Showing 1 – 50 of 266 results.
Curated
ABC News 9/11 Anniversary Poll, September 2006 (ICPSR 4665)
Released/updated on: 2008-01-24
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll, conducted September 5-7, 2006, is a part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of political and social issues. The focus of this poll was the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way President George W. Bush was handling the presidency and issues such as the campaign against terrorism and the situation in Iraq. Information was collected on how closely respondents were following the upcoming congressional and gubernatorial election, whether they would vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate if the election for the United States House of Representatives were being held that day, and the single most important issue in their vote for Congress members. Other questions asked which political party they trusted to do a better job handling the main problems the nation would face over the next few years, and whether they approved of the way Congress and their own representative to the United States House of Representatives were handling their jobs. Views were also sought on the war in Iraq and Donald Rumsfield's handling of his job as Secretary of Defense. Respondents were asked how well they thought the campaign against terrorism was going, whether the country was safer from terrorism compared to before September 11, 2001, and whether Osama bin Laden would have to be captured or killed for the war on terrorism to be a success. Information was collected about the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on respondents' lives, how concerned they were about the possibility of more major terrorist attacks in the United States, how much confidence they had in the government's ability to prevent another major terrorist attack, whether the federal government was intruding on the privacy rights of Americans in its investigation of possible terrorist attacks, and whether this intrusion was justified. Additional topics addressed the religion of Islam, new airport security measures, and how proud they felt to be an American. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, voter registration and participation history, political party affiliation, political philosophy, employment status, marital status, and type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural).
Curated
ABC News Gary Hart Poll, December 1987 (ICPSR 8926)
Released/updated on: 2006-12-05
Geographic coverage: United States
Gary Hart's decision to re-enter the 1988 presidential race was the central focus of this survey. Respondents' opinions were sought on Hart's chances of winning the Democratic nomination, how seriously he believed he could win, whether his action would hurt the Democrats' chances of winning in 1988, and the importance of a candidate's private morals compared with his or her public stands on the issues. Respondents' opinions of George Bush, Jesse Jackson, Michael Dukakis, and other public figures also were recorded. Demographic characteristics of respondents are included.
Curated
ABC News Sarah Palin Poll, September 2008 (ICPSR 27323)
Released/updated on: 2010-07-19
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll sought respondents' views on Sarah Palin. Respondents where asked for their impressions of Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. They were also asked if they approved or disapproved of John McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate, if McCain's selection of Palin as his running mate made the respondent more or less likely to vote for him, and if having Palin as his running mate made the respondent more or less confident in the choices McCain would make as president. Respondents were queried on whether they thought both Palin and Biden have the kind of experience it takes to serve effectively as president if necessary. Opinions were sought on how recent events in Palin's life and her stance on issues affected the respondent's opinion of her such as giving birth to her fifth child after learning he had Down Syndrome, her 17-year-old daughter keeping her baby and marrying the father, obtaining 27 million dollars in federal funding for projects as mayor in her town of about 7,000 people, opposing legal abortion unless the mother's life is in direct danger, and opposing stricter controls on handgun ownership. Those queried were also asked if, given what they heard about her family situation, they thought Palin made the right choice in agreeing to run for vice president and whether news coverage of Palin has been fair or unfair. Their opinion was also sought on whether they thought Barack Obama's selection of Biden for vice president made them more or less likely to vote for him. Demographic information includes age, race, sex, party affiliation, voter registration status, political ideology, religious affiliation, and whether the respondent is a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post 2004 Voters Poll, October 2003 (ICPSR 3943)
Released/updated on: 2004-04-07
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll, conducted October 26-29, 2003, was undertaken to gather voters' opinions regarding the upcoming 2004 presidential election. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the economy, education, Social Security, taxes, health insurance, and international affairs, and how they rated the importance of these issues in deciding whom to vote for in the 2004 presidential election. Those polled were asked whether they believed President Bush understood people like themselves, whether he was a strong leader, and whether he was honest and trustworthy. A series of questions addressed the condition of the national economy, whether the respondent and most Americans were better or worse off financially than when George W. Bush first became president, and the degree to which President Bush was responsible for the federal budget deficit. Specific questions asked whether the war with Iraq was worth fighting, if it was separate from or part of the war on terrorism, whether the number of military casualties was acceptable or unacceptable, whether respondents would support or oppose Congress spending an additional 87 billion dollars for the war and rebuilding of Iraq, and whether it was more important to keep United States military forces in Iraq until civil order could be restored or to withdraw forces to avoid further military casualties. Questions were posed regarding how closely respondents followed the 2004 presidential election, whether they would vote for George W. Bush or a Democratic nominee for president, how likely they were to vote, whether the Republican and Democratic parties were being led in the right direction, how closely each party reflected the respondents' beliefs on important issues, whether the Democratic Party was too willing or not willing enough to compromise with President Bush, and whether there should be more than two major political parties. Democratic-leaning respondents were asked whom they would vote for in the Democratic presidential primary (Senator Joe Lieberman, United States Representative Dick Gephardt, Senator John Kerry, Senator John Edwards, civil rights activist Al Sharpton, former Vermont governor Howard Dean, United States Representative Dennis Kucinich, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, or General Wesley Clark), how satisfied they were with the choice of Democratic nominees, which candidate had the best chance of defeating Bush, and whether respondents preferred a candidate who agreed with them on most issues or one who would have an easier time defeating Bush. Respondents were also polled on how much they felt they knew about the Democratic nominees and whether a candidate's personal qualities or positions on issues was most important. Additional questions asked respondents if they approved of the way the U.S. Congress was doing its job, how satisfied they were with the way the federal government and the political process worked, how well the United States campaign against terrorism was progressing, and whether they felt the federal government was threatening their own personal rights and freedoms. Background variables include age, sex, religion, education, ethnicity, subjective size of community, household income, political orientation, political party affiliation, if respondents were registered to vote, if they voted in the 2000 presidential election and if so, for whom (Republican George W. Bush, Democrat Al Gore, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, or Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan), and if a household member was in military service, a military veteran, a reservist, or belonged to a labor union.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Democratic Convention Closer Poll, July 2004 (ICPSR 4118)
Released/updated on: 2005-03-25
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted July 30-August 1, 2004, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit opinions on the presidency and on other political and social issues. Shortly after the close of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, respondents were asked how closely they were following the 2004 United States presidential election, how likely they were to vote, and which candidate they were likely to vote for or favored. They were queried on their knowledge and opinions of the candidates, Republican incumbent George W. Bush and Democratic Senator John F. Kerry, and their preferences between the candidates concerning domestic and international issues, and personal qualities. Specific questions asked which candidate the respondent trusted to do a better job handling the economy, the situation in Iraq, education, the United States campaign against terrorism, health care, taxes, international relations, and improving United States intelligence agencies. Respondents were also asked which candidate they thought was more honest and trustworthy, understood the problems of people like them, was a strong leader, took a position and stuck with it, would make the country safer and more secure, shared their values, had a vision for the future, and understood complex issues. Background information includes age, education, ethnicity, geographic classification, labor union membership, political party affiliation, political party ideology, religious affiliation, voter registration status, and whether the respondent voted in the 2000 United States presidential election and for whom they voted.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Democratic Convention Opener Poll, July 2004 (ICPSR 4113)
Released/updated on: 2005-03-25
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll, conducted June 16-17, 2004, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of United States President George W. Bush, how he had handled his presidency, the state of the economy and respondents' personal financial situations during Bush's presidency, and how he compared to Democratic presidential candidate Senator John F. Kerry on trustworthiness, leadership abilities, honesty, etc. Respondents were further asked whom they would vote for if the election were held that day, how closely they were following the 2004 United States presidential election, whether they were a strong supporter for either candidate, and whether they were voting for one candidate or voting against the other candidate. Respondents were polled on what single issue Kerry should address in his Democratic Convention speech, whether this presidential election was more important than many presidential elections in the past, whether the Bush administration purposely misled the public about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and other issues concerning the war in Iraq. Background information includes age, education, household income, labor union membership status, marital status, political ideology, presidential choice in 2000, race, religious affiliation, sex, urbanicity, veteran status, and voter participation in 2000.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Labor Day Poll, September 2007 (ICPSR 24590)
Released/updated on: 2009-06-04
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded September 4-7, 2007, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether they approved of the way he was handling the situation in Iraq, and whether they approved of his handling of the United States campaign against terrorism. Respondent's opinions were solicited on whether they trusted the Democrats or the Republicans to do a better job in handling the war in Iraq and the campaign against terrorism. Respondents were asked for their opinions on multiple issues associated with the war in Iraq such as whether the war was worth fighting, whether respondents thought the United States would win or lose the war, how confident respondents were in the Iraqi government to fulfill their commitment to restore civil order in Iraq, whether the war had contributed to the security of the United States, and whether the United States had made progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq. Questions about the United States military force focused on whether respondents thought the increase in United States forces improved the situation in Iraq and Iraq's security situation within a few months, whether military forces should be further increased or decreased in Iraq, and whether withdrawing from Iraq would do more to increase the risk of a terrorist attack occurring in the United States. Additional questions addressed whether respondents were satisfied with the choice of candidates for the 2008 presidential election and for whom they were going to vote, General David Petraeus' progress report on the war in Iraq, respondent's confidence in the ability of the government to prevent further terrorist attacks against Americans, whether the war on terrorism could be a success without the United States winning the war, and whether the country was safer at the time of this poll versus September 11, 2001. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, military service, religious preference, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, and voter registration status.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, April 2010 (ICPSR 30204)
Released/updated on: 2011-09-21
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded April 22-25, 2010 is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Barack Obama and his handling of the presidency, the federal budget deficit, health care, the situation in Afghanistan, regulation in the financial industry, nuclear weapons policy, the economy, and whether the Obama Administration or the Republicans in Congress could be trusted to do a better job handling these issues. Respondents were also asked their opinions on whether the Bush Administration or the Obama Administration were to blame for the current economic situation and federal budget deficit. Respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed stricter federal regulations on the way banks, other financial institutions, and Wall Street firms conducted their businesses, having the federal government regulate derivatives, and increasing federal oversight of the way banks and other financial companies make consumer loans. Opinions were collected on whether factors such as gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, race and professional experience would be in favor or against a Supreme Court nominee, whether respondents supported the Tea Party political movement, and whether the Tea Party, Democratic Party, or the Republican Party best represented their personal values, the needs of people like them, and best understood the economic problems of people in the country. Respondents were also asked whether they believed the support for the Tea Party movement was based on concern, dissatisfaction with the Republican Party, opposition to Obama and the Democratic Party's policies, based on distrust of government, or racial prejudice against Obama. Other topics covered included the national economy, the war in Afghanistan, the Supreme Court case Roe versus Wade, voter behavior for the United States House of Representatives election, and opinions of President Obama's birth place. Several questions addressed federal spending, the respondent's personal economic situation, and opinions on the war in Afghanistan. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, political philosophy, party affiliation, education level, religious preference, household income, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, August 2005 (ICPSR 4518)
Released/updated on: 2007-03-08
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded August 25-28, 2005, was undertaken to assess respondents' opinions on issues such as President George W. Bush's job performance on the war in Iraq, terrorism, gas prices, social security, the economy, abortion, and immigration. Respondents were asked similar questions regarding Congress. The survey contained questions concerning terrorist threats and the war in Iraq, including whether or not respondents felt troops should be withdrawn. Related questions asked for respondents' opinions regarding Cindy Sheehan and war protests. The survey also asked for opinions on the nomination of John J. Roberts to the Supreme Court, abortion, immigration, gasoline prices, and gay marriage. Respondents were also queried on how they felt about the Democratic Party's actions on the war, Roberts' nomination, and President Bush's policies. Demographic information includes political affiliation, political ideology, education, age, religious affiliation, military status, sex, race, and income.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, August 2010 (ICPSR 32544)
Released/updated on: 2012-02-15
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2010-08-01--2010-09-01
This poll, fielded August 30 - September 02, 2010, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling his job as president, the economy, the federal budget deficit, and the situation in Iraq. Respondents were also asked whether they approved of the way the United States Congress was doing its job, whether they trusted the Democrats or the Republicans to do a better job in coping with the nation's problems in future years, handling the economy, health care, immigration issues, the situation in Afghanistan, taxes, and the federal budget deficit. Multiple questions addressed the 2010 congressional elections including whether respondents would vote for the Democratic or the Republican House of Representatives candidate in their district if the election were held that day, whether they thought most Republicans and Democrats in Congress deserved to be re-elected, whether they planned to re-elect their representative in Congress, and what respondents considered the single most important issue pertaining to their congressional vote. Information was collected on respondents' opinions on Islam, whether respondents had a good understanding of the beliefs of Islam, whether respondents personally knew anyone who was Muslim, whether they had some feelings of prejudice against Muslims, and whether they supported the building of a Muslim community center near the former World Trade Center site. Additional opinions were solicited about President Obama, the Tea Party movement, the state of the nation's economy, the war in Iraq, respondents' feelings about the way the federal government works, and national security. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, religious preference, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, February 2009 (ICPSR 27762)
Released/updated on: 2010-04-30
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded February 19-22, 2009, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Opinions were sought on how well Barack Obama was handling the presidency, the economy, and appointments to his cabinet, and whether things in the country were generally going in the right direction. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Republicans and Democrats in Congress were doing their jobs, whether they trusted the Democrats in Congress, the Republicans in Congress or President Obama to do a better job in handling the economy and coping with the main problems the nation faced. Several questions addressed the stimulus plan asking respondents whether they supported the plan, whether the plan would help the local economy in their area or their personal financial situation, whether it would be enough to improve the economy, and whether the stimulus package went far enough in terms of tax cuts and aides to states and individuals. Information was collected on whether respondents were confident that the federal government would implement adequate controls to avoid fraud with the use of federal money used for the nation's economic recovery, how concerned they were about the size of the federal deficit, whether stricter regulations should be placed on the way financial institutions conduct business, whether the government should provide refinancing assistance to homeowners, and whether additional government loans should be given to United States automakers. Respondents were asked questions about the effect the economy had in their lives. They were asked how financially secure they felt, whether the recession hurt them financially, how optimistic they felt about the state of the economy and their family's financial situation, whether they had cut back on their spending, and whether the economic situation was a cause of stress in their lives. Respondents were also asked how long they thought the recession would last, how confident they were they would retire with enough income to sustain them for the rest of their lives, how concerned they were about having enough money to pay their rent or mortgage, and whether they or anyone they knew had experienced or was concerned about job loss or pay cuts. Other topics focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington DC's delegate in Congress being a nonvoting member of the United States House of Representatives. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, household income, religious preference, home ownership, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, February 2010 (ICPSR 30202)
Released/updated on: 2011-05-02
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded February 4-8, 2010, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,004 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency, the economy, health care, and the federal budget deficit, and whether they had a favorable opinion of Barack Obama. Respondents were queried on whether they approved of the way the United States Congress was doing its job, which party they trusted more to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years, and how often they thought republicans in the Senate should use their power to block legislation proposed by President Obama and the Senate democrats. Respondents were asked whether they thought Obama was doing too much or too little to compromise with the republican leaders in Congress on important issues, whether they thought republican leaders were doing too much or too little to compromise with Obama on important issues, whether they thought the recession was over, or not over, and whether they thought the economy has or has not begun to recover. Information was collected on whether respondents support or oppose stricter federal regulations on the way banks and other financial institutions conduct their business, whether they support or oppose the proposed changes to the health care system, whether they think lawmakers in Washington should keep trying to pass a comprehensive health care reform plan, or should give up on it, and whether they have some form of health insurance or health care coverage. Respondents were asked if they had a favorable impression of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party, and whether or not they thought Palin was qualified to serve as president. Respondents were queried on whether they thought homosexuals who do not publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military, whether they thought homosexuals who do publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military, and whether they thought it should be legal or illegal for gay and lesbian couples to get married. Respondents were asked whether they would rather have suspects accused of involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks be put on trial in the federal court system in the United States, or in a military tribunal, and whether they support or oppose the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that says corporations and unions can spend as much money as they want to help political candidates win elections. Finally respondents were asked whether they were inclined to vote to re-elect their representative in Congress in the next election, or whether they were inclined to look around for someone else to vote for, which party they would vote for in the upcoming United States House of Representatives elections, and whether their mood was anti-incumbent or pro-incumbent for the upcoming elections. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, political ideology, religious preference, and whether the respondent is a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, January 2010 (ICPSR 30201)
Released/updated on: 2011-04-13
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded January 12-15, 2010, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,083 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency, the economy, health care, and the federal budget deficit, and whether they had a favorable opinion of President Obama. Respondents were queried on whether they thought the country was headed in the right direction, and whether they were confident that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party would make the right decisions for the country's future. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way that Nancy Pelosi was handling her job as Speaker of the House, whether they approved of the way Harry Reid was handling his job as Majority Leader of the Senate, and what was the one most important problem they would like to see President Obama and the Congress deal with this year. Information was collected on whether respondents thought Obama had accomplished a lot during his presidency, whether he was keeping most of his major campaign promises, and who they thought was to blame for the country's economic situation. Respondents were queried on how they thought the United States campaign against terrorism was going, whether the federal government should investigate possible terrorist threats, even if that intrudes on personal privacy, and whether police and other authorities should or should not be permitted to use personal characteristics like religion, or ethnicity, or nationality in deciding who to search in security lines at airports or other locations. Respondents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of President Obama's decision to close the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, whether they support or oppose the proposed changes to the health care system, whether they preferred the public option, and whether they have health insurance. Respondents were queried on whether they thought the federal government should try to limit the size of the bonuses banks can pay to their top employees, whether they would support or oppose a special tax on bonuses over one million dollars, and whether they would support or oppose higher taxes targeted at banks that do a lot of trading in the stock market. Finally, respondents were asked whether Obama's presidency has helped or hurt race relations in the United States, whether they favor smaller government with fewer services, or larger government with more services, whether they favor or oppose legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal and medical use, and whether they voted in the last presidential election. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, political ideology, religious preference, and whether the respondent is a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, July 2008 (ICPSR 27321)
Released/updated on: 2010-11-09
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded July 10-13, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,119 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans. Information was collected on how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race and the chances that they will vote in upcoming presidential election in November. Respondents were also queried on which candidate they would vote for if the 2008 presidential election were being held that day and who they would like to see win the Democratic nomination. Views were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency and if he has improved America's image in the rest of the world. Respondents were asked if they approved of the way the United States Congress is doing it's job and to rate how important certain issues are in their choice for president. Respondents were also queried on whether they thought the war in Iraq and Afghanistan were worth fighting, whether significant progress was made toward restoring civil order and whether they thought the United States must win the war in Iraq and Afghanistan for the war on terrorism to be a success. Several questions asked respondents to compare Barack Obama and John McCain, and which candidate they trusted to handle issues such as the war in Iraq, immigration, international affairs, the economy, and social issues, such as abortion and gay civil unions. Respondents were asked how financially secure they felt and if financial situations were a major cause of stress in their life. Information was also collected on respondents views of homosexuals serving in the military. Demographic variables include sex, age, marital status, race, income, voter registration status, political ideology, political party affiliation, political philosophy, military status, education level, religious preference, labor union membership, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, June 2009 (ICPSR 27765)
Released/updated on: 2010-11-09
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded June 18-21, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,001 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and the economy. Respondents were queried on whether or not they thought the country was headed in the right direction, whether they had a favorable impression of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and whether they approved of the way Nancy Pelosi was handling her job as Speaker of the House. Information was collected on respondents opinions of having a smaller government with fewer services or having a larger government with more services. Respondents were asked whether they thought the United States Senate should or should not confirm judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court as well as a number of other questions dealing with her. Information was collected on whether respondents had health insurance or health care coverage, how satisfied they were with the overall health care system in the country as well as their own health care, and how concerned they were about their family's health care costs in the future. Respondents were asked a number of questions about health care reform, whether they were concerned about reform, whether they thought the government should require everyone to have health insurance, and whether the government should create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans. Information was collected on respondents opinions of the economic stimulus plan, whether they thought the plan has helped or hurt the national economy, and whether they were concerned with the size of the federal budget deficit. Respondents were asked whether they thought Obama's policies were making the United States safer from terrorism and whether they approved or disapproved of closing the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay. Finally respondents were queried on whether or not the federal government should regulate the release of greenhouse gases to reduce global warming, whether they supported cap and trade, and whether abortion should be legal or illegal. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, religious preference, whether respondent is a born-again Christian, employment, and union membership.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, June 2010 (ICPSR 30205)
Released/updated on: 2011-10-12
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded June 3-6, 2010 is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Barack Obama and his handling of the presidency, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal budget deficit, immigration, and the economy. Respondents were asked their opinons about regulation of the offshore oil industry, the economy, the Tea Party movement, and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed stricter federal regulations on greenhouse gasses and increasing federal oversight of the way the oil industry drills offshore. Opinions were collected on whether the Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan, should be confirmed, whether she should state her position on abortion, and whether she should indicate how she would have ruled in past cases before the court. Respondents were also asked whether they supported the Tea Party political movement, and whether the Tea Party, Democratic Party, or the Republican Party best represented their personal values, the needs of people like them, and best understood the economic problems of people in the country. Other topics included the national economy, and voter behavior in the United States House of Representatives election. Several questions addressed federal spending, the national economic situation and whether respondents thought criminal charges should be sought in the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, political philosophy, party affiliation, education level, religious preference, household income, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, May 2008 (ICPSR 24607)
Released/updated on: 2009-09-10
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded May 8-11, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,122 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 206 African American respondents. Views were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency, whether the country was moving in the right direction, and whether the Democratic or Republican party could be trusted to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation would face over the next few years. Respondents were asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, their opinions of presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain, for whom they would vote in the general election in November, which candidate had the best chance of getting elected, and how comfortable respondents would be with a president who was African American, a president who was a woman, and a president over the age of 72. Other questions asked whether Hillary Clinton should drop out of the Democratic primary, whether Democrats would be able to unite if Obama were nominated, and who Obama and McCain should choose as vice presidential running mates if nominated by their parties. Additional topics addressed the controversy over comments made by Barack Obama's minister, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, how concerned respondents were that they could maintain their current standard of living, the most difficult economic issue affecting their family, particularly recent increases in the price of gasoline, and whether they supported a summer suspension of the federal gasoline tax. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, political party affiliation, voter registration status, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, November 2009 (ICPSR 29043)
Released/updated on: 2010-10-21
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded November 12-15, 2009, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,001 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and the economy, and whether they had a favorable opinion of Barack and Michelle Obama. Respondents were queried on whether they thought the country was headed in the right direction, whether they had a favorable impression of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and which party they trusted more to do a better job coping with the problems the nation faces over the next few years. Respondents were asked whether they thought President Obama's views on most issues were too liberal or too conservative, whether they thought the leaders of the Republican Party were mainly presenting alternatives to President Obama's proposals or mainly criticizing his proposals without presenting alternatives. Information was collected on whether respondents thought Obama's policies are making the United States safer from terrorism. Respondents were asked a number of questions about the changes to the health care system in the country, whether they had some form of health insurance or health care coverage, and whether they thought the quality of health care would get better, worse, or remain the same. Respondents were queried on whether they would support or oppose having the government create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans, whether they would support or oppose a federal law requiring all companies with a payroll of at least $500,000 either to offer health insurance or pay money into a government fund that would provide assistance buying insurance for people who could not get insurance through work, and whether they would be more likely or less likely to support a candidate for Congress if the candidate supported the proposed changes in health care. Respondents were also asked whether they thought someone who bought private health insurance with government assistance should be allowed to use the coverage for abortions, whether they thought insurance companies that use private funds should cover abortions, and whether they had a good basic understanding of the changes being proposed to the health care system or thought the changes were too complicated. Information was collected on respondents opinions of the economic stimulus plan, whether they thought the plan has helped or hurt the national economy, and whether they felt the economy had begun to recover. Respondents were queried on whether anyone living in their household had been laid off or lost their job in the last year, whether the job loss happened to them, and whether they had found a new job. Respondents were asked a number of questions about the war in Afghanistan, whether they thought the war was worth fighting, how confident they were that Obama would come up with a strategy that would succeed, and whether they thought Obama was giving United States military leaders too much or too little influence. Respondents were queried on whether they thought global warming was happening, how serious a problem global warming was, whether they supported cap and trade, whether they had planned to get the swine flu vaccine for themselves or their children, and whether they were confident that the flu vaccine is safe. Finally, respondents were asked if they were inclined to re-elect their representative in Congress, whether they would vote for Sarah Palin if she runs for president 2012, whether they thought she was qualified to serve as president, and whether terror suspects involved in the September 11 attack should be put on trial in federal courts or in a military tribunal set up for that purpose. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, religious preference, and whether the respondent is a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, October 2006 (ICPSR 22162)
Released/updated on: 2008-12-09
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted October 5-8, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions regarding President George W. Bush's and the United States Congress' handling of the United States campaign against terrorism, of the economy, and of the war in Iraq. Respondents gave their opinions on the upcoming congressional elections, the issues that were the most important to them, and the performance of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, particularly on issues such as the economy, immigration, and health care. Respondents were further asked for their opinions on ethics in Congress, including the Mark Foley scandal. Additional questions addressed the war in Iraq, gas prices, and gun control. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, whether respondents considered themselves to be born-again Christians, and military service and union membership in the household.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, October 2008 (ICPSR 27326)
Released/updated on: 2010-03-15
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded October 8-11, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,101 adults was surveyed, including oversamples of African Americans and 18- to 29-year-olds, for a total of 150 African American respondents and 201 respondents aged 18 to 29 years. Respondents were asked whether the Democratic or Republican party could be trusted to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation would face over the next few years. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether things in the country were going in the right direction, and how concerned they were about the national economy. Views were sought on whether the Democratic or Republican party could be trusted to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation would face over the next few years. Respondents were also asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, their opinions of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, for whom they would vote in the general election in November, which candidate had the best chance of getting elected, and how comfortable respondents would be with a president who was African American and a president over the age of 72. Economic topics addressed how concerned respondents were that they could maintain their current standard of living, the most difficult economic issue affecting their family, particularly personal finances, the stock market, and the ability to obtain bank loans. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, political party affiliation, voter registration status and participation history, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, military service, household income, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, October 2010 (ICPSR 32546)
Released/updated on: 2012-03-15
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded October 25-28, 2010, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and the economy, how closely they were following the congressional election, what the chances were that they would vote in the upcoming congressional election, which party they would vote for in their congressional district, whether they normally vote in mid-term elections, whether they were inclined to vote to re-elect their representative in Congress, and whether or not they thought it would be a good thing if control of Congress switched from the Democrats to the Republicans after the November elections. Information was collected on whether respondents approved of the way the United States Congress was doing its job, whether they had a favorable or unfavorable impression of Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner, which party they trusted more to do a better job in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years, which political party they trusted to do a better job handling the economy, and whether they thought that things in this country were generally going in the right direction. Respondents were queried on what they thought was a bigger risk, the Democrats putting in place too many government regulations or the Republicans not putting enough government regulations in place, whether they favored smaller government with fewer services or larger government with more services, and whether they had recently been contacted by an organization working in support of a candidate for Congress, asking for their vote. Respondents were also asked how they would describe the state of the nation's economy, whether they thought the economy was getting better or worse, whether they supported the political movement known as the Tea Party, whether they had a favorable or unfavorable impression of Sarah Palin and whether they thought Palin was qualified to serve as president. Finally, respondents were asked how important they thought it was to know who pays for campaign advertisements, who they would vote for if the candidates for president were Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and whether they favored or opposed legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, political ideology, religious preference, union membership, and whether the respondent is a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, September 2008 (ICPSR 27328)
Released/updated on: 2010-04-08
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded September 19-22, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,082 adults was surveyed, including oversamples of African Americans for a total of 163 African American respondents. Respondents were asked whether the Democratic or Republican party could be trusted to do a better job coping with the main problems the nation would face over the next few years, whether things in the country were going in the right direction, and how concerned they were about the national economy. Respondents were also asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, their opinions of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, their opinion of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, for whom they would vote in the general election in November, which candidate had the best chance of getting elected, and how comfortable respondents would be with a president who was African American or a president over the age of 72. Respondents identifying with the Democratic party, were asked for whom they originally voted for to be the party nominee: Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Economic topics addressed how concerned respondents were that they could maintain their current standard of living, the most difficult economic issue affecting their family, particularly personal finances, the stock market, and the ability to obtain bank loans. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, political party affiliation, voter registration status and participation history, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, military service, household income, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), home ownership and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, September 2010 (ICPSR 32545)
Released/updated on: 2011-12-01
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2010-09-01--2010-10-01
This poll, fielded September 30 through October 2010, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,002 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and the economy, whether they approved of the way the United States Congress was doing its job, which party they trusted more to do a better job in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years, and who they trusted more to do a better job handling the economy, health care, immigration issues, the war in Afghanistan, the federal budget deficit, and taxes. Respondents were queried on whether they approved of the way their own representative in Congress was handling their job, whether they have heard about Republican congressional candidates signing something called a "Pledge to America" that pledges them to keep certain campaign promises if they are elected, whether they were inclined to vote to re-elect their representative in Congress in the next election, whether they were following the November election closely, whether they were planning to vote in the Congressional election in November, which party they would vote for in the election, whether they thought that this congressional election was more important or less important as past congressional elections, and whether voting in midterm elections was something they usually do. Respondents were also asked whether they thought it would be a good thing or a bad thing if control of Congress switched from the Democrats to the Republicans after November's election, which party they thought had better ideas about the right size and role of the federal government, how they would rate the state of the nation's economy, whether they thought that the nation's economy was getting better or worse, and whether they thought the money the federal government had spent on the economic stimulus had been mostly well spent or mostly wasted. Finally respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed the changes to the health care system that have been enacted by Congress and the Obama Administration, whether they would support or oppose an effort to cancel these changes in the health care system, whether they support or oppose the Tea Party movement, and how much they thought a Tea Party candidate would change the culture in Washington if they were elected. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, political ideology, religious preference, and whether the respondent is a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, August 2006 (ICPSR 4663)
Released/updated on: 2007-11-30
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted August 3-6, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way President George W. Bush was handling the presidency and issues such as the situation in Iraq and the economy. Those registered to vote were asked how closely they were following the upcoming congressional elections in November, whether they would vote for a Democrat or Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives if the election were held that day, and which issue was most important in their vote. All respondents were polled on which political party they trusted to handle issues such as the United States campaign against terrorism, which party was more concerned with the needs of people like themselves, whether they approved of the way the United States Congress was handling its job, and whether the Democrats were offering a clear direction that was different from that of the Republicans. Views were also sought on the war in Iraq, whether Iraq was in a state of civil war, and whether the Bush Administration and the Democrats in the United States Congress had a clear plan for handling the situation. A series of questions regarding the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon asked which group was to more to blame, whether Israel was justified in bombing Hezbollah targets in civilian areas, whether Israel should agree to an immediate, unconditional cease-fire in Lebanon, whether the conflict would make Israel more secure from attacks, and whether it would help or hurt the situation for the United States in Iraq. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, December 2007 (ICPSR 24593)
Released/updated on: 2009-07-13
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded December 6-9, 2007, is a part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on various political and social issues. A national sample of 1,136 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 205 African Americans respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of George W. Bush and the way he was handling the presidency and other issues such as the economy and terrorism, whether they approved of the way Congress was handling its job, and which political party they trusted to handle issues such as the war in Iraq. Opinions were also solicited on the 2008 presidential candidates. Respondents were asked who they would vote for if the 2008 Democratic and Republican primaries were being held that day, what was the single most important issue in their choice for president in the 2008 presidential election, and whether they were more likely to vote for a candidate based on qualities such as religion, race, gender, or political interests. A series of questions asked how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race and how likely they were to vote in the 2008 presidential primary in their state, which candidate they thought was most likely to be elected president, and how much candidates' religious beliefs, endorsements, spouses, and professional abilities weighed in deciding who to support for president. Respondents were also asked whether Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama made them more likely to support him. Several questions asked about the war in Iraq, including whether the Iraq War was worth fighting, whether United States military forces should remain in Iraq until civil order is restored there, and whether the war in Iraq has contributed to the long-term security of the United States. Additional topics included abortion, whether the respondents considered themselves feminists, whether respondents had a good, basic understanding of the Mormon religion, respondents' own financial situation, and the state of the national economy. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, marital status, whether respondents own or rent their home, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), voter registration status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, and the presence of children under 18 in the household.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, June 2006 (ICPSR 4661)
Released/updated on: 2007-11-30
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted June 22-25, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way President George W. Bush was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy and the situation in Iraq. Several questions asked which political party respondents trusted to handle the main problems the country would face in the next few years, whether they would vote for a Democrat or Republican candidate if the November 2006 election for the United States House of Representatives were being held that day, and which issue was most important in their vote. Views were sought on the war in Iraq and whether it had improved the lives of the Iraqi people, encouraged democracy in other Arab nations, and contributed to the long-term security of the United States. Respondents were polled on whether the Bush Administration and the Democrats in the United States Congress had a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq, how well the United States campaign against terrorism was going, whether the country was safer from terrorism than before September 11, 2001, and whether President Bush would be remembered more for the United States campaign against terrorism or the war in Iraq. A series of questions asked respondents whether they approved of the way United States military forces in Iraq were doing their job, whether a deadline should be set for their withdrawal from Iraq, and respondents' reactions to the alleged killings of Iraqi civilians by United States military forces. Additional topics addressed the death penalty, the federal government's detention of suspected terrorists without trial in the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the federal government's progress in its efforts to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, March 2006 (ICPSR 4657)
Released/updated on: 2007-06-01
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted March 2-5, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency as well as his handling of issues such as the situation in Iraq and health care. Those polled also gave their opinions of the condition of the national economy, the United States Congress, Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain, and the Democratic and Republican parties. A series of questions asked whether the war in Iraq was worth fighting, whether United States military forces should be increased, decreased, or maintained, whether progress was being made to restore civil order in Iraq and establish a democratic government, and whether the Bush Administration and the Democrats in Congress had a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq. Views were also sought on the use of wiretapping and surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Security Agency in conducting the war on terrorism, whether the government was doing enough to protect the rights of American citizens, and whether the country was safer from terrorism now, as compared to before September 11, 2001. Additional topics addressed the bird flu virus, the Terri Schiavo case, the recent controversy surrounding a merger deal that would give management of six United States ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, the religion of Islam, and whether respondents and any of their friends and relatives were prejudiced against Muslims and Arabs. Demographic variables included sex, age, race, household income, education level, religious affiliation, political party affiliation, political philosophy, and type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural).
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, May 2006 (ICPSR 4660)
Released/updated on: 2007-10-08
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted May 11-15, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way President George W. Bush was handling the presidency and issues such as the federal budget deficit and the economy, whether they approved of the way the United States Congress and their own representative were doing their jobs, and which political party they trusted to handle the main problems the country would face in the next few years. Several questions asked how closely respondents were following the upcoming November 2006 election, whether they would vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives, the reasons for their choice, and which political party they hoped would win control of Congress. Views were also sought on the war in Iraq, and whether the Bush administration intentionally misled the American public in making its case for war with Iraq. A series of questions asked respondents whether the country, their state, and their local community were headed in the right direction, how satisfied they were with their life, and whether they felt optimistic about the future. Those polled also gave their impressions of Senator Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, and Senator John McCain, as well as the likelihood that they would vote for Hillary Clinton and John McCain if they ran for president in 2008. Additional questions addressed Hillary Clinton's views on issues, whether she possessed qualities such as leadership and trustworthiness, and whether Bill Clinton had too much political influence over her. Other topics addressed illegal immigration, Bush administration policies, the recent increase in gasoline prices, and the secret collection of domestic telephone records by the National Security Agency. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves born-again or evangelical Christians.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #2, December 2007 (ICPSR 24594)
Released/updated on: 2009-07-22
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded December 16-19, 2007, is a part of continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on various political and social issues. A national sample of 1,142 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of 18-29 year olds, for a total of 274 respondents in this age group. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and whether they thought the country was moving in the right direction. Several questions asked how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race, how likely they were to vote in the 2008 presidential primaries in their state, and for whom respondents would vote if the Democratic and Republican primaries and the general election were being held that day. A series of questions asked about respondents' use of the Internet, including whether they used the Internet for researching the 2008 presidential election, such as getting information about where to vote, participating in online discussions, watching video clips, and visiting social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace to get information on political candidates. Many questions asked how much confidence and trust respondents had in traditional news media and the Internet for general information and specifically for information about the candidates in the presidential election, where they get most of their news about the election campaigns, whether they would approve of an Internet voting system if it was secure from fraud, and whether the Internet plays a positive role in the election campaigns. Respondents were also asked how much of a role their family and friends played in shaping their political opinions and whether they debate political issues with others in a face-to-face setting or online. Additional topics included the Iraq war, abortion, the death penalty, illegal immigrants, civil unions, feelings about American politics, voting, the United States government, whether respondents considered themselves feminists, and whether respondents have done volunteer work. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, employment status, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, marital status, whether respondents own or rent their home, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), voter registration status and participation history, political party affiliation, political philosophy, and the presence of children under 18 in the household.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll #3, September 2008 (ICPSR 27327)
Released/updated on: 2010-11-09
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded September 27-29, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,271 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans. Information was collected on how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race and the chances that they would vote in the upcoming presidential election in November. Respondents were also queried on which candidate they would vote for in the presidential election and who they would like to see win the Democratic nomination. Information was collected on impressions of the vice presidential nominees Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. Respondents were asked what was the single most important issue in their choice for president. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and the economy. Several questions asked respondents to compare Barack Obama and John McCain, and which candidate they trusted to handle issues such as the war in Iraq, energy policy, international affairs, the economy, and taxes. Information was collected on respondents opinions of the presidential debate, specifically who they thought had won and whether it had changed their opinion of either candidate. Respondents were queried on the country's current financial situation and whether they thought it was a serious problem. Respondents were also asked whether they supported the government's bailout of financial institutions and whether they thought the government's efforts would prevent the country's current financial situation from getting worse. Additional questions asked respondents who they thought was to blame for the current financial situation, whether they thought the government's bailout plan did enough to help major financial institutions, the United States economy, and ordinary Americans. Demographic variables include sex, age, marital status, race, income, political ideology, political party affiliation, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, April 2003 (ICPSR 3782)
Released/updated on: 2003-12-22
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll is part of a series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions on the effectiveness of President George W. Bush, the 2004 presidential election, the war on terrorism, the future of relations between the United States and Iraq, the economy, the strengths of the Democratic and Republican parties, and government spending. A series of questions addressed President Bush's handling of domestic issues like education, the budget, Social Security, health care, homeland security, the economy, and foreign affairs including the war on terrorism, the situation in North Korea, and the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. Other questions focused on the president's chances of winning a second term against Democratic challengers Senator Joseph Lieberman and Senator John Kerry, the effectiveness of military action in Iraq, future relations with a new Iraqi government, prioritizing domestic and foreign affairs, the effectiveness of the Democratic and Republican parties on foreign and domestic issues, and the current state of the nation relative to years past. Background variables include age, sex, education, religious orientation, household income, ethnicity, marital status, union membership, and location of the respondents' home.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, April 2007 (ICPSR 24586)
Released/updated on: 2009-05-26
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted April 12-15, 2007, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether they approved of the way Congress and their own representative in the United States House of Representatives were handling their jobs, and to compare how President Bush and the Democrats in Congress were handling issues such as the economy and the United States campaign against terrorism. Opinions were solicited on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Majority leader of the Senate Harry Reid, the 2008 potential presidential candidates, and how much progress Congress had made in the three months prior to the poll. Respondents were asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, for whom they would vote if the 2008 Democratic and Republican primaries were being held that day and how strongly they supported that candidate, which candidate they thought would win their party's nomination, and how much respondents knew about their candidate's position on specific issues. Several questions asked about the war in Iraq, including whether the war in Iraq was worth fighting, whether the United States was winning the war in Iraq, whether the United States should keep military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored, whether Bush's decision to send additional military forces to Iraq was supported, and whether the United States should set a deadline for withdrawing its forces from Iraq. Respondents were also asked a few questions about Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, including whether they would be more likely to vote for John Edwards because his wife, Elizabeth, has cancer, and whether John Edwards should suspend his campaign due to his wife's illness. Additional topics included United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' handling of the firing of eight chief federal prosecutors, embryonic stem cell research, illegal immigrants, the condition of the nation's economy, gas price increases, and the firing of radio personality Don Imus due to making racially insensitive remarks during his radio show. This poll surveyed an oversample of African American respondents. Demographic information includes voter registration status and participation history, sex, age, race, income, marital status, religious preference, education level, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political philosophy, political party affiliation, whether the respondent or anyone in the home was a military veteran, and whether the respondent or anyone in the household was a member of a labor union.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, April 2008 (ICPSR 24606)
Released/updated on: 2009-11-12
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded April 10-13, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A random national sample of 1,197 adults were surveyed, including additional interviews with randomly selected African Americans and Catholics, for a total of 213 African American respondents and 292 Catholic respondents. Views were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency, the war in Iraq, and the economy. Respondents were asked what they thought was the single most important issue in their choice for president, and their opinion of Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton. Respondents were also queried on whether they thought the war in Iraq was worth fighting, whether significant progress was made toward restoring civil order, whether the United States should keep its military forces there until civil order is restored, and whether they thought the United States must win the war in Iraq for the war on terrorism to be a success. Information was collected on how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race, which candidate they would like see win the Democratic nomination for president, whether the tone of the Democratic campaign was positive, whether the length of the Democratic race was good for Democrats, and how the super delegates should choose which candidate to nominate based on different counting methods. Several questions asked respondents to compare Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and which candidate they trusted to handle issues such as international trade, the economy, and health care. Respondents were asked which candidate they would vote for if the 2008 presidential election were being held that day and whether a Democratic or Republican president would do a better job handling the situation in Iraq and the economy. Views were sought on Pope Benedict XVI and whether he should maintain the traditional policies of the Roman Catholic Church, whether the Catholic Church is in touch with American Catholics today, policies on women becoming priests, marriage for Catholic priests, and how the Catholic Church has handled the issue of sexual abuse of children by priests. Additional topics included the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy, the state of the national economy, respondents' financial situation, gas prices, whether government assistance such as new tax breaks for businesses would avoid or soften a recession, and respondents' plans for a federal rebate. Demographics variables include sex, age, marital status, race, income, voter registration status, political ideology, political party affiliation, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, August 1996 (ICPSR 2003)
Released/updated on: 2007-05-17
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted August 1996, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Views were gathered on the 1996 presidential and congressional elections, as well as on President Bill Clinton and his handling of the presidency, the economy, and foreign affairs. Respondents were polled on whether they were better or worse off financially compared to three years ago, whether it was more important to cut federal taxes or balance the federal budget, and whether they supported middle class tax cuts, even if it meant cutting spending on federal programs. Questions involving the upcoming presidential election polled respondents on the likelihood that they would vote, whom they would vote for (President Bill Clinton, Republican Bob Dole, or Reform Party candidate Ross Perot), whether each candidate had the qualities needed to be an effective president, the success of their political campaigns, and who the Republican vice-presidential candidate should be. Opinions were solicited on whether the presidential candidates had a vision for the future of the country, had high moral and ethical standards, cared about people like the respondent, had new ideas, and stood up for what they believed in, and which one would do a better job handling issues such as the economy, crime, the environment, and Medicare. Respondents were queried on whether they would vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate in the upcoming United States House of Representatives election, whether they approved of the way the United States Congress was doing its job, and whether Pat Buchanan should be allowed to make a speech at the Republican convention. Respondents were also asked which political party best represented their ideal of how the United States should be governed, whether the views of each party were too conservative or too liberal, whether respondents supported Ross Perot's new Reform Party, and whether the country needed a new political party. Views were also elicited on issues such as a federal balanced budget amendment, the death penalty, congressional term limits, gun control, organized prayer in public schools, a flat-tax system, recent changes to the welfare system, affirmative action, gay rights, and whether respondents would prefer a smaller government with fewer services or a larger government with many services. Several questions addressed whether abortion should be legal, whether the Republican vice-presidential candidate should support legal abortion, and whether the Republican platform should support a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. Other topics addressed respondents' level of confidence in the United States government to prevent future terrorist attacks, how worried they were about the possibility of major terrorist attacks in the United States, and whether the government should mount a war against terrorism, even if it cost billions of dollars and intruded on personal freedoms. Background variables include sex, age, ethnicity, marital status, employment status, education, religion, household income, social class, subjective size of community, labor union membership, political orientation, political party affiliation, and voter registration and participation history.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, August 2008 (ICPSR 27324)
Released/updated on: 2010-12-07
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded August 19-22, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,298 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans. Information was collected on how closely respondents were following the 2008 presidential race, the chances that they would vote in the upcoming presidential election in November, and whether or not they voted in the presidential election in November of 2004. Respondents were also queried on which candidate they would vote for in the presidential election, and who they would like to see win the Democratic nomination. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency, whether they thought the country was headed in the right direction, and what was the single most important issue in their choice for president. Several questions asked respondents to compare Barack Obama and John McCain, and which candidate they trusted to handle issues such as the war in Iraq, energy policy, international affairs, the economy, and taxes. Respondents were queried on their level of enthusiasm for each presidential candidate, whether they thought Obama had the kind of experience it takes to serve effectively as president, and whether they thought McCain would lead the country in a new direction or mainly continue in Geroge W. Bush's direction. Respondents were also asked how comfortable they would be with McCain taking office at the age of 72 and Obama being the first African American President. Respondents were also asked how important they thought the Democratic and Republican national conventions would be in deciding how to vote for president in November. Respondents were queried on whether they thought it was possible for their child to grow up and become president, whether they thought that Obama's nomination for president represents progress for all African Americans or whether they thought it was only a single case that does not reflect broader progress for African Americans overall. Respondents were asked whether they thought Obama would serve as a leading role model to young African American men, whether Obama's nomination as the first African American presidential candidate made them more proud to me an American, whether they thought the war in Iraq was worth fighting, and whether the United States is making progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq. Lastly, respondents were asked whether they thought Russia was a close ally of the United States, how concerned they were that current tensions between the United States and Russia could lead to a new cold war, whether they thought abortion should be legal, and whether they would be more likely to vote for McCain if he picked a vice-presidential candidate who supports legal abortion. Demographic variables include sex, age, marital status, race, income, voter registration status, political ideology, political party affiliation, political philosophy, education level, religious preference, military status, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, December 2003 (ICPSR 3945)
Released/updated on: 2004-10-01
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded December 18, 2003, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, and the economy, as well as their views on the situation in Iraq, education, prescription drug benefits for the elderly, the cost, availability, and coverage of health insurance, the federal budget deficit, the United States campaign against terrorism, and Medicare. Those surveyed were asked about their voter registration status and who they would vote for if the 2004 presidential election were to take place that day. Questions sought respondent views on whether they trusted either former Vermont Governor Howard Dean or President Bush to handle national affairs, the war on terrorism, health care, Social Security, and education, and whether they would vote for a candidate who supported or opposed the war with Iraq and the recent tax cuts. A series of questions about the Iraq War focused on whether the war was worth fighting, if the war with Iraq had made the United States safer, whether President Bush had a clear plan for Iraq, and whether the Iraq War would be justified only if weapons of mass destruction were found. Those queried were also asked how the United States had changed since President Bush had been in office. Questions regarding the 2004 Democratic presidential race for the White House asked respondents who they preferred to see as the Democratic presidential candidate, what they considered was the most important issue in deciding which Democratic candidate to vote for, and how they would assess Howard Dean's personal and political qualities. Respondents were also asked how closely they followed the news on Medicare, and whether they approved or disapproved of recent changes made in the Medicare system. Demographic information includes party identification, political ideology, highest level of education completed, religion, age, labor union membership status, race, total combined income, Hispanic nationality, and Internet usage.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, December 2006 (ICPSR 22165)
Released/updated on: 2008-08-04
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted December 7-11, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on various political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president and issues such as the economy, whether they approved of the way members of United States Congress and their own representative were handling their jobs, and to rate the condition of the national economy. Views were sought on the upcoming switch to Democratic control of Congress, what was the most important problem for President Bush and Congress to deal with in the next year and whether they trusted President Bush or Congress more to handle these problems. Several questions asked whether Congress should hold hearings on how the Bush Administration handled issues related to the war with Iraq and the United States' campaign against terrorism, whether the war with Iraq was worth fighting, whether the number of United States military casualties in Iraq was acceptable, and whether the war in Iraq has contributed to the long-term security of the United States. A series of questions asked whether the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, whether the United States was winning the war in Iraq, whether respondents would describe the situation in Iraq as a civil war, and whether the United States should hold direct talks with Syria and Iran about the situation in Iraq. Respondents were asked whether they supported certain plans and decisions, such as the Iraq Study Group report, changing the primary mission of United States forces to supporting and training the Iraqi army, or reducing United States military and financial support of the Iraqi government. Several questions asked for respondents' opinions of current political leaders and the 2008 presidential candidates, which candidate they would vote for if the 2008 Democratic and Republican primaries were held that day, and whether a presidential candidate's gender, race, or religion would affect their vote. Additional topics included immigration, privacy rights, and whether respondents were hopeful about the upcoming year for themselves and the world. Demographic variables include sex, age, religion, race, education level, household income, whether anyone in the household was a military veteran, voter registration and participation history, political party affiliation, political philosophy, and type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural).
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, December 2008 (ICPSR 27329)
Released/updated on: 2010-11-09
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded December 11-14, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,003 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they thought the country was headed in the right direction, whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and the economy, and whether they approved of the federal government's overall response to the economic situation. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the upcoming presidential transition and what they thought was the most important issue they would like to see recently elected President Obama and the Congress deal with. Respondents were also asked several questions about the economy, the federal budget deficit, and the federal government's plan to stimulate the economy. Views were sought on the United States economic system, whether respondents thought the United States was in a long-term economic decline or whether they thought the economy was pretty solid. Respondents were also asked which party they trusted more to do a better job in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years, and whether they thought the current financial situation was a crisis or not. Several questions asked respondents about the federal government's plan to bailout the Big Three United States automakers, whether they supported this plan, and whether they thought the automakers' problems were mainly the fault of the bad economy or the fault of their own mismanagement. Respondents were queried on how concerned they were about being able to maintain their current standard of living, how much they would spend on Christmas presents this year compared to last year, and how confident they were that they will be able to retire with enough income to last the rest of their life. Respondents were also asked several questions about their employment, whether they have been laid off or fired, whether they have had pay cuts or hours cut, and how likely they thought they would be laid off or fired in the next 12 months. Other questions focused on whether respondents thought the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan were worth fighting, whether significant progress was being made toward restoring civil order, and whether they thought the United States must win the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan for the war on terrorism to be a success. Finally, respondents were asked whether they voted in the presidential election and who they voted for. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, income, political ideology, political party affiliation, education level, and labor union membership.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, February 2008 (ICPSR 24605)
Released/updated on: 2009-09-01
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded February 28-March 02, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,126 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 215 African American respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether the war with Iraq was worth fighting, and whether respondents thought the United States was making significant progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq. Respondents were also asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, the probability that they would vote in the primary, who they wanted to see win the Democratic/Republican presidential nomination, for whom they would vote in the general election if the election were held that day, their opinion of the candidates, who they would choose as the Democratic/Republican vice presidential running mate, and who they trusted to handle various issues such as health care, the economy, the war in Iraq, immigration issues, the United States' campaign against terrorism, and ethics in government. Demographic information includes voter registration status and participation history, sex, age, race, income, marital status, religious preference, whether the respondent considered themselves to be a born-again evangelical Christian, education level, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political philosophy, political party affiliation, and whether the respondent or anyone in the home was a military veteran.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, January 2008 (ICPSR 24603)
Released/updated on: 2009-10-21
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded January 9-12, 2008, is a part of continuing series of monthly polls that solicit public opinion on various political and social issues. A national sample of 1,130 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 202 African American respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president and other issues such as the situation in Iraq and the economy, and whether they thought things in the country were going in the right direction. This poll focused on the 2008 presidential election, and asked respondents what was the single most important issue in their choice for president, how closely they had been following the presidential race, how likely they were to vote in the 2008 presidential primary or caucus in their state, and which candidate they would vote for if the Democratic and Republican primaries were being held that day. Iowa and New Hampshire residents were asked whether they voted in the 2008 primaries in their states and for whom they voted. Respondents were asked for their opinions of the 2008 presidential candidates, including which Democratic and Republican candidates they trusted to handle issues such as health care, the United States campaign against terrorism, immigration, and international affairs, which types of characteristics were important to them in a candidate, which candidate would bring the most change to Washington, and which candidate had the best chance to get elected as president in November 2008. Several questions asked whether respondents were more or less enthusiastic about the candidates based on the possibility that they could become the first president who was African American, female, Mormon, 72 years old when elected, or a Baptist minister, whether being African American would help or hurt Barack Obama's candidacy, and whether the country needed a president to lead the nation in the same direction as George W. Bush. Additional topics included abortion, respondents' economic and financial situation, and the war in Iraq. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), whether respondents rented or owned their home, voter registration status and participation history, political party affiliation, political philosophy, marital status, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, June 2005 (ICPSR 4328)
Released/updated on: 2006-11-08
Geographic coverage: United States
This monthly poll, undertaken June 2-5, 2005, queried respondents on a number of national issues. Respondents were asked to evaluate the performances of President George W. Bush, the United States Congress, and their own Representatives. The survey solicited respondents' opinions on social security plans, the war in Iraq, the national economy, and the war on terror. They were also asked about their feelings on the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and if the United States was protecting its citizens. The survey also sought respondents' opinions on President George W. Bush, United States Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain, and the Democratic and Republican parties. Other questions pertained to respondents' personal debt, vacation plans, and their opinions about global warming, stem cell research, Supreme Court nominations, oil drilling in Alaska, nuclear power plants, and whether or not respondents smoked. Demographic information included political affiliation, political ideology, education, age, religious affiliation, sex, race, and income.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, June 2008 (ICPSR 24608)
Released/updated on: 2009-08-31
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded June 12-15, 2008, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,125 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 201 African American respondents. Views were sought on how well George W. Bush was handling the presidency and whether the country was moving in the right direction. Respondents were asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, the likelihood that they would vote in the general election in November, for whom they would vote if the presidential election were held that day, their opinions of the candidates, and the most important issues in their vote for president. Those who identified themselves as Democrats were asked how they felt about the outcome of the Democratic primary, whether they had wanted Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination, and who Obama should choose as a vice presidential running mate. Respondents were also asked whether they would vote for the Democratic or Republican candidate for United States House of Representatives if the election were held that day, and to give their impressions of the spouses of the presidential candidates, Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain. Additional topics addressed abortion, the war in Iraq, health care coverage, alternative energy, gun ownership, race relations in the United States, increases in gasoline prices, and a recent United States Supreme Court ruling that noncitizens suspected of terrorism who are being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be allowed to challenge their detentions in the United States civilian court system. Information was also collected on whether respondents thought African Americans living in their community experienced racial discrimination, whether they had a close friend of a different race, whether they themselves had feelings of racial prejudice, and whether they considered themselves a feminist. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, education level, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, May 2007 (ICPSR 24588)
Released/updated on: 2009-04-17
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted May 29-June 1, 2007, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,205 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of 204 Black respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy. Views were sought on whether the country was moving in the right direction, how well members of the United States Congress were doing their jobs, and whether President Bush or the Democrats in Congress could be trusted to do a better job handling important issues. Respondents were asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, for whom they would vote if the presidential primary or caucus was held that day, their opinions of the presidential candidates, and the single most important issue in their choice for president. A series of questions addressed the Iraq war, including the number of United States military forces in Iraq, the effect of the war in Iraq on the campaign against terrorism, and possible outcomes if the United States were to withdraw from Iraq before civil order was restored there. Other topics addressed immigration policy and United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' handling of the firing of nine chief federal prosecutors. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, household income, household union membership, education level, political party affiliation, voter registration status, political philosophy, religious preference, whether respondents considered themselves to be born-again Christians, and whether respondents and their parents were born in the United States.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, October 2007 (ICPSR 24592)
Released/updated on: 2009-07-09
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded October 29 through November 1, 2007, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,131 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 203 African Americans respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, and whether they approved of the way the Congress was doing its job, whether they approved of the way the Republicans in Congress and the Democrats in Congress were doing their jobs, and who respondents wanted to see in control of Congress after the next congressional election. Opinions were sought on whether things in this country were on the right track, and who could be trusted more, the Democrats or the Republicans, to do a better job handling the situation in Iraq, health care, the United States campaign on terrorism, the economy, taxes, and immigration issues. Several questions were asked about the war in Iraq, including whether the war was worth fighting, whether the United States was making progress in restoring civil order in Iraq, whether the number of military forces should be increased, and whether United States forces in Iraq should be withdrawn immediately. Respondents were also asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, for whom they would vote if the 2008 presidential primary were held that day, their opinion of the candidates, who they thought was best able to handle various situations facing the country, and their opinion of the most important issue in their choice for president. Additional topics covered whether the respondent was a feminist, whether smaller or larger governments were favored, whether homosexual couples should be allowed to form recognized civil unions, whether giving illegal immigrants the right to legally live in the United States was supported, whether abortion should be legal, and opinions about the nation's economy and a possible recession. Demographic information includes voter registration status and participation history, sex, age, race, income, marital status, religious preference, religious service attendance, education level, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political philosophy, and political party affiliation.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll of Public Opinion on Current Social and Political Issues, November 1981 (ICPSR 8019)
Released/updated on: 1992-02-16
Geographic coverage: United States
This special-topic poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. This data collection explores respondents' perceptions of the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties and the strengths of the parties. Respondents were questioned about the effect of high interest rates on their plans to buy a home, purchase a car, or take a vacation. Respondents were also were asked for their opinions about Ronald Reagan's performance as president, budget director David Stockman, and military reductions in Europe by the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Demographic information about the respondent includes age, race, sex, religion, educational level, martial status, and type of residence.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, September 2007 (ICPSR 24591)
Released/updated on: 2009-07-06
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded September 27-30, 2007, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. A national sample of 1,114 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans, for a total of 212 African Americans respondents. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, and whether they approved of the way he was handling of the situation in Iraq, health care, the federal budget deficit, the economy, and the United States campaign against terrorism. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way the Republicans in Congress and the Democrats in Congress were doing their jobs. Opinions were sought on the amount that Congress had accomplished that year, and whether Democrats or Republicans in Congress could be trusted more to do a better job handling the situation in Iraq, health care, the United States campaign on terrorism, the economy, and the federal budget deficit. Several questions were asked about the war in Iraq, including whether the war in Iraq was worth fighting, whether the United States should keep military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored, whether an increase in United States forces in Iraq made the situation there better, whether the pace of troop reduction in Iraq should be increased, and whether a funding request for the war should be approved by Congress. Respondents were also asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, for whom they would vote if the 2008 presidential primary were held that day, their opinion of the candidates, and whether they would vote for specific candidates if they won their party's nomination. Several questions also addressed Hillary Clinton including whether her views on issues were too liberal, whether she would take the presidency in a different direction than her husband if elected, whether her campaign was engaging in improper fund raising, and whether respondents felt comfortable with the idea of Bill Clinton as a first gentleman. Other topics included whether the respondent considered her or himself to be a feminist, quality of health care, health care costs, whether the cigarette tax should be increased to support federal spending on children's health insurance, and whether respondents approved of the way Bill Clinton handled his job as president while in office. Demographic information includes voter registration status and participation history, sex, age, race, income, marital status, religious preference, religious service attendance, education level, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political philosophy, political party affiliation, and whether the respondent or anyone in the home was a military veteran.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Post-Democratic Convention Poll, September 1996 (ICPSR 2004)
Released/updated on: 2009-08-03
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll, conducted September 3-4, 1996, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of political and social issues. The focus of this data collection was on the views of registered voters shortly after the 1996 Democratic National Convention held August 26-29, 1996. Views were sought on Bill Clinton's handling of the presidency and the national economy. Registered voters were asked to rate the likelihood that they would vote in the upcoming presidential election in November, to forecast their choices for president and for United States Representative, and to give their opinions of Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Dole, Newt Gingrich, and presidential candidates Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, and Ross Perot. In addition, respondents were asked to compare the positions of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole on issues such as taxes, Social Security, crime, welfare, Medicare, the military, the environment, and illegal drug use. Other questions addressed the recent United States missile attack on Iraq, Clinton's handling of the situation, and accusations involving Clinton's chief political advisor Dick Morris. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religion, and whether respondents considered themselves part of the religious right.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Post-Democratic National Committee (DNC) Convention Poll, August 2000 (ICPSR 3071)
Released/updated on: 2001-03-15
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll, fielded August 18, 2000, queried respondents following the August 14-17 Democratic National Committee (DNC) Convention in Los Angeles, CA. Respondents were asked how much attention they had paid to the 2000 presidential race and whether they intended to vote in the November election. Those queried were asked for whom they would vote, given a choice among candidates Vice President Al Gore (Democratic Party), Texas governor George W. Bush (Republican Party), conservative commentator Pat Buchanan (Reform Party), and political activist Ralph Nader (Green Party). Their views were sought on whether the nation needed a president who could set it in a new direction or whether the nation needed to keep moving in the direction President Bill Clinton had been taking it. Respondents were asked which candidate they trusted to better handle the national economy, protect the Social Security system, improve education and the schools, help the middle class, improve the health care system, and hold taxes down. Additional topics covered whether Gore and Bush were strong leaders, had appealing personalities, understood the problems of the American people, and possessed sufficient experience to be president, and which political party was more tolerant of different points of view. Background information on respondents includes age, gender, political party, political orientation, voter registration and participation history, education, religion, and race.
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Pre-Election Poll #1, October 2006 (ICPSR 22163)
Released/updated on: 2008-05-30
Geographic coverage: United States
This special topic poll, conducted October 19-22, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether they approved of the way Congress and their own representative in Congress was handling their job, and to rate the condition of the national economy. Registered voters were asked whether they followed the congressional elections, whether they were likely to vote, and which candidate they would vote for if the election were being held that day. Registered voters who had already voted absentee were asked which candidate they voted for, how enthusiastic they were about their vote, and whether their vote was more for one political party, or more against the other political party. Opinions were solicited on what was the most important issue in congressional elections, whether things in the country were generally going in the right direction, whether their reason for voting for a candidate for Congress included showing support for George W. Bush, which political party they trusted to do a better job handling issues such as the situation in Iraq and the economy, and whether they thought a change of control from the Republicans to the Democrats would be a good thing. Information was collected on whether respondents had been contacted by any organization working in support of a candidate for Congress and which political party they were asked to vote for, whether the 2006 congressional elections were more important to the country than past elections, and whether the war with Iraq was worth fighting. Additional questions asked how much Congress should be blamed for problems relating to the war with Iraq, how much credit Congress should get for preventing terrorist attacks, whether respondents felt optimistic about the situation in Iraq, and if the United States had the same kind of involvement in the war with Iraq as it did the Vietnam war. Demographic variables include sex, age, religion, race, education level, household income, labor union membership, voter registration and participation history, political party affiliation, political philosophy, employment status, marital status, and type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural).
Curated
ABC News/Washington Post Pre-Election Poll #2, November 2006 (ICPSR 22164)
Released/updated on: 2008-06-25
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, conducted November 1-4, 2006, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling his job as president, whether they approved of the way the United States Congress and their own representative in Congress was handling their job, and to rate the condition of the national economy. Registered voters were asked whether they were following the upcoming congressional mid-term elections on November 7, 2006, whether they were likely to vote, and which candidate they would vote for if the election were being held that day. Registered voters who had already voted were asked which candidate they voted for, how enthusiastic they were about their vote, and whether their vote was more for one political party, or more against the other political party. Opinions were solicited on what was the most important issue in the vote for Congress, whether things in the country were generally going in the right direction, whether their reason for voting for Congress included showing support for George W. Bush, and which political party they trusted to do a better job handling issues such as the situation in Iraq and the economy. Information was collected on whether respondents had been contacted by any organization working in support of a candidate for Congress and if so, which political party they were asked to vote for, which political party best represented their own personal values, and whether the war with Iraq was worth fighting. Demographic variables include sex, age, religious preference, race, education level, voter registration and participation history, political party affiliation, political philosophy, marital status, whether anyone in the household was a veteran, and type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural).