Washington Post Poll

This Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone October 21-24, 2010, among a random national sample of 1,006 adults. Interviews were conducted on both conventional and cellular phones. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) of Princeton, NJ.

*= less than 0.5 percent

1. Do you think the Obama administration should or should not impose a period of time during which banks cannot foreclose on delinquent mortgages? IF 'SHOULD/SHOULD NOT' ASK: Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat? 

           --------- Should ---------   ----- Should Not ------    No
           NET    Strongly   Somewhat   NET  Strongly  Somewhat  opinion
10/24/10   52       29         22       34      13        21       14

2. Some homeowners across the country are having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payments and are facing foreclosure on their homes. Thinking about this situation, who do you think is more to blame - the (homeowners who took out loans that they may not be able to pay back) or the (mortgage lenders who loaned the money to people who may not be able to pay it back)? 

           Home        Mortgage       Both                        No 
          owners        lenders    equally(vol.)  Neither(vol.) Opinion  
10/24/10    26            45           20             4            4

Compare to:

WSJ-NBC Poll: (As you may know, some homeowners across the country who took out adjustable rate mortgages are having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payments and are facing foreclosure on their homes now that their interest rates have increased.) Thinking some more about this situation, who do you think is more to blame--the homeowners who took out loans that they may not be able to pay back or the mortgage lenders who loaned the money to people who may not be able to pay it back? 


           Home        Mortgage      Both                         No 
          owners        lenders    equally(vol.)  Neither(vol.) Opinion  
9/10/07      27            48           22             1            2

3. How concerned are you, if at all, about not having enough money to pay your rent or mortgage - very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not at all concerned about this? 

                   

                                                      Doesn't
           --- Concerned ---   --- Not concerned ---   apply     No   
           NET   Very   Smwt   NET   Not so   At all   (vol.)  opinion
10/24/10   53     33     20    42      15       28       3        1     
2/22/09    46     24     22    51      17       33       4        0
12/14/08   37     21     16    57      16       41       5        *
    68            11           13           8

4. For people in general, do you think that now is a good time or a bad time to buy a house? 

                  Good          Bad          No 
                  Time          time      Opinion  
10/24/10           61            29          10

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