 1 2 2 * 1 1 1
Student loans 1 * 0 0 1 0 1
Other money 1 * 1 1 1 1 1
Economic conditions NET 17 3 13 1 15 18 17
The economy/deficit/inflation 8 2 6 0 9 6 9
Unemployment/No jobs 4 1 3 0 3 5 4
Employment 1 * 2 1 1 1 1
Housing market 2 * 1 0 1 2 1
Gas prices 1 * 0 0 0 1 1
Economic situation (general) 1 0 2 0 1 3 1
Health Issues NET 13 13 12 6 14 6 13
Health (General) 6 9 5 3 6 5 5
Getting older/Aging/Disabled 2 2 2 2 3 * 3
Insurance and Prescription costs 1 1 * * 1 * 1
Mentions of specific medical
conditions 1 0 3 0 2 * 1
Other health issues 2 0 1 0 2 * 2
Career NET 7 6 7 10 4 7 10
Work/life balance 2 0 * 0 1 * 2
No job/lost job 2 0 3 0 1 2 2
Finding a job/getting a job 1 3 2 2 * 1 1
Job security/satisfaction 1 1 * 2 1 1 2
Work/Career (General) 1 2 * 6 * 1 1
Other career 1 * 2 0 * 1 2
Social NET 6 6 4 6 5 6 6
Time pressures/management 2 4 * 1 3 * 2
Life (general) 1 1 1 0 * 1 1
Stress 1 0 * 0 1 2 *
Other social issues (general) 2 2 2 5 1 3 3
Family and Relationships NET 4 11 5 9 7 4 1
Well being of family members 1 0 1 0 2 * 0
Raising Children/Childcare/
Having a baby * 6 1 5 1 0 1
Aging parents/siblings/spouse/
Losing loved ones * 1 * 1 1 * *
Relationships (General) * 3 * 3 1 * *
Other family and relationships 2 1 3 * 2 3 *
National/International conditions NET 5 3 1 4 3 3 8
Politicians/Obama/Bush 1 1 * 0 1 0 2
Politics (General) 1 1 * 0 1 2 1
Government 1 0 * 0 * * 3
Current status of our country 1 0 * 0 1 * 1
Other national/international
conditions 1 2 1 4 1 * 1
College/Education Issues NET 5 4 3 4 4 5 5
College/School/Education (General) 3 2 1 2 2 3 3
Paying for college 1 1 * 2 * 0 1
Getting through college/graduating 1 * 0 1 2 1 0
Other college/education issues * 1 1 * 2 1 1
Other 4 7 4 7 3 8 5
None/No problems 10 15 16 11 9 13 9
No opinion 4 5 3 6 4 3 5
*Pew Research Center
3. I'm going to read you a list of some things that different people value in their lives. Some people say these things are important to them. Other people say they are not important. Please tell me how important each thing is to you personally. How about (INSERT)? Is that very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all?
a. Being successful in a career
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 87 54 33 12 7 5 1
4/29/06 87 53 34 12 7 5 *
Black women
11/02/11 88 68 20 11 7 3 1
4/29/06 91 67 24 8 4 4 *
White women
11/02/11 82 45 37 17 10 7 1
4/29/06 84 42 42 16 9 7 *
Black men
11/02/11 95 78 17 4 3 1 1
4/29/06 94 76 18 6 4 2 1
White men
11/02/11 91 51 40 8 5 3 1
4/29/06 90 56 34 10 5 5 *
b. Having enough free time to do things you want to do
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 94 57 37 6 4 2 *
4/29/06 94 63 31 6 5 1 *
Black women
11/02/11 92 62 30 7 6 1 1
4/29/06 93 64 29 7 5 2 *
White women
11/02/11 95 55 40 5 4 1 1
4/29/06 92 57 35 7 5 2 1
Black men
11/02/11 91 61 30 7 6 2 2
4/29/06 93 68 25 7 5 2 *
White men
11/02/11 95 57 38 5 5 1 -
4/29/06 97 65 32 3 2 1 0
c. Being married
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 75 51 24 24 14 10 1
4/29/06 76 56 20 24 14 10 *
Black women
11/02/11 67 40 27 32 19 14 *
4/29/06 67 39 28 32 14 18 1
White women
11/02/11 77 55 21 23 12 11 *
4/29/06 71 50 21 29 16 13 *
Black men
11/02/11 74 47 27 25 19 6 1
4/29/06 77 52 25 22 12 10 1
White men
11/02/11 79 54 25 20 10 9 1
4/29/06 83 61 22 16 12 4 *
d. Living a religious life
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 78 52 26 21 11 10 *
4/29/06 79 54 25 21 13 8 *
Black women
11/02/11 92 74 18 8 6 2 *
4/29/06 93 76 17 6 4 2 *
White women
11/02/11 82 57 25 17 10 7 1
4/29/06 84 57 27 15 11 4 *
Black men
11/02/11 83 70 14 15 12 3 2
4/29/06 91 70 21 9 6 3 *
White men
11/02/11 73 43 30 27 12 15 *
4/29/06 71 44 27 29 17 12 *
e. Having children
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 82 65 17 16 8 8 1
4/29/06 81 64 17 18 8 10 1
Black women
11/02/11 79 62 17 19 12 7 2
4/29/06 84 64 20 15 8 7 1
White women
11/02/11 87 75 12 12 5 6 1
4/29/06 82 63 19 18 7 11 *
Black men
11/02/11 82 62 20 17 11 6 1
4/29/06 84 63 21 16 9 7 *
White men
11/02/11 79 57 22 21 11 10 *
4/29/06 83 67 16 16 6 10 1
f. Being wealthy
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 53 12 41 46 35 11 1
4/29/06 53 11 42 47 34 13 *
Black women
11/02/11 60 22 38 39 29 11 1
4/29/06 61 21 40 38 24 14 *
White women
11/02/11 46 5 41 54 41 13 *
4/29/06 40 3 37 60 42 18 0
Black men
11/02/11 60 27 33 40 32 8 *
4/29/06 64 28 36 35 24 11 1
White men
11/02/11 54 9 45 46 35 11 *
4/29/06 59 9 50 41 32 9 *
g. Being respected by others
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 95 67 28 5 3 2 *
4/29/06 93 66 27 6 4 2 *
Black women
11/02/11 95 76 19 5 3 2 *
4/29/06 96 78 18 3 2 1 *
White women
11/02/11 98 74 24 2 2 * *
4/29/06 96 69 27 4 3 1 *
Black men
11/02/11 93 72 22 5 3 2 1
4/29/06 92 76 16 7 4 3 *
White men
11/02/11 93 55 38 7 4 3 *
4/29/06 91 59 32 7 4 3 2
h. Being in a good romantic relationship
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 85 56 30 14 8 6 1
Black women
11/02/11 76 44 31 23 15 8 1
White women
11/02/11 84 52 33 15 9 6 1
Black men
11/02/11 89 63 26 10 6 4 1
White men
11/02/11 88 60 27 12 7 6 -
i. Being close with your family
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 98 88 9 2 1 1 *
Black women
11/02/11 98 92 6 2 1 1 *
White women
11/02/11 99 93 6 * * * *
Black men
11/02/11 97 90 7 3 2 1 *
White men
11/02/11 98 87 11 2 * 2 *
j. Living a healthy lifestyle
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 98 77 22 1 1 1 *
Black women
11/02/11 99 90 9 1 * 1 *
White women
11/02/11 99 78 21 1 * * -
Black men
11/02/11 98 92 7 2 1 * -
White men
11/02/11 98 67 31 2 2 * -
k. Being physically attractive
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 64 16 48 36 26 10 *
Black women
11/02/11 74 28 46 25 19 7 *
White women
11/02/11 67 11 57 31 26 6 1
Black men
11/02/11 69 26 43 30 23 7 *
White men
11/02/11 61 12 48 39 28 11 -
4. Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: I see myself as someone who has high self-esteem. Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, disagree strongly or neither agree or disagree?
11/02/11 – summary table
--------- Agree --------- ------- Disagree -------- No
NET Strongly Somewhat Neither NET Somewhat Strongly opin.
All 89 55 34 3 8 5 3 1
Black women 90 67 22 2 8 6 2 *
White women 87 43 45 3 9 7 2 *
Black men 94 72 22 2 3 3 1 *
White men 91 59 32 2 7 5 1 -
5. Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of... Barack Obama. Tell me just the one best word that describes him.
11/02/11 – summary table
Black White Black White
All women women Men Men
Positive 52 84 49 76 44
Negative 32 8 35 10 43
Neutral 7 2 5 9 7
Other/No opinion 10 5 10 6 7
Unweighted word counts (all words mentioned by 10 or more respondents):
Black White Black White
All women women Men Men
Intelligent/intelligence 154 94 21 27 12
Good/good person/good man 69 36 13 15 5
Strong/strong man 56 44 4 7 1
Great/greatest 43 31 2 8 2
Trying/trying hard 42 15 12 7 8
Awesome 28 21 1 6 0
Disappointment/disappointing/disappointed 27 2 11 2 12
Leader/leadership/great leader 26 11 4 6 5
Excellent/excellence 24 15 2 5 2
President/presidential 23 10 7 2 4
Brilliant 21 13 2 6 0
Courageous/courage 21 11 4 5 1
Successful/success 21 11 3 5 2
Failure/failing/failed/failures 21 2 8 2 9
Confident/confidence/self-confident 20 11 4 2 3
Charismatic 18 7 4 3 4
Determined 18 14 2 2 0
Important/very important 18 13 2 3 0
Power/powerful 17 9 3 4 1
Honest/honesty/honest man 16 9 2 4 1
Wonderful 16 14 1 1 0
Okay 15 5 6 1 3
Hardworking/worker 13 3 3 7 0
Impressive/impressionable/very impressed 13 6 3 1 3
Inspirational/inspiration 13 6 3 2 2
Amazing 11 9 2 0 0
Capable 11 1 7 0 3
Dedicated 11 4 4 1 2
Handsome 11 10 1 0 0
Outstanding 11 4 1 5 1
Incompetent 11 0 4 1 6
Brave 10 4 3 2 1
Cares/caring 10 7 2 1 0
Inexperienced 10 0 6 0 4
6. Would you say Obama is doing a better job as president than you expected, a worse job, or what? Is that much better/worse or somewhat better/worse?
11/02/11 - Summary table
----- Better ----- ------ Worse ----- As expected No
NET Much Smwht NET Smwht Much (vol.) opinion
All 39 14 25 45 21 24 9 6
Black women 77 46 31 8 6 2 10 6
White women 35 8 27 49 26 24 10 6
Black men 76 43 33 9 5 4 8 7
White men 26 8 19 58 25 33 10 5
Trend – All
11/02/11 39 14 25 45 21 24 9 6
1/15/10 33 12 22 35 18 17 30 2
9/12/09 42 18 24 31 13 18 25 2
4/24/09 54 25 29 18 10 9 23 4
2/22/09 46 18 28 14 8 7 31 9
7. Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of...first lady Michelle Obama. Tell me just the one best word that describes her.
11/02/11 – summary table
Black White Black White
All women women Men Men
Positive 70 92 73 90 62
Negative 12 2 13 4 16
Neutral 3 1 3 2 3
Other/No opinion 15 4 11 3 18
Unweighted word counts (all words mentioned by 10 or more respondents):
Black White Black White
All women women Men Men
Intelligent/very intelligent 117 75 18 16 8
Strong 90 50 17 15 8
Nice/nice person/nice lady 57 27 8 10 12
Good/good person 55 30 7 13 5
Very classy/class/classy/high class 55 25 13 8 9
Beautiful/beautiful woman/
beautiful black lady/beautiful person 43 24 4 13 2
Awesome 39 30 8 1 0
Great/greatest 39 21 7 8 3
Smart/very smart 32 18 6 6 2
Wonderful 32 27 0 3 2
Caring/very caring 29 10 6 5 8
Confident/confidence 26 7 7 4 8
Supportive/supporting 25 7 5 8 5
Impressive/impressed 23 8 7 4 4
Elegant 22 14 4 2 2
Excellent/excellence 22 13 2 5 2
Important/important lady/very important 22 16 2 4 0
Respect/respectful/respectable 20 12 3 3 2
Attractive 18 5 8 2 3
Educated/very educated 18 9 2 5 2
Fantastic 14 5 2 4 3
Okay 14 3 4 3 4
Pretty 14 4 6 0 4
Amazing 13 12 0 1 0
Inspiring/inspirational 13 10 0 1 2
Gracious/grace/graceful 12 3 7 2 0
Outstanding 12 9 0 3 0
Wife/housewife/good wife 12 4 3 1 4
Arrogant 12 0 8 0 4
Dynamic 11 4 5 2 0
Powerful/powerful woman 11 4 1 4 2
Successful/success 11 4 3 3 1
Fake 11 1 3 2 5
Energetic 10 1 3 2 4
Lovely 10 4 4 1 1
8. Overall, do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of Michelle Obama? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?)
11/02/11 - Summary table
------- Favorable ------- ------ Unfavorable ------ No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
All 73 43 30 17 9 8 10
Black women 88 74 14 7 5 2 6
White women 73 38 35 19 11 8 7
Black men 89 76 13 7 6 1 4
White men 67 31 35 23 10 12 11
Trend – All
11/02/11 73 43 30 17 9 8 10
11/15/09 71 45 26 16 8 9 12
3/29/09 76 46 33 16 9 7 8
1/16/09 72 38 34 17 10 7 11
8/22/08 RV 51 26 25 30 14 16 19
6/15/08 48 21 27 29 11 18 23
9. How much, if at all, do you personally identify with Michelle Obama: a lot, some, not too much or not at all?
--- A lot/some --- ------- Not much/at all ------- No
NET A lot Some NET Not too much Not at all opinion
All 42 14 28 55 22 33 3
Black women 79 42 37 19 11 8 2
White women 44 9 35 54 24 30 2
Black men 70 49 22 25 13 12 4
White men 26 6 21 70 25 45 4
10. Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Michelle Obama, or not? How about (INSERT)?
11/02/11 – summary tables
a. She is a good mom
Yes No No opinion
All 84 2 14
Black women 93 1 5
White women 89 1 9
Black men 91 1 8
White men 75 2 23
b. She understands the problems of people like you
Yes No No opinion
All 54 34 11
Black women 88 9 4
White women 51 39 10
Black men 84 9 7
White men 44 43 12
c. She is intelligent
Yes No No opinion
All 91 3 5
Black women 98 1 1
White women 95 3 3
Black men 97 2 1
White men 88 4 8
d. She shares your values
Yes No No opinion
All 60 25 14
Black women 87 7 6
White women 63 25 12
Black men 82 12 6
White men 48 33 19
e. She is a good role model
Yes No No opinion
All 80 13 7
Black women 96 2 2
White women 83 13 5
Black men 94 5 1
White men 75 16 9
Changing topics…
11. In general, how often do you experience stress in your daily life -- never, rarely, sometimes, or frequently?
--- Never/Rarely --- --- Sometimes/Frequently --- No
NET Never Rarely NET Sometimes Frequently opinion
All
11/02/11 18 3 16 81 35 45 1
4/29/06 20 4 16 79 39 40 *
Black women
11/02/11 17 4 13 83 42 40 *
4/29/06 21 4 17 78 45 33 0
White women
11/02/11 13 2 11 87 36 51 *
4/29/06 17 3 14 83 38 45 0
Black men
11/02/11 24 7 17 76 45 31 1
4/29/06 24 5 19 75 43 32 *
White men
11/02/11 25 4 21 75 31 44 *
4/29/06 21 3 18 78 38 40 1
12. I’m going to read you a list of things that some people worry about and others do not. I'd like you to tell me how worried you are about each of the following things. Are you worried about (INSERT), or not? Is that very or somewhat worried/Is that not too worried or not worried at all?
a. losing your job
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- Not working No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all (vol.) opinion
All
11/02/11 33 16 17 53 20 33 14 *
4/29/06 23 8 15 65 20 45 12 *
Black women
11/02/11 39 22 18 50 16 34 10 1
4/29/06 31 16 15 57 19 38 13 0
White women
11/02/11 32 14 18 51 19 32 17 -
4/29/06 18 6 12 65 18 47 17 *
Black men
11/02/11 40 22 18 49 22 27 11 -
4/29/06 39 23 16 55 19 36 7 0
White men
11/02/11 28 10 18 61 23 37 12 -
4/29/06 21 5 16 70 20 50 9 0
b. not having enough money to pay your bills
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 62 31 31 38 19 19 *
4/29/06 51 19 32 49 21 28 *
Black women
11/02/11 73 38 35 27 12 15 *
4/29/06 61 31 30 39 20 19 0
White women
11/02/11 64 29 35 36 22 14 *
4/29/06 47 15 32 52 24 28 0
Black men
11/02/11 66 40 26 34 14 20 -
4/29/06 59 33 26 40 18 22 *
White men
11/02/11 55 26 29 45 20 24 -
4/29/06 44 12 32 56 22 34 0
c. not getting the healthcare you need
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 55 32 23 44 21 23 1
4/29/06 50 23 27 49 20 29 *
Black women
11/02/11 62 37 25 38 16 22 *
4/29/06 58 37 21 41 17 24 1
White women
11/02/11 57 31 26 43 22 20 *
4/29/06 45 16 29 54 22 32 *
Black men
11/02/11 60 35 25 40 18 21 *
4/29/06 60 38 22 41 17 24 0
White men
11/02/11 47 23 24 52 24 28 1
4/29/06 48 21 27 52 20 32 *
d. you or a family member getting HIV or AIDS
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 16 8 8 83 23 60 *
4/29/06 27 11 16 72 25 47 *
Black women
11/02/11 32 19 14 67 26 41 *
4/29/06 46 30 16 54 24 30 *
White women
11/02/11 9 2 6 91 22 69 -
4/29/06 24 8 16 77 23 54 *
Black men
11/02/11 35 21 15 63 18 45 2
4/29/06 52 34 18 47 19 28 *
White men
11/02/11 11 3 7 89 24 66 -
4/29/06 18 5 13 81 27 54 *
e. being a victim of a violent crime
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 34 13 21 66 32 34 *
4/29/06 40 11 29 59 31 28 *
Black women
11/02/11 45 21 24 55 27 28 *
4/29/06 52 25 27 48 22 26 *
White women
11/02/11 34 9 25 66 35 31 *
4/29/06 41 5 36 59 35 24 *
Black men
11/02/11 42 17 25 58 26 32 *
4/29/06 51 26 25 48 22 26 *
White men
11/02/11 24 6 18 76 35 40 -
4/29/06 32 7 25 67 32 35 *
f. being a victim of discrimination of any kind
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 34 11 23 65 28 37 *
Black women
11/02/11 46 22 24 54 28 26 *
White women
11/02/11 31 5 25 69 31 38 *
Black men
11/02/11 51 24 27 48 23 24 1
White men
11/02/11 24 5 19 76 31 45 *
g. providing a good education for your children
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No kids No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all (vol.) opinion
All
11/02/11 50 32 18 36 12 25 13 *
Black women
11/02/11 58 39 19 32 12 21 9 *
White women
11/02/11 48 26 22 37 12 26 14 -
Black men
11/02/11 62 48 14 31 13 18 7 -
White men
11/02/11 45 26 19 42 13 29 14 -
h. having responsibility for an aging family member
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 52 23 29 47 19 28 1
Black women
11/02/11 46 21 25 53 24 28 1
White women
11/02/11 51 23 29 47 19 29 2
Black men
11/02/11 51 27 24 48 16 32 *
White men
11/02/11 49 15 34 51 20 31 *
i. you or a family member suffering from a chronic illness
----- Worried ---- ----- Not worried ---- No
NET Very Smwt. NET Not too At all opinion
All
11/02/11 61 30 31 39 20 19 *
Black women
11/02/11 62 32 30 37 17 20 1
White women
11/02/11 63 29 34 37 21 16 -
Black men
11/02/11 58 29 28 42 21 21 *
White men
11/02/11 57 24 33 43 21 22 -
13. What do you think matters more for getting ahead in life today: (getting a good education and working hard) OR (coming from money and knowing the right people)?
11/02/11 – summary table
Getting a good education Coming from money and Both Neither No
and working hard knowing the right people (vol.) (vol.) opin.
All 76 20 2 1 1
Black women 78 17 3 1 1
White women 81 16 2 1 1
Black men 80 16 3 * *
White men 70 27 3 - 1
14. When thinking about personal finance – that is, things like managing money, budgeting and saving for retirement -- what letter grade would you give yourself in terms of how well you understand these issues? An A, B, C, D or F?
11/02/11 – summary table
A B C D F No opinion
All 31 42 19 5 2 1
Black women 30 41 21 3 4 1
White women 25 47 23 3 1 1
Black men 33 41 23 2 1 *
White men 36 39 13 8 3 *
15. What best describes your employment situation today?
11/02/11 – Summary table
All Black women White women Black men White men
Employed full-time 46 42 38 42 54
Employed part-time 11 11 13 12 9
Unemployed/seeking 7 9 7 13 6
Unemployed/not seeking 2 3 3 2 1
A student 6 6 6 8 6
Retired 17 16 21 12 18
Disability 6 9 5 9 5
A homemaker 4 4 6 2 1
No opinion * * 1 1 *
16. (Asked of all who are not on disability)(Read intro for those who are retired/ homemaker: If you were to enter the workforce now,) Do you feel you have all the education and skills you need in order to be competitive in the current job market, or not?
Based on those who are not on disability:
------ Have skills ------ --- Don’t have skills --- No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
Total
11/02/11 58 43 15 39 19 19 3
2/9/11 57 39 17 42 20 22 1
Black women
11/02/11 46 32 14 53 30 23 1
2/9/11 39 25 14 61 35 26 *
White women
11/02/11 55 37 17 42 20 21 4
2/9/11 55 37 18 44 18 26 1
Black men
11/02/11 55 39 15 43 21 21 2
2/9/11 43 30 12 57 26 32 *
White men
11/02/11 66 49 17 33 17 15 1
2/9/11 65 48 16 35 17 17 1
17. (IF DO NOT HAVE SKILLS) Do you think it would be very easy, somewhat easy, somewhat difficult or very difficult for you to get the education or skills you need to compete in the current job market?
11/02/11 – Summary table
-------- Easy ------- ---- Difficult ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very opinion
All 29 7 21 67 43 24 4
Black women 43 11 32 52 38 13 4
White women 23 5 17 74 46 29 3
Black men 42 12 30 57 46 11 *
White men 30 7 23 61 37 25 9
18. During the past year, have you or another family member living in your household (INSERT), or not?
a. Been laid off or lost a job
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 23 75 2 -
2/9/11 26 71 3 0
Black women
11/02/11 23 75 1 -
2/9/11 26 71 2 0
White women
11/02/11 20 78 2 -
2/9/11 20 76 4 0
Black men
11/02/11 35 63 1 -
2/9/11 33 64 3 0
White men
11/02/11 17 82 1 -
2/9/11 23 73 5 0
b. Lost health insurance coverage or other benefits
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 21 78 1 *
2/9/11 22 77 1 *
Black women
11/02/11 23 76 1 *
2/9/11 27 72 1 0
White women
11/02/11 22 77 1 -
2/9/11 19 81 1 0
Black men
11/02/11 27 72 1 *
2/9/11 25 74 * 1
White men
11/02/11 16 83 1 1
2/9/11 17 81 1 *
c. Loaned or gave money to family or friends to help with expenses
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 56 44 * *
2/9/11 49 51 * *
Black women
11/02/11 60 40 1 *
2/9/11 57 43 * 0
White women
11/02/11 52 47 * *
2/9/11 46 54 0 *
Black men
11/02/11 64 36 - *
2/9/11 63 37 0 1
White men
11/02/11 54 46 - -
2/9/11 47 52 * *
d. Borrowed or received money from family or friends to help with expenses
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 26 73 * *
Black women
11/02/11 34 65 * *
White women
11/02/11 23 77 * *
Black men
11/02/11 32 66 1 1
White men
11/02/11 21 79 - *
e. Had any problems paying medical bills
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 25 74 * *
Black women
11/02/11 29 70 * *
White women
11/02/11 22 78 * -
Black men
11/02/11 33 64 2 -
White men
11/02/11 21 79 * -
f. Had problems paying your rent or mortgage
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 18 81 * *
Black women
11/02/11 27 72 * *
White women
11/02/11 12 86 1 -
Black men
11/02/11 33 66 1 *
White men
11/02/11 11 89 - -
g. Had difficulty getting a home loan, car loan, education loan or any other
type of personal credit
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 20 77 2 1
Black women
11/02/11 24 73 2 *
White women
11/02/11 16 82 2 *
Black men
11/02/11 32 64 3 1
White men
11/02/11 16 80 2 1
h. Increased your credit card debt
Yes No Not applicable (vol.) No opinion
All
11/02/11 22 76 2 1
Black women
11/02/11 20 77 3 *
White women
11/02/11 23 74 2 1
Black men
11/02/11 20 77 3 *
White men
11/02/11 16 83 * 1
19. During the past year, have you personally (INSERT), or not?
11/02/11 – summary table
a. Helped a friend or family member with childcare on a regular basis
Yes No No opinion
All 24 76 *
Black women 36 64 *
White women 24 76 *
Black men 40 60 -
White men 17 83 -
b. Helped an elderly relative or family member on a regular basis
Yes No No opinion
All 41 59 *
Black women 49 51 *
White women 39 61 -
Black men 48 52 -
White men 38 62 -
20. How important a role does religion or faith in God play in helping you get through tough times - very important, somewhat important, not too important or not at all important?
----- Important ----- ----- Not important ------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 83 62 21 16 9 8 *
2/9/11* 75 55 20 24 9 15 *
Black women
11/02/11 96 87 9 4 3 1 *
2/9/11 95 88 7 5 2 3 0
White women
11/02/11 87 66 21 13 6 7 *
2/9/11 78 57 21 21 8 13 *
Black men
11/02/11 92 79 13 7 2 6 *
2/9/11 87 75 13 13 5 8 0
White men
11/02/11 76 51 25 24 11 12 *
2/9/11 64 42 21 36 13 23 0
* “tough financial times…”
21. I am going to read a list of things that some people do. For each, thinking about your own values and morals, I’d like you to tell me whether you think it is acceptable or unacceptable? First/next is (INSERT). Is that acceptable or unacceptable? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
a. Romantic relationships between two women
11/02/11 – Summary table
------ Acceptable ------- ----- Unacceptable ------ No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
All 49 26 23 45 12 34 6
Black women 34 17 18 59 11 48 7
White women 52 29 22 43 13 31 5
Black men 44 21 23 48 8 40 8
White men 46 25 22 49 13 35 5
b. Romantic relationships between two men
11/02/11 – Summary table
------ Acceptable ------- ----- Unacceptable ------ No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
All 45 24 21 49 11 38 6
Black women 30 13 17 64 10 54 5
White women 50 28 22 45 13 31 6
Black men 34 14 20 59 6 53 7
White men 43 23 20 52 10 42 5
c. Abortion
------ Acceptable ------- ----- Unacceptable ------ No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
All
11/02/11 40 17 23 53 13 40 7
4/29/06 41 15 26 53 14 39 6
Black women
11/02/11 35 12 23 60 16 44 5
4/29/06 34 12 22 61 11 50 5
White women
11/02/11 40 17 22 55 16 39 5
4/29/06 43 15 28 53 12 41 3
Black men
11/02/11 37 12 25 51 13 39 12
4/29/06 34 11 23 60 13 47 6
White men
11/02/11 42 19 23 50 12 38 8
4/29/06 46 18 28 50 15 35 5
d. Having a child without being married
------ Acceptable ------- ----- Unacceptable ------ No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
All
11/02/11 60 26 34 37 19 17 3
4/29/06 64 25 39 35 15 20 1
Black women
11/02/11 63 23 40 33 18 15 4
4/29/06 65 30 35 32 15 17 2
White women
11/02/11 60 26 34 38 22 16 2
4/29/06 64 23 41 34 13 21 1
Black men
11/02/11 65 28 37 30 14 16 5
4/29/06 64 22 42 34 15 19 2
White men
11/02/11 54 21 33 43 23 20 2
4/29/06 59 22 37 40 18 22 1
e. Marriage between two people of the same sex
11/02/11 – Summary table
------ Acceptable ------- ----- Unacceptable ------ No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
All 45 25 20 49 11 39 5
Black women 33 14 19 62 12 50 5
White women 47 28 19 47 14 33 6
Black men 37 16 20 54 8 46 9
White men 43 26 18 54 10 44 3
22. Do you happen to have a family member or close friend who is gay or lesbian, or not?
11/02/11 – summary table
Yes No No opinion
All 52 47 2
Black women 57 41 3
White women 56 43 1
Black men 48 49 3
White men 46 52 2
23. Now I’m going to mention some groups in this country. For each, please tell me if you think this group as a whole is doing very well, somewhat well, not-too-well, or not well at all. Here’s the first/next (INSERT)?
a. White men
-------- Well ------- -------- Not well -------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 86 35 51 9 8 1 5
4/29/06 92 48 44 6 4 2 2
Black women
11/02/11 88 55 34 7 5 2 4
4/29/06 92 63 29 4 3 1 4
White women
11/02/11 84 35 50 10 9 1 5
4/29/06 93 53 40 5 4 1 2
Black men
11/02/11 88 51 36 7 6 1 5
4/29/06 92 66 26 4 3 1 4
White men
11/02/11 88 27 60 9 7 2 3
4/29/06 93 40 53 5 3 2 1
b. Black men
-------- Well ------- -------- Not well -------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 58 9 49 35 26 9 6
4/29/06 65 14 51 31 25 6 3
Black women
11/02/11 54 8 46 43 29 14 2
4/29/06 55 12 43 42 30 12 3
White women
11/02/11 60 9 51 32 24 8 8
4/29/06 67 13 54 29 24 5 4
Black men
11/02/11 55 11 44 41 26 16 4
4/29/06 56 10 46 42 31 11 1
White men
11/02/11 56 7 49 39 27 12 5
4/29/06 66 16 50 30 25 5 4
c. White women
-------- Well ------- -------- Not well -------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 88 27 61 6 5 1 6
4/29/06 93 33 60 5 3 2 1
Black women
11/02/11 89 38 50 6 4 2 6
4/29/06 93 52 41 4 3 1 4
White women
11/02/11 88 19 69 7 6 1 5
4/29/06 92 28 64 6 4 2 1
Black men
11/02/11 90 48 42 3 2 1 6
4/29/06 92 51 41 5 3 2 4
White men
11/02/11 90 23 67 4 4 1 5
4/29/06 96 32 64 2 1 1 1
d. Black women
-------- Well ------- -------- Not well -------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too Not at all opinion
All
11/02/11 68 12 56 24 19 4 8
4/29/06 73 16 57 24 22 2 3
Black women
11/02/11 77 15 63 20 16 3 3
4/29/06 83 25 58 14 13 1 2
White women
11/02/11 69 10 59 22 19 3 8
4/29/06 75 16 59 22 20 2 3
Black men
11/02/11 78 23 55 19 18 2 2
4/29/06 82 27 55 16 13 3 2
White men
11/02/11 64 9 54 28 21 7 9
4/29/06 72 14 58 25 22 3 4
24. Considering everything, do you think it is a (good time) or a (bad time) to be a black woman in America?
11/02/11 – summary table
Good Bad Both/mixed Neither No
time time (vol.) (vol.) opinion
All 68 15 4 3 10
Black women 73 15 4 2 6
White women 71 13 4 3 10
Black men 69 20 6 2 4
White men 65 17 4 2 12
Compare to: “black man in America”
4/29/06 – summary table
Good Bad Both/mixed Neither No
time time (vol.) (vol.) opinion
All 69 17 7 1 6
Black women 44 42 8 1 6
White women 69 16 7 2 6
Black men 60 28 7 2 3
White men 72 13 7 1 6
25. Has having Michelle Obama as the country’s first African American First Lady changed YOUR overall impression of black women in America, or not?
11/02/11 – summary table
Yes No No opinion
All 22 76 2
Black women 41 57 2
White women 15 82 3
Black men 36 61 3
White men 16 83 1
25/25a. Combo Table
11/02/11 – summary table
Has changed overall impression Has not changed No
NET Better Worse overall impression opinion
All 22 21 1 76 2
Black women 41 39 1 57 2
White women 15 15 * 82 3
Black men 36 34 1 61 3
White men 16 15 * 83 1
26. (IF WHITE OR BLACK) Which of the following do you identify with more – (being a man/woman) or (being black/white)?
11/02/11 – summary table
Being a Being Both equally No
man/woman black/white (vol.) opinion
All 86 8 3 2
Black women 60 28 10 2
White women 90 5 3 1
Black men 67 22 9 2
White men 89 6 1 3
27. How many of your close friends are a different race than you--all of them, most of them, some of them, hardly any of them, or none of them?
11/02/11 – summary table
---- All/most/some ---- --- Hardly any/none --- One No
NET All Most Some NET Hardly any None (vol.) opinion
All 80 5 19 56 19 14 5 * 1
Black women 76 5 23 48 24 12 12 * *
White women 77 1 16 60 23 17 6 - *
Black men 84 11 25 48 16 10 6 - 1
White men 78 3 13 62 21 18 3 - 1
28. Have you ever dated someone who was of a different race, or not?
Yes No No opinion
All
11/02/11 52 48 *
4/29/06 43 57 *
Black women
11/02/11 50 50 *
4/29/06 41 59 *
White women
11/02/11 40 60 -
4/29/06 41 59 -
Black men
11/02/11 68 31 *
4/29/06 59 41 *
White men
11/02/11 51 49 *
4/29/06 36 64 *
29. Are you married; living with a partner but not married; separated; divorced; widowed or have you never been married?
11/02/11 – summary table
Living with Never No
Married a partner Separated Divorced Widowed married opinion
All 55 7 2 8 6 22 *
Black women 31 7 4 14 11 33 *
White women 64 5 1 8 9 13 *
Black men 40 10 3 10 3 34 *
White men 60 7 2 7 2 23 -
30. (IF NOT MARRIED) Would you be willing to marry someone of another race, or not?
11/02/11 – summary table
Yes No No opinion
All 75 21 5
Black women 67 27 7
White women 62 30 7
Black men 80 11 8
White men 82 16 2
31. In your day-to-day life, how often do any of the following things happen to you – very often, somewhat often, once in a while, or never?
a. You are treated with less respect than other people
------- Often ------- ------- Not often --------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Once in while Never opinion
All
11/02/11 19 5 14 80 38 42 1
4/29/06 10 3 7 90 30 60 *
Black women
11/02/11 21 7 14 77 37 41 1
4/29/06 21 6 15 78 33 45 *
White women
11/02/11 17 3 14 82 40 43 *
4/29/06 6 1 5 93 29 64 1
Black men
11/02/11 26 7 18 74 42 31 1
4/29/06 28 9 19 71 38 33 1
White men
11/02/11 15 2 13 83 37 46 2
4/29/06 6 1 5 94 28 66 0
b. You receive poorer service than other people at restaurants or stores
------- Often ------- ------- Not often --------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Once in while Never opinion
All
11/02/11 15 2 13 85 35 50 *
4/29/06 10 2 8 89 25 64 *
Black women
11/02/11 19 4 15 80 41 40 1
4/29/06 24 5 19 76 35 41 *
White women
11/02/11 12 2 10 88 37 51 -
4/29/06 6 1 5 93 25 68 1
Black men
11/02/11 29 5 24 70 37 33 2
4/29/06 29 9 20 70 38 32 1
White men
11/02/11 14 2 12 85 36 49 1
4/29/06 8 2 6 93 24 69 0
c. People act as if they think you are not smart
------- Often ------- ------- Not often --------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Once in while Never opinion
All
11/02/11 19 5 14 79 33 46 2
4/29/06 13 4 9 86 28 58 1
Black women
11/02/11 25 7 19 73 32 42 1
4/29/06 29 12 17 70 28 42 1
White women
11/02/11 20 4 16 78 36 42 2
4/29/06 7 2 5 92 30 62 1
Black men
11/02/11 26 10 16 71 37 34 3
4/29/06 35 14 21 64 31 33 *
White men
11/02/11 11 2 9 88 31 57 1
4/29/06 11 3 8 89 25 64 *
e. People ignore or overlook you
------- Often ------- ------- Not often --------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Once in while Never opinion
All 17 4 14 81 44 37 1
Black women 21 6 15 78 39 39 1
White women 16 3 14 82 47 35 1
Black men 32 13 20 67 38 29 1
White men 13 2 11 86 45 41 1
32. (IF HAPPENS OFTEN FOR ANY IN Q31) Do you think these things happen mainly because of your (race), mainly because of your (gender) or for some other reason?
11/02/11 – summary table
Mainly because Mainly because Some other Both No
of race of gender reason (vol.) opinion
All 11 15 65 5 4
Black women 39 6 45 7 3
White women 3 30 61 3 2
Black men 47 2 41 7 5
White men 1 5 84 3 6
33. Do you think America's economic system is (stacked against blacks), or do you think the system is (fair to everyone)?
Stacked against Fair to Other Neither No
blacks everyone (vol.) (vol.) opinion
All
11/02/11 26 50 6 8 9
4/29/06 29 52 4 11 5
Black women
11/02/11 46 34 2 8 10
4/29/06 49 29 6 9 7
White women
11/02/11 27 47 6 11 9
4/29/06 26 45 5 17 6
Black men
11/02/11 42 37 7 4 10
4/29/06 55 28 3 8 5
White men
11/02/11 22 55 6 5 11
4/29/06 20 69 2 9 1
34. How big a problem is racism in our society today? Is it a big problem, somewhat of a problem, a small problem or not a problem at all?
11/02/11 – summary table
------ Problem ----- ----- Not a problem ----
NET Big Somewhat NET Small Not at all No opinion
All 76 28 48 23 16 8 1
Black women 88 50 39 11 8 3 *
White women 77 20 58 21 15 6 1
Black men 86 49 37 13 8 5 1
White men 72 23 49 28 19 9 *
Trend - All
------ Problem ----- ----- Not a problem ----
NET Big Somewhat NET Small Not at all No opinion
11/02/11 76 28 48 23 16 8 1
4/25/10 75 33 42 25 19 5 1
1/16/09 74 26 48 26 22 4 *
7/7/96* 89 54 35 11 8 3 1
7/2/96 88 53 35 11 8 3 2
10/6/95 84 48 36 15 9 6 1
9/28/95 83 41 42 16 12 4 1
*7/7/96 and previous: Post-Kaiser-Harvard poll
35. How big a problem is sexism in our society today? Is it a big problem, somewhat of a problem, a small problem or not a problem at all?
11/02/11 – summary table
------ Problem ----- ----- Not a problem ----
NET Big Somewhat NET Small Not at all No opinion
All 67 20 48 29 20 9 3
Black women 80 36 44 18 11 7 3
White women 71 18 54 27 21 7 1
Black men 78 39 38 18 11 7 4
White men 58 12 46 38 24 13 4
On another subject,
36. In general, would you say your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?
11/02/11 – summary table
------- Excellent/good -------- --- Fair/Poor --- No
NET Excellent Very good Good NET Fair Poor opinion
All 80 18 32 30 20 15 6 *
Black women 75 14 27 34 25 19 5 *
White women 82 17 41 24 18 12 6 *
Black men 74 17 29 28 25 20 5 *
White men 82 23 30 29 18 14 4 -
37. Are you, yourself, now covered by any form of health insurance or health plan or do you not have health insurance at this time? (IF NECESSARY: A health plan would include any private insurance plan through your employer or a plan that you purchased yourself, as well as a government program like Medicare or [Medicaid/Medi-CAL])?
11/02/11 – summary table
Covered Not covered No opinion
All 82 17 *
Black women 81 19 *
White women 89 11 -
Black men 73 26 1
White men 83 17 -
38. In an average week, about how many nights does anyone in your household cook dinner at home?
11/02/11 – summary table
Less than No
None once One Two Three Four Five Six Seven opinion
All 3 * 3 4 8 14 24 14 29 1
Black women 4 * 3 6 17 18 20 6 24 *
White women 2 1 2 3 8 13 25 18 29 1
Black men 4 * 4 8 12 12 23 5 31 1
White men 3 - 3 3 6 18 24 14 29 *
39. About how often in an average week do you eat a meal from a fast-food restaurant like McDonald’s or Burger King?
11/02/11 – summary table
Less than Three No
Never weekly One Two or more opinion
All
11/02/11 31 10 31 13 15 *
3/7/06* 34 25 22 9 10 1
Black women
11/02/11 23 9 30 20 17 1
3/7/06 29 27 23 9 12 0
White women
11/02/11 38 8 32 11 11 *
3/7/06 40 27 20 6 6 *
Black men
11/02/11 20 6 25 27 22 *
3/7/06 25 20 24 12 17 2
White men
11/02/11 26 11 35 11 15 1
3/7/06 30 24 22 11 12 1
* Pew Research Center
40. In your neighborhood, or the places you usually shop for food, is it generally (difficult) or (easy) to find [INSERT]?
11/02/11 – summary table
a. fresh fruits and vegetables
Difficult Easy No opinion
All 10 89 1
Black women 17 82 1
White women 10 90 *
Black men 18 80 2
White men 8 91 1
b. affordable groceries
Difficult Easy No opinion
All 22 76 2
Black women 29 69 2
White women 24 74 1
Black men 19 78 3
White men 19 79 1
41. How often, if ever, do you exercise for at least 30 minutes? Would you say every day, a few days a week, once a week, a few times a month, or less often than that?
11/02/11 – summary table
Every Few days Once a Few times Less Never No
Day a week week a month often (vol.) opinion
All 20 40 12 12 12 3 *
Black women 15 35 11 13 21 4 *
White women 18 41 12 15 12 2 -
Black men 28 39 9 9 13 2 *
White men 19 42 11 13 12 2 -
42. How would you describe your own personal weight situation right now--very overweight, somewhat overweight, about right, somewhat underweight, or very underweight?
11/02/11 – summary table
---- Overweight ----- ---- Underweight ---- No
NET Very Somewhat About right NET Somewhat Very opinion
All 40 3 36 54 5 4 1 1
Black women 44 5 39 49 6 5 1 *
White women 44 4 39 51 6 6 * *
Black men 25 2 24 68 6 5 1 *
White men 39 3 37 55 4 3 1 2
43. (IF OVERWEIGHT) Do you think being (very/somewhat) overweight is having a negative impact on your health, or don’t you think it affects your overall health?
11/02/11 – summary table
Negative impact Don’t think it affects No
on health overall health opinion
All 61 38 1
Black women 65 34 1
White women 60 39 1
Black men 63 30 7
White men 65 35 *
44. How much if anything, have you heard about Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity? Have you heard a lot, a little or nothing at all about it?
11/02/11 – summary table
A lot A little Nothing at all No opinion
All 35 48 16 2
Black women 51 35 14 *
White women 40 46 13 1
Black men 47 35 16 2
White men 28 52 19 1
Questions 45 through 60 held for release.
61. What is your approximate current height?
5 foot 5.1 to 6 foot
or less 6 foot plus No opinion Mean Median
(inches)
All 19 67 9 5 66.3 66
Black women 24 71 1 4 64.0 64
White women 25 71 * 3 63.6 64
Black men 11 63 25 1 69.7 71
White men 10 71 17 2 69.5 71
62. What is your approximate current weight?
124 lbs.
or less 125-149 150-174 175-199 200+ No opinion Mean Median
All 9 19 21 16 25 10 176.6 170
Black women 9 25 20 16 18 12 167.6 160
White women 18 28 21 8 11 15 152.5 145
Black men 3 10 22 25 37 4 192.5 185
White men 1 8 22 24 39 4 197.2 188
*** END ***
