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Federal Budget, Taxes, Economic Policy See also: Business news (banks, housing, Detroit...) | Economic Outlook

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Jan. 22-24, 2010. N=1,009 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).

"Do you think Barack Obama has paid more attention to the problems faced by middle class Americans or the problems faced by banks and other financial institutions?"

		Middle Class Americans	Banks, Financial Institutions	Both Equal/ Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/22-24/10	28	60	11	2

"How important is it to you that the President and Congress deal with each of the following issues in the next year? Will it be extremely important, very important, moderately important, or not that important? . . ."

		Extremely Important	Very Important	Moderately Important	Not That Important
		%	%	%	%
	"The economy"
	1/22-24/10	61	36	3	1

	"Unemployment" N=508 (Form A), MoE ą 4.5
	1/22-24/10	58	36	4	1

	"The federal budget deficit" N=501 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5
	1/22-24/10	46	37	13	4

	"Taxes" N=501 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5
	1/22-24/10	33	36	27	4

Quinnipiac University Poll. Jan. 5-11, 2010. N=1,767 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 2.3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/5-11/10	41	54	6
	12/15-20/09	44	51	5
	12/1-6/09	41	54	5
	11/9-16/09	43	52	5
	9/29 - 10/5/09	47	46	7
	7/27 - 8/3/09	45	49	6
	6/23-29/09	52	42	6
	4/21-27/09	53	38	9
	3/24-30/09	55	37	8
	2/25 - 3/2/09	57	33	10

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling creating jobs?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/5-11/10	34	59	7
	12/15-20/09	37	56	8

"Do you think President Obama has been spending too much time on the economy, not enough time on the economy, or about the right amount of time on the economy?"

		Too Much	Not Enough	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/5-11/10	5	47	42	6

"Who do you blame more for the current condition of the U.S. economy: former President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama?"

		Bush	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/5-11/10	55	20	14	7	4

"Some people say that President Obama is being fiscally irresponsible by spending too much government money. Others say President Obama is being fiscally responsible by only spending money where it is needed. Which comes closer to your view?"

		Irresponsible	Responsible	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/5-11/10	53	43	4

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Jan. 8-10, 2010. N=1,021 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling [see below]?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"The economy"
	1/8-10/10	44	54	2
	10/30 - 11/1/09	46	54	1
	9/11-13/09	54	45	1
	8/28-31/09	49	51	-
	3/12-15/09	59	40	2

	"Taxes"
	1/8-10/10	44	53	3
	10/30 - 11/1/09	49	50	1
	9/11-13/09	52	43	5
	8/28-31/09	45	52	2
	3/12-15/09	62	37	1

	"Unemployment"
	1/8-10/10	45	54	1
	10/30 - 11/1/09	47	52	-
	3/12-15/09	64	33	3

	"The federal budget deficit"
	1/8-10/10	36	62	1
	10/30 - 11/1/09	39	60	2
	9/11-13/09	46	51	3
	8/28-31/09	36	63	1
	3/12-15/09	52	47	2

"Do you think the Democrats or the Republicans are more responsible for the country's current economic problems?"

		Democrats	Republicans	Both Equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	32	39	25	2	2
	11/13-15/09	27	38	27	6	2
	8/28-31/09	27	41	26	4	1
	7/31 - 8/3/09	23	44	24	7	3
	5/14-17/09	21	53	22	4	1
	1/12-15/09	22	50	20	6	1

"As you may know, last year Congress passed and President Obama signed a bill that attempted to stimulate the economy by increasing federal government spending and cutting taxes at a total cost to the government of about eight hundred billion dollars. Based on what you have read or heard about this, do you favor or oppose that bill?" 2009: "As you may know, Congress passed and President Obama has signed a bill that will attempt to stimulate the economy by increasing federal government spending and cutting taxes at a total cost to the government of about eight hundred billion dollars. Based on what you have read or heard about this, do you favor or oppose that bill?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	42	56	3
	3/12-15/09	54	44	2
	2/18-19/09	60	39	1

"Now here are some other questions about that bill, which is officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, although many people refer to it as the economic stimulus package. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of the effect that bill has had on economic conditions around the country? It has improved economic conditions. Economic conditions have not improved, but it prevented conditions from becoming even worse. It had no effect on economic conditions. It has made economic conditions worse."

		Improved Conditions	Prevented From Becoming Even Worse	Had No Effect	Made Conditions Worse
		%	%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	12	46	22	19

"Which of the following statements comes closest to your view of the effect that bill has had on your personal financial situation? It has improved your situation. Your situation has not improved, but it prevented conditions from becoming even worse. It had no effect on your situation. It has made your situation worse."

		Improved Situation	Prevented From Becoming Even Worse	Had No Effect	Made Situation Worse
		%	%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	7	25	48	20

"And do you think that bill has helped, hurt, or had no effect on each of the following groups? . . ."

		Helped	Hurt	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"Bankers and investors"
	1/8-10/10	54	23	22	1

	"Business executives"
	1/8-10/10	41	24	34	2

	"Low-income Americans"
	1/8-10/10	33	31	35	-

	"People who have lost a job in the last few years"
	1/8-10/10	31	36	33	-

	"High-income Americans"
	1/8-10/10	29	22	48	1

	"People in your community"
	1/8-10/10	25	30	45	1

	"Middle class Americans"
	1/8-10/10	25	38	36	1

"Do you think that the projects that the government has spent money on under that bill have mostly been useful projects that will benefit the economy, or have mostly been projects that were included in the bill for purely political reasons and will have no economic impact?" N=509 (Form A), MoE ą 4.5

		Will Benefit the Economy	Will Have No Economic Impact	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	36	63	1

"How much of the money spent under that bill so far do you think has been wasted: nearly all of it, most of it, about half of it, only a little of it, or none of it?" N=512 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5

		Nearly All	Most of It	About Half	Only a Little	None
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/8-10/10	21	24	29	21	4

"Now I am going to read you a few provisions in that bill. For each one, please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the use of federal funds for each one. . . ."

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%

	"Providing unemployment insurance and health insurance to people who have lost their jobs"
	1/8-10/10	83	17	-

	"Increased spending on construction on federal roads and bridges"
	1/8-10/10	80	20	1

	"Tax cuts for many Americans"
	1/8-10/10	70	29	1

	"Increased spending on trains, buses and other forms of mass transit"
	1/8-10/10	62	38	-

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Dec. 16-20, 2009. Adults nationwide.

"Which do you think should be more important for the Obama administration? Reducing the deficit, even if it might slow down economic recovery. Stimulating economic recovery, even if it might mean less deficit reduction." N=507 (Form A), MoE ą 4.5

		Reducing Deficit	Stimulating Recovery	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/16-20/09	40	57	3

"Which do you think should be more important for the Obama administration? Reduce deficit even if unemployment remains high. Create more jobs even if it means less deficit reduction." N=504 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5

		Reduce Deficit	Create More Jobs	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/16-20/09	25	74	1

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Dec. 4-8, 2009. N=1,031 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling job creation?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/4-8/09	38	47	15

"Regardless of how you usually vote, do you think the Republican Party or the Democratic Party is more likely to create new jobs?"

		Republican Party	Democratic Party	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/4-8/09	31	42	3	11	13

"So far, do you think the federal government's stimulus package has made the economy better, made the economy worse, or has it had no impact on the economy so far?"

		Better	Worse	No Impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/4-8/09	32	15	46	7
	9/19-23/09	36	13	46	5
	7/24-28/09	25	13	57	5
	7/9-12/09	21	15	60	4

"From what you know so far, which comes closest to your own view? The economic stimulus package has already created a substantial number of new jobs in the U.S. OR, It will create a substantial number of new jobs but hasn't done that yet. OR, It will not create a substantial number of new jobs."

		It Has Created Jobs	It Will Create Jobs	It Will Not Create Jobs	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/4-8/09	6	44	45	5
	11/13-16/09	7	46	42	5
	9/19-23/09	7	52	38	3
	7/24-28/09	4	53	41	2

"Over the next year, do you think the job market in your area will get better, get worse, or stay about the same?"

		Better	Worse	About the Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/4-8/09	39	18	41	2

"In your own community, just from what you've seen or heard, do you think the jobs that your community has lost in this recession will probably come back when the economy improves, or do you think they were jobs that will probably never come back?"

		Will Come Back	Will Never Come Back	Some Will/ Some Won't (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/4-8/09	52	35	10	3

Bloomberg Poll conducted by Selzer & Co. Dec. 3-7, 2009. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"For each of the following, please indicate how much threat the situation poses to economic performance in the U.S. over the next two years. . . ."

		High Threat	Medium Threat	Low Threat	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"Persistently high unemployment"
	12/3-7/09	81	16	3	-

	"Chronically high budget deficits"
	12/3-7/09	70	23	5	2

	"Expansion of the government's role in the economy"
	12/3-7/09	55	25	17	3

	"Trade barriers or tariffs"
	12/3-7/09	34	40	19	7

	"Higher taxes"
	12/3-7/09	58	25	16	1

	"Limits on carbon emissions to combat global warming"
	12/3-7/09	22	30	43	5

"Do you think the economic stimulus passed by Congress earlier this year is helping the economy, is keeping the economy from getting worse, is having no effect, or is hurting the economy?"

		Helping	Keeping from Getting Worse	Having No Effect	Hurting	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/3-7/09	19	18	32	28	3
	9/10-14/09	24	23	27	22	4

"For each of the following, please tell me if you are mostly optimistic or mostly pessimistic. . . ."

		Mostly Optimistic	Mostly Pessimistic	Unsure
		%	%	%

	"That the U.S. government will help reduce unemployment"
	12/3-7/09	47	51	2

	"That the government will reduce the deficit in the years ahead"
	12/3-7/09	37	61	2

"When you think about the current economic situation, do you believe it is mostly the result of decisions which President Obama inherited, or mostly the result of his policies?"

		Mostly Inherited	Mostly His Policies	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/3-7/09	59	32	9

"Please tell me if you favor or oppose each of the following ways the federal government could address the unemployment rate. . . ."

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%

	"Give businesses a tax credit for each new person they hire"
	12/3-7/09	68	28	4

	"Increase spending on alternative energy"
	12/3-7/09	60	37	3

	"Send federal money to the states to prevent layoffs in state and local governments"
	12/3-7/09	48	49	3

	"Spend more money on education for unemployed workers to improve their skills to qualify for better jobs"
	12/3-7/09	70	27	3

	"Cut income taxes across the board to spur economic growth"
	12/3-7/09	63	33	4

	"Spend money on public works such as roads and bridges"
	12/3-7/09	66	32	2

"Do you believe middle-class Americans will or will not have to make financial sacrifices to decrease the deficit?"

		Will	Will Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/3-7/09	88	10	2

"I'm going to mention some specific government programs that add significantly to the federal deficit. For each, please tell me if the spending is justified and should be continued, was justified but should be cut dramatically, or is not justified at all. . . ."

		Justified, Continued	Justified, Cut Dramatically	Not Justified at All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"The Medicare drug program"
	12/3-7/09	71	11	12	6

	"Tax cuts for the very wealthy"
	12/3-7/09	27	12	60	1

	"The war in Afghanistan"
	12/3-7/09	45	26	26	3

	"The war in Iraq"
	12/3-7/09	32	30	36	2

	"The stimulus package passed earlier this year"
	12/3-7/09	33	23	39	5

	"Government assistance to the auto industry"
	12/3-7/09	17	27	55	1

	"Government assistance to the banking industry"
	12/3-7/09	11	28	58	3

"Now, I'm going to mention some major economic and political figures and groups. For each, please tell me how you feel about them in their current roles -- are you very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable? If you don't know enough to give your feelings, just say so. . . ."

		Very Favorable	Mostly Favorable	Mostly Unfavorable	Very Unfavorable	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of the United States"
	12/3-7/09	7	26	17	9	41

	"Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the U.S. Treasury"
	12/3-7/09	6	20	17	16	41

	"The Federal Reserve"
	12/3-7/09	10	40	18	8	24

"[Do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president?] ... Do you approve or disapprove of the job he is doing with [see below]?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"The economy"
	12/3-7/09	45	50	5
	9/10-14/09	50	45	5

	"The budget deficit"
	12/3-7/09	35	57	8
	9/10-14/09	38	55	7

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Nov. 13-15, 2009. N=1,014 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).

"Which of the following comes closer to your view of the budget deficit? The government should run a deficit if necessary when the country is in a recession and is at war. OR, The government should balance the budget even when the country is in a recession and is at war."

		Run a Deficit	Balance the Budget	Unsure
		%	%	%
	11/13-15/09	30	67	4
	1/12-15/09	33	65	1

"Do you think Barack Obama's policies have improved economic conditions, worsened economic conditions, or had no effect on economic conditions in the country?" N=513 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5

		Improved	Worsened	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/13-15/09	36	28	35	2
	8/28-31/09	39	34	27	1
	5/14-17/09	37	23	40	-

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Nov. 12-15, 2009. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5 (for all adults).

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling [see below]?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"The economy"
	11/12-15/09	51	47	2
	10/15-18/09	50	48	1
	9/10-12/09	51	46	2
	8/13-17/09	52	46	2
	7/15-18/09	52	46	3
	6/18-21/09	56	41	3
	4/21-24/09	58	38	4
	3/26-29/09	60	38	3
	2/19-22/09	60	34	6

	"The federal budget deficit" Half sample
	11/12-15/09	42	53	5
	10/15-18/09	45	51	4
	9/10-12/09	39	55	6
	8/13-17/09	41	53	5
	7/15-18/09	43	49	8
	6/18-21/09	48	48	5
	4/21-24/09	51	43	7
	3/26-29/09	52	43	5

"Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy: Obama or the Republicans in Congress?" Options rotated

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/12-15/09	52	37	1	8	1
	9/10-12/09	48	37	1	12	2
	7/15-18/09	56	33	1	9	2
	6/18-21/09	55	31	2	9	2
	4/21-24/09	61	24	2	11	2
	3/26-29/09	58	25	1	14	2
	2/19-22/09	61	26	1	9	3

"So far, do you think the economic stimulus program has helped the national economy, hurt the national economy, or hasn't made much difference?"

		Helped	Hurt	No Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/12-15/09	37	23	39	1
	9/10-12/09	32	19	47	2
	6/18-21/09	28	19	52	2
	4/21-24/09	33	16	49	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Oct. 22-25, 2009. N=1,009 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1 (for all adults).

"Do you generally approve or disapprove of the job that Barack Obama is doing in handling the economy?" Half sample (Form A), MoE ą 4.4

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/22-25/09	47	46	7
	9/17-20/09	50	42	8
	7/24-27/09	49	44	7
	6/12-15/09	51	38	11
	4/23-26/09	55	37	8
	2/26 - 3/1/09	56	31	13

"When you think about the current economic conditions, do you feel that this is a situation that Barack Obama has inherited or is this a situation his policies are mostly responsible for?"

		Obama Inherited	Obama Responsible	Some of Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-25/09	63	20	15	2
	6/12-15/09	72	14	10	4
	2/26 - 3/1/09	84	8	6	2

"Over the past nine months, the government has taken a series of measures that were intended to help improve economic conditions. Do you think the government has done about the right amount, has done too much, or has not done enough?" Half sample (Form B), MoE ą 4.4

		Right Amount	Too Much	Not Enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-25/09	27	30	36	7

"Which of the following two statements comes closer to your point of view? Statement A: The President and the Congress should worry more about boosting the economy even though it may mean larger budget deficits now and in the future. Statement B: The President and the Congress should worry more about keeping the budget deficit down, even though it may mean it will take longer for the economy to recover." Half sample (Form A), MoE ą 4.4

		Boosting Economy	Keeping Deficit Down	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22-25/09	31	62	3	4
	9/17-20/09	30	62	4	4
	6/12-15/09	35	58	2	5

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Oct. 16-18, 2009. N=1,038 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Do you think Barack Obama's policies have made the economy better, or don't you think so?"

		Have Made Better	Don't Think So	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/16-18/09	43	56	2
	7/31 - 8/3/09	44	51	5

	"Do you think Barack Obama's policies have made the economy better, or don't you think so?" If "Don't think so": "Do you think Barack Obama's policies will eventually make the economy better, or don't you think so?"

	Combined Responses	Have Made Better	Will Make Better	Don't Think So	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/16-18/09	43	13	42	3
	7/31 - 8/3/09	44	11	40	5

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 15-18, 2009. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5 (for all adults).

"Do you think Obama's economic program is making the economy better, making it worse, or having no real effect?"

		Better	Worse	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/15-18/09	41	22	35	2
	8/13-17/09	43	23	32	2

"Which of these do you think is more important right now: increasing federal spending to try to improve the economy, even if it sharply increases the federal budget deficit; or avoiding a big increase in the federal budget deficit, even if it means not increasing federal spending to try to improve the economy?" Options rotated

		Increase Spending	Avoid Big Deficit	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/15-18/09	38	57	5
	7/15-18/09	40	55	5
	3/26-29/09	49	47	5
	1/13-16/09	51	44	4

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 19-23, 2009. N=1,042 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Regardless of how you usually vote, who do you think is more likely to make the right decisions about the nation's economy: Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress?"

		Barack Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/19-23/09	53	27	1	9	10
	7/24-28/09	56	25	3	9	7
	4/1-5/09	63	20	2	8	7

"So far, do you think the federal government's stimulus package has made the economy better, made the economy worse, or has it had no impact on the economy so far?"

		Better	Worse	No Impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/19-23/09	36	13	46	5
	7/24-28/09	25	13	57	5
	7/9-12/09	21	15	60	4

"In the long run, do you think the federal government's stimulus package will make the economy better, will make the economy worse, or will it have no impact on the economy in the long run?"

		Better	Worse	No Impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/19-23/09	47	21	24	8
	7/24-28/09	44	22	28	6
	7/9-12/09	42	21	29	8

"As you may know, one of Barack Obama's campaign promises last year was that he would not raise taxes on households earning less than $250,000 a year. Do you think he will be able to keep that campaign promise, or not?"

		Will	Will Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/19-23/09	35	56	9

Bloomberg Poll conducted by Selzer & Co. Sept. 10-14, 2009. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"For each of the following, please tell me if you are mostly optimistic or mostly pessimistic. . . ."

		Mostly Optimistic	Mostly Pessimistic	Unsure
		%	%	%

	"The U.S. government's economic plan"
	9/10-14/09	46	48	6

	"The ability of the government to help the economy recover and grow"
	9/10-14/09	54	44	2

	"The ability of the government's stimulus program to create jobs"
	9/10-14/09	49	48	3

"Which president has provided better economic leadership for the U.S.: President Barack Obama, or former president George W. Bush?"

		Obama	Bush	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/10-14/09	55	28	17

"How confident are you that Barack Obama's economic team will be able to fix the problems that caused the nation's financial crisis? Are you very confident, fairly confident, just somewhat confident, or not confident?"

		Very Confident	Fairly Confident	Just Somewhat Confident	Not Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/10-14/09	16	22	28	33	1

"Which do you think would do the most good to help the economy: more government spending even if it means a bigger budget deficit, or cutting spending even at the risk of a longer-lasting recession?"

		More Spending	Cutting Spending	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/10-14/09	28	62	10

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sept. 11-13, 2009. N=1,030 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/11-13/09	46	51	2
	8/6-9/09	48	49	3
	7/17-19/09	47	49	4
	5/29-31/09	55	42	3
	3/27-29/09	56	39	5
	2/9-12/09	59	30	11

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the federal budget deficit?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/11-13/09	38	58	4
	7/17-19/09	41	55	4
	5/29-31/09	46	48	6
	3/27-29/09	49	44	6

"All in all, would you say that what Barack Obama's economic policies have made the economy better, made it worse, or made no difference?"

		Better	Worse	No Difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/11-13/09	43	25	30	1

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Sept. 10-12, 2009. N=1,007 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5 (for all adults).

"Who do you trust to do a better job handling [see below]: Obama or the Republicans in Congress?" Options rotated

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"The federal budget deficit" Half sample (Form B)
	9/10-12/09	50	36	1	12	1
	7/15-18/09	54	35	-	9	2
	6/18-21/09	56	30	2	9	2

"How confident are you that the federal government is putting measures into place that will make another financial crisis less likely in the future? Are you very confident of that, somewhat confident, not so confident or not confident at all?" Half sample

		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not So Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/10-12/09	10	39	23	27	1

"How confident are you that financial institutions will change their business practices in a way that makes another financial crisis less likely in the future? Are you very confident of that, somewhat confident, not so confident or not confident at all?" Half sample

		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not So Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/10-12/09	8	33	27	30	2

"How much blame do you think the Bush administration, for inadequate regulation of the financial industry, deserves for the country's economic situation: a great deal, a good amount, only some or hardly any?"

		A Great Deal	A Good Amount	Only Some	Hardly Any	None (vol.)
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/10-12/09	40	25	23	10	1
	7/15-18/09	42	20	23	11	1
	3/26-29/09	47	23	21	7	1

"How much blame do you think the Obama administration, for not doing enough to turn the economy around, deserves for the country's economic situation: a great deal, a good amount, only some or hardly any?"

		A Great Deal	A Good Amount	Only Some	Hardly Any	None (vol.)
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/10-12/09	13	15	33	34	4
	7/15-18/09	14	17	28	34	4
	3/26-29/09	13	13	27	39	6

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media. Sept. 3-8, 2009. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.

"And please tell me if you approve, disapprove or neither approve nor disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling each of the following issues. How about [see below]?" If unsure: "If you had to choose, do you lean more toward approving or disapproving of the way Barack Obama is handling [see below]?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"The economy"
	9/3-8/09	44	52	5	-
	7/16-20/09	50	46	4	-
	4/16-20/09	58	35	6	1

	"Federal budget deficit"
	9/3-8/09	33	56	12	-
	7/16-20/09	39	51	10	-
	4/16-20/09	49	41	8	2

	"Taxes"
	9/3-8/09	38	50	13	-
	7/16-20/09	46	44	11	-
	4/16-20/09	54	35	11	1

	"Unemployment"
	9/3-8/09	40	49	11	-
	7/16-20/09	49	40	10	-
	4/16-20/09	59	29	12	1

"Thinking about the stimulus package that was approved by Congress in February to help improve the economy, do you think that the stimulus package has helped bring about improvements to the economy, did even more damage to the economy than would have happened otherwise, had no real effect on the condition of the economy, or it's too early to tell?"

		Helped	Did More Damage	Had No Real Effect	Too Early To Tell	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/3-8/09	17	21	21	40	1
	7/16-20/09	7	22	24	47	1
	4/16-20/09	10	18	14	57	1

"How confident are you that the stimulus package will work to bring about significant improvements in the U.S. economy: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?"

		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not Too Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/3-8/09	10	30	27	32	1
	7/16-20/09	9	33	30	28	-

"How much do you blame each of the following for the recession? How much would you blame [see below] for the current financial crisis: a lot, quite a bit, some, only a little, or none at all?"

		A Lot	Quite a Bit	Some	Only a Little	None at All
		%	%	%	%	%

	"The banks and lenders that made risky loans"
	9/3-8/09	63	16	14	3	4

	"The federal government for failing to regulate banks closely enough"
	9/3-8/09	52	16	17	7	7

	"The people who borrowed money that they could not afford to repay"
	9/3-8/09	48	17	20	9	6

	"President George W. Bush"
	9/3-8/09	40	14	26	11	9

	"President Barack Obama"
	9/3-8/09	13	7	19	14	47

	"President Bill Clinton"
	9/3-8/09	12	7	26	17	37

"How confident are you that the federal government has taken enough steps to ensure that a meltdown of the financial industry could not happen again in this country: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?"

		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not Too Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/3-8/09	3	27	38	32	1

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Aug. 28-31, 2009. N=1,010 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).

"Do you think the Republicans in Congress or the Democrats in Congress would do a better job of dealing with each of the following issues and problems? . . ." N=508 (Form B), MoE ą 4.5

		Republicans	Democrats	No Difference (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	"The economy"
	8/28-31/09	39	52	8	1
	10/20-22/06	41	53	5	2

	"Taxes"
	8/28-31/09	47	47	6	-

	"The federal budget deficit"
	8/28-31/09	46	46	6	2

"Do you generally support or oppose President Obama's overall economic plan?"

		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/28-31/09	52	46	2
	6/26-28/09	58	39	2
	3/12-15/09	65	34	1

"What is your view of the Cash for Clunkers program, which allowed people to trade in cars with low gas mileage and get about four thousand dollars off the purchase of a new car? Would you describe that program as a success or a failure?"

		Success	Failure	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/28-31/09	55	40	3	2

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Aug. 13-17, 2009. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5 (for all adults).

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling [see below]?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"Taxes" Half sample
	8/13-17/09	51	40	8
	4/21-24/09	56	38	6

CBS News/New York Times Poll. July 24-28, 2009. N=1,050 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.

"Who do you think is mostly to blame for the current state of the nation's economy: the Bush administration, the Obama administration, Wall Street and financial institutions, Congress, or someone else?" If "someone else": "Who do you think is mostly to blame?"

			7/24-28/09	4/1-5/09
			%	%
	Bush Administration		30	33
	Wall Street, financial institutions		29	21
	Congress		12	11
	Obama Administration		4	2
	Someone else		7	8
	All of the above (vol.)		6	7
	Combination (vol.)		11	14
	Unsure		1	4

"Do you think the federal government's stimulus package has made the economy in your local community better, made the economy in your local community worse, or has it had no impact on the economy in your local community so far?"

		Better	Worse	No Impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	19	12	65	4

"In the long run, do you think the federal government's stimulus package will make the economy in your local community better, will make the economy in your local community worse, or will it have no impact on the economy in your local community in the long run?"

		Better	Worse	No Impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	44	13	37	6

"Earlier this year, Congress passed a nearly 800 billion dollar stimulus package in order to get the economy back on track. Some people say the stimulus package was not large enough, others say it was too large. In the months ahead, if things continue the way they are now, would you favor or oppose the government spending additional money on another stimulus package?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	27	65	8

"Which comes closer to your own view? The federal government should spend money to stimulate the national economy, even if it means increasing the budget deficit. OR, The federal government should NOT spend money to stimulate the national economy and should instead focus on reducing the budget deficit."

		Stimulate Economy	Reduce Deficit	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	35	58	7
	7/9-12/09	33	61	6
	6/12-16/09	41	52	7

"In order to reduce the federal budget deficit, would you be willing or not willing for the government to provide fewer services, in areas such as health care, education and defense spending?"

		Willing	Not Willing	Some Areas, Not Others (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	31	53	11	5

"In order to reduce the federal budget deficit, would you be willing or not willing to pay more in taxes?"

		Willing	Not Willing	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/24-28/09	41	56	3

USA Today/Gallup Poll. July 17-19, 2009. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling taxes?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	45	48	7

"Thinking about the economic problems currently facing the United States, how much do you blame George W. Bush for these: a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?" Options rotated

		A Great Deal	A Moderate Amount	Not Much	Not at All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	43	37	13	7	1

"Thinking about the economic problems currently facing the United States, how much do you blame Barack Obama for these: a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or not at all?" Options rotated

		A Great Deal	A Moderate Amount	Not Much	Not at All
		%	%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	14	18	29	38

"Next, we'd like you to think about Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan passed earlier this year and its effect on the U.S. economy, both in the short term and in the long term. First, up until now, do you think Obama's economic stimulus plan has made the economy better, not had an effect, or made the economy worse?" Options rotated

		Better	No Effect	Worse	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	28	49	21	2

"In the long term, do you think Obama's economic stimulus plan will make the economy better, not have an effect, or make the economy worse?" Options rotated

		Better	No Effect	Worse	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	48	19	31	2

"Next, please think about the effect Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan will have on your family's financial situation in the short term and in the long term. First, up until now, do you think Obama's economic stimulus plan has made your financial situation better, not had an effect, or made your financial situation worse?" Options rotated

		Better	No Effect	Worse	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	14	64	22	1

"In the long term, do you think Obama's economic stimulus plan will make your financial situation better, not have an effect, or make your financial situation worse?" Options rotated

		Better	No Effect	Worse	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/17-19/09	35	28	34	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. July 15-18, 2009. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.5 (for all adults).

"Do you think Obama is placing too much of a priority on the economy, too little, or about the right amount?"

		Too Much	Too Little	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/15-18/09	9	29	58	3

"Do you think Obama is placing too much of a priority on the federal budget deficit, too little, or about the right amount?"

		Too Much	Too Little	About Right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/15-18/09	13	39	44	4

"How confident are you that Obama's economic program will improve the economy: very confident, fairly confident, not very confident or not confident at all?"

		Very Confident	Fairly Confident	Not Very Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/15-18/09