Campaign 2012

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Campaign 2012 ] [ WH2012: General ] [ WH2012: Republicans ] [ WH2012: Democrats ] [ Congress 2012 ]


Campaign 2012	See also: Trial heats \| GOP nomination \| Rating the contenders

[ STATE POLLS are in our subscriber area. INFO ]

CNN/ORC Poll. Nov. 2-4, 2012. N=693 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Regardless of whom you support, and trying to be as objective as possible, who do you think will win the election in November: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?"

		Obama	Romney	Other (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/2-4/12	57	36	1	6
	8/7-8/12 Adults	63	33	-	4
	4/13-15/12 Adults	61	35	1	4

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. After Oct. 10-13, 2012, based on daily tracking. N=1,300-2,300 likely voters nationwide. LV = likely voters. RV = registered voters.

"Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job handling the economy: Obama or Romney?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/1-4/12 LV	47	48	1	2	2
	10/31 - 11/3/12 LV	46	49	-	3	2
	10/30 - 11/2/12 LV	46	49	-	2	2
	10/29 - 11/1/12 LV	46	50	-	2	2
	10/28-31/12 LV	47	49	-	3	2
	10/27-30/12 LV	47	49	1	2	2

	10/10-13/12 RV	48	44	-	4	4
	9/26-29/12 RV	47	47	-	4	2
	9/7-9/12 RV	47	45	-	3	4
	8/22-25/12 RV	43	50	-	4	3
	7/5-8/12 Adults	44	49	1	4	3
	5/17-20/12 Adults	46	47	-	3	3
	4/5-8/12 Adults	43	47	1	5	5
	2/1-4/12 RV	44	50	1	3	2

"Regardless of who you may support, who do you think better understands the economic problems people in this country are having: Obama or Romney?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	11/1-4/12 LV	51	43	2	3	2
	10/31 - 11/3/12 LV	50	44	2	3	2
	10/30 - 11/2/12 LV	50	44	1	3	1
	10/29 - 11/1/12 LV	50	45	1	3	1
	10/28-31/12 LV	50	45	1	3	1
	10/27-30/12 LV	50	44	1	3	1

	10/10-13/12 RV	51	40	2	5	2
	9/26-29/12 RV	52	39	2	6	1
	9/7-9/12 RV	50	40	3	4	3
	8/22-25/12 RV	47	40	1	9	2
	7/5-8/12 Adults	50	40	2	6	3
	5/17-20/12 Adults	48	40	2	7	3
	4/5-8/12 Adults	49	37	2	9	4
	2/1-4/12 Adults	53	36	2	7	3

"Just your best guess, who do you think will win the presidential election this year: Obama or Romney?" Options rotated. Not asked Nov. 1.

		Obama	Romney	Other (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/2-4/12 LV	55	35	-	10

	10/10-13/12 RV	57	33	-	10
	9/26-29/12 RV	63	31	-	6
	8/22-25/12 RV	56	37	-	8
	7/5-8/12 Adults	58	34	1	8

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Nov. 1-3, 2012. N=1,475 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.6. LV = likely voters. Among registered voters, except where noted.

"Now I'd like you to compare Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on a few qualities that people might look for in a president. For each one, please tell me whether you think that Barack Obama would be better or Mitt Romney would be better on that item. If you think that both would be equally good or that neither would be good on a particular item, just say so. Who do you think would be better when it comes to [see below]: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, or do you think that both would be equally good or neither would be good?"

		Obama better	Romney better	Equally good	Neither	Depends (vol.)/Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Dealing with issues of concern to women"
	11/1-3/12 LV	54	30	9	5	2
	10/17-20/12	53	25	12	7	3
	9/12-16/12	54	26	9	8	3
	8/16-20/12	52	24	10	9	5
	4/13-17/12 Adults	49	21	15	10	5

	"Looking out for the middle class"
	11/1-3/12 LV	51	40	4	5	-
	10/17-20/12	52	36	5	6	1
	9/26-30/12	53	34	5	7	1
	9/12-16/12	53	34	4	9	-
	7/18-22/12	49	33	3	13	2
	4/13-17/12 Adults	48	27	7	16	2

	"Being a good commander-in-chief"
	11/1-3/12 LV	48	42	6	3	1
	10/17-20/12	44	41	9	5	1
	9/26-30/12	47	39	8	5	1
	9/12-16/12	45	38	7	7	3
	8/16-20/12	45	38	8	7	2
	7/18-22/12	45	35	9	9	2
	4/13-17/12 Adults	43	33	14	9	1

	"Having the strong leadership qualities needed to be president"
	11/1-3/12 LV	45	44	8	3	-
	10/17-20/12	41	41	15	3	-

	"Being an effective leader who can get things done"
	11/1-3/12 LV	41	46	6	5	2

Pew Research Center. Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2012. N=1,559 registered voters nationwide.

"Regardless of who you might support, who do you think is most likely to win the presidential election: [see below]?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Other (vol.)/ Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/31 - 11/3/12	52	30	18
	10/24-28/12	49	31	19
	9/12-16/12	53	24	23
	6/7-17/12	52	34	15

ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll. Oct. 27-30, 2012. N=1,288 likely voters nationwide. RESULTS BELOW based on responses from Oct. 30 only.

"How would you rate the federal government's overall response to the hurricane that hit the East Coast this week: excellent, good, not so good or poor?"

		Excellent	Good	Not so good	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/30/12	25	48	8	1	19

"How would you rate Obama's overall response to the hurricane that hit the East Coast this week: excellent, good, not so good or poor?"

		Excellent	Good	Not so good	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/30/12	35	42	4	4	15

"How would you rate Romney's overall response to the hurricane that hit the East Coast this week: excellent, good, not so good or poor?"

		Excellent	Good	Not so good	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/30/12	14	30	13	8	35

Pew Research Center. Oct. 24-28, 2012. N=1,678 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.8.

"And as I read a list of phrases, tell me if you think each phrase better describes Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. [See below.] Does this better describe Romney or Obama?" Options rotated

		Romney	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"A strong leader"
	10/24-28/12	43	48	3	3	3
	10/4-7/12	44	44	3	5	4
	9/12-16/12	38	51	5	2	4

	"Takes more moderate positions"
	10/24-28/12	38	50	3	1	8
	10/4-7/12	39	49	4	1	7

	"Willing to work with leaders from the other party"
	10/24-28/12	41	47	4	3	4
	10/4-7/12	42	45	3	3	7
	6/7-17/12	35	52	5	2	7

	"Connects well with ordinary Americans"
	10/24-28/12	31	59	5	2	3
	10/4-7/12	30	59	4	2	4
	9/12-16/12	23	66	5	2	3
	6/7-17/12	28	59	7	3	4

	"Honest and truthful"
	10/24-28/12	40	46	9	2	3
	10/4-7/12	39	44	10	3	4
	9/12-16/12	34	48	9	3	5
	6/7-17/12	32	46	11	4	6

	"Has new ideas"
	10/24-28/12	46	41	7	2	4
	10/4-7/12	47	40	7	2	4

	"Takes consistent positions on issues"
	10/24-28/12	36	51	7	2	5
	10/4-7/12	37	47	8	2	6
	9/12-16/12	34	50	7	3	6
	6/7-17/12	34	46	10	3	7

"Regardless of who you support, which one of the presidential candidates -- Mitt Romney or Barack Obama -- do you think would do the better job of [see below]?" Options rotated. 9/12 & earlier: "... would do the best job of ..."

		Romney	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"Improving the job situation"
	10/24-28/12	50	42	4	4
	10/4-7/12	49	41	5	5
	9/12-16/12	45	46	4	5
	6/28 - 7/9/12	46	42	6	6

	"Dealing with health care"
	10/24-28/12	45	47	3	5
	10/4-7/12	44	47	4	5
	9/12-16/12	39	52	4	5
	6/28 - 7/9/12	41	49	5	5
	6/7-17/12	44	45	5	6

	"Reducing the federal budget deficit"
	10/24-28/12	51	37	6	6
	10/4-7/12	51	36	6	7
	9/12-16/12	46	43	7	5
	6/28 - 7/9/12	50	36	8	6

	"Dealing with taxes"
	10/24-28/12	44	46	4	5
	10/4-7/12	47	43	4	6
	9/12-16/12	42	48	3	6
	6/28 - 7/9/12	40	48	5	7

	"Making wise decisions about foreign policy"
	10/24-28/12	42	50	3	6
	10/4-7/12	43	47	3	7
	9/12-16/12	38	53	3	6
	6/28 - 7/9/12	40	48	4	8

	"Dealing with Medicare"
	10/24-28/12	43	48	3	5
	10/4-7/12	43	46	4	7
	9/12-16/12	38	51	4	6

	"Representing your views about abortion"
	10/24-28/12	39	48	4	9
	9/12-16/12	35	48	5	12

	"Dealing with the nation's energy problems"
	10/24-28/12	46	45	3	6
	6/28 - 7/9/12	37	49	4	9

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. Oct. 19-23, 2012. N=1,186 adults nationwide (margin of error ą 3.5), including 839 likely voters ((margin of error ą 4.2). LV = likely voters. Among adults, except where noted.

"Regardless of how you might vote, do you think President Barack Obama will be reelected or will be voted out of office?" Options rotated

		Reelected	Voted out of office	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%
	10/19-23/12	58	28	14	-
	9/13-17/12	61	26	13	1
	8/16-20/12	58	32	11	-
	6/14-18/12	56	35	9	-
	12/8-12/11	49	48	4	-

"Regardless of whom you may support, who do you trust to do a better job of [see below]: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Neither (vol.)	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Handling the economy"
	10/19-23/12 LV	44	51	2	3	-
	9/13-17/12 LV	48	47	3	1	-
	8/16-20/12	45	46	5	5	-
	6/14-18/12	46	45	6	3	-
	5/3-7/12	46	44	4	6	-

	"Handling the federal budget deficit"
	10/19-23/12 LV	43	51	3	3	-
	9/13-17/12 LV	46	47	4	3	-
	8/16-20/12	41	48	6	5	1

	"Protecting the country"
	10/19-23/12 LV	46	47	3	3	1
	9/13-17/12 LV	51	45	2	2	-
	5/3-7/12	53	37	5	5	-

	"Making the right decisions on women's issues"
	10/19-23/12 LV	53	40	3	3	1

"And regardless of whom you may support, which of the following candidates do you think [see below]: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Neither (vol.)	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Better understands the problems of people like you"
	10/19-23/12 LV	48	44	7	2	-
	9/13-17/12 LV	52	41	6	1	1
	8/16-20/12	53	35	9	3	-
	5/3-7/12	51	33	11	5	-

	"Has a clear vision for the future"
	10/19-23/12 LV	46	46	5	3	1

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 22, 2012. N=448 adults nationwide who watched the Oct. 22 presidential debate. Margin of error ą 4.5. Per CNN: Interviews with 448 adult Americans who watched the presidential debate conducted by telephone by ORC International on October 22, 2012. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Survey respondents were first interviewed as part of a random national sample on October 19-21, 2012. In those interviews, respondents indicated they planned to watch tonight's debate and were willing to be re-interviewed after the debate. The sample includes 356 interviews among landline respondents and 92 interviews among cell phone respondents. 30% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 34% identified themselves as Democrats, and 33% identified themselves as Independents. [Oct. 16 trend based on Oct. 16 presidential debate watchers. Oct. 3 trend based on Oct. 3 presidential debate watchers.]

"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?"

		Debate Watchers

		Obama	Romney	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)
		%	%	%	%
	10/22/12	48	40	2	8
	10/16/12	46	39	3	12
	10/3/12	25	67	3	5

"Did Barack Obama do a better or worse job than you expected?"

		Debate Watchers

		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22/12	59	15	23	3
	10/16/12	73	10	16	1
	10/3/12	21	61	16	2

"Did Mitt Romney do a better or worse job than you expected?"

		Debate Watchers

		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22/12	44	26	26	3
	10/16/12	37	28	33	2
	10/3/12	82	10	7	1

"Overall, did tonight's debate make you more likely to vote for Barack Obama or more likely to vote for Mitt Romney, or did tonight's debate not affect how you are likely to vote?"

		Debate Watchers

		More likely to vote for Obama	More likely to vote for Romney	No effect on vote	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/22/12	24	25	50	1
	10/16/12	25	25	48	1
	10/3/12	18	35	47	-

CBS News Poll. Oct. 17-20, 2012. N=790 likely voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4. RV = registered voters

"Regardless of how you intend to vote, which candidate do you think would do a better job handling the federal budget deficit: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	42	48	0	5	5
	9/8-12/12	43	51	0	2	4
	7/11-16/12 RV	36	50	1	5	8

"Which candidate would do a better job handling the economy and unemployment?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	45	48	0	3	4
	9/8-12/12	47	46	0	2	4
	8/22-26/12 RV	38	52	0	4	6
	7/11-16/12 RV	41	49	1	3	6

"Which candidate would do a better job handling foreign policy?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	50	41	0	2	7
	9/8-12/12	49	39	1	2	9
	7/11-16/12 RV	47	40	2	3	8

"Which candidate would do a better job handling terrorism and national security?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	49	42	1	2	5

"Which candidate would do a better job handling U.S. policy towards China?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	44	44	1	2	9

"Which candidate would do a better job handling U.S. policy towards Iran?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	46	43	1	2	7

"Which candidate would do a better job handling U.S. policy towards Israel?"

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	42	46	1	3	9

"Do you think Barack Obama does or does not understand the needs and problems of people like yourself?" 8/12: "Do you think Barack Obama understands the needs and problems of people like yourself?"

		Does	Does not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	59	38	3
	9/8-12/12	60	37	3
	8/22-26/12 RV	54	42	4
	3/7-11/12 RV	55	42	3
	2/8-13/12 RV	54	42	4
	10/10 RV	51	45	4

"How much confidence do you have in Barack Obama's ability to handle an international crisis: a lot, some, a little, or none at all?"

		A lot	Some	A little	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	38	24	15	22	1
	9/8-12/12	39	26	13	21	1

"Do you think Barack Obama has offered specific ideas to solve the important problems facing the country today?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	52	44	4

"Do you think Mitt Romney does or does not understand the needs and problems of people like yourself?" 8/12: "Do you think Mitt Romney understands the needs and problems of people like yourself?"

		Does	Does not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	48	48	4
	9/8-12/12	46	48	6
	8/22-26/12 RV	41	50	8
	3/7-11/12 RV	31	59	10
	2/8-13/12 RV	31	58	11

"How much confidence do you have in Mitt Romney's ability to handle an international crisis: a lot, some, a little, or none at all?"

		A lot	Some	A little	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	30	28	16	25	2
	9/8-12/12	26	32	15	22	4

"Do you think Mitt Romney has offered specific ideas to solve the important problems facing the country today?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	45	50	6

"Who do you think will win the next presidential debate: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?"

		Obama	Romney	Tie (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/12	42	34	6	18

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Oct. 17-20, 2012. N=1,000 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Now I'd like you to compare Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on a few qualities that people might look for in a president. For each one, please tell me whether you think that Barack Obama would be better or Mitt Romney would be better on that item. If you think that both would be equally good or that neither would be good on a particular item, just say so. Who do you think would be better when it comes to [see below]: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, or do you think that both would be equally good or neither would be good?" Some items asked of half the sample.

		Obama better	Romney better	Equally good	Neither	Depends (vol.)/Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Being easygoing and likable"
	10/17-20/12	57	25	13	4	1
	8/16-20/12	58	23	15	4	-
	4/13-17/12 Adults	54	18	19	7	2

	"Being compassionate enough to understand average people"
	10/17-20/12	53	29	12	6	-
	4/13-17/12 Adults	52	23	9	15	1

	"Being knowledgeable and experienced enough to handle the presidency"
	10/17-20/12	49	36	10	4	1
	8/16-20/12	46	35	11	7	1
	7/18-22/12	48	32	13	7	-
	4/13-17/12 Adults	45	30	15	8	2

"I'd like you to compare Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on a few issues. For each one, please tell me whether you think that Barack Obama or Mitt Romney would be better on that issue. If you think that both would be equally good or that neither would be good on a particular issue, just say so. Who do you think would be better when it comes to [see below]: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, or do you think that both would be equally good or neither would be good?" Some items asked of half the sample.

		Obama better	Romney better	Equally good	Neither	Depends (vol.)/Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Same-sex marriage"
	10/17-20/12	54	26	5	10	5

	"Dealing with the issue of abortion"
	10/17-20/12	51	30	5	9	5

	"Dealing with Medicare"
	10/17-20/12	46	37	4	10	3
	9/26-30/12	48	36	4	8	4
	9/12-16/12	47	37	3	10	3
	7/18-22/12	42	34	5	16	3

	"Handling foreign policy"
	10/17-20/12	46	38	6	7	3
	9/26-30/12	46	40	6	6	2
	7/18-22/12	47	32	10	10	1

	"Handling the situation in Afghanistan"
	10/17-20/12	46	34	9	10	1
	7/18-22/12	43	27	8	17	5

	"Dealing with taxes"
	10/17-20/12	44	43	4	8	1
	9/26-30/12	46	41	4	7	2
	9/12-16/12	45	39	4	10	2
	7/18-22/12	40	38	6	14	2

	"Appointments to the Supreme Court"
	10/17-20/12	42	36	12	5	5

	"Dealing with the economy"
	10/17-20/12	40	46	6	6	2
	9/26-30/12	42	45	5	6	1
	9/12-16/12	43	43	5	7	2
	7/18-22/12	37	43	8	12	-

	"Jobs and unemployment"
	10/17-20/12	39	46	8	6	1

	"The federal budget deficit"
	10/17-20/12	35	48	5	11	1
	9/26-30/12	34	43	5	14	4

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 16, 2012. N=457 adults nationwide who watched the Oct. 16 presidential debate. Margin of error ą 4.5. Per CNN: Interviews with 457 adult Americans who watched the presidential debate conducted by telephone by ORC International on October 16, 2012. The margin of sampling error for results based on the total sample is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Survey respondents were first interviewed as part of a random national sample on October 14-15, 2012. In those interviews, respondents indicated they planned to watch tonight's debate and were willing to be re-interviewed after the debate. The sample includes 359 interviews among landline respondents and 98 interviews among cell phone respondents. 33% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 33% identified themselves as Democrats, and 33% identified themselves as independents. [Oct. 3 trend based on Oct. 3 presidential debate watchers.]

"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?"

		Debate Watchers

		Obama	Romney	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)
		%	%	%	%
	10/16/12	46	39	3	12
	10/3/12	25	67	3	5

"Did Barack Obama do a better or worse job than you expected?"

		Debate Watchers

		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/16/12	73	10	16	1
	10/3/12	21	61	16	2

"Did Mitt Romney do a better or worse job than you expected?"

		Debate Watchers

		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/16/12	37	28	33	2
	10/3/12	82	10	7	1

"Overall, did tonight's debate make you more likely to vote for Barack Obama or more likely to vote for Mitt Romney, or did tonight's debate not affect how you are likely to vote?"

		Debate Watchers

		More likely to vote for Obama	More likely to vote for Romney	No effect on vote	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/16/12	25	25	48	1
	10/3/12	18	35	47	-

Pew Research Center omnibus poll. Oct. 12-14, 2012. N=857 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

If DID watch debate: "Regardless of who you support, which vice-presidential candidate do you think did the better job in the debate: Joe Biden or Paul Ryan?" Options rotated If did NOT watch debate: "From what you've heard or read, which vice-presidential candidate do you think did the better job in the debate: Joe Biden or Paul Ryan?" Options rotated

		Biden	Ryan	Neither/ Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/12-14/12	41	38	5	16

"The next PRESIDENTIAL debate is on Tuesday night. How likely is it that you will watch the upcoming debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama this coming Tuesday: very likely, somewhat likely or not likely?"

		Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not likely
		%	%	%
	10/12-14/12	68	15	16

"Regardless of which candidate you support, who do you think will do the better job in the presidential debate: Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?" Options rotated

		Romney	Obama	Will do equally well (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/12-14/12	37	41	1	3	18

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 10-13, 2012. N=1,063 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5. RV = registered voters. Among adults, except where noted.

"Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job [see below]: Obama or Romney?" Candidate names rotated. Some items asked of half the sample.

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Handling taxes"
	10/10-13/12 RV	49	44	-	5	3
	9/26-29/12 RV	49	44	-	4	2
	9/7-9/12 RV	50	43	1	2	4
	8/22-25/12 RV	43	48	-	5	3
	7/5-8/12	46	45	-	5	4
	4/5-8/12	45	42	-	7	5
	2/1-4/12 RV	49	45	-	2	4

	"Dealing with the federal budget deficit" 2/12 & 4/12: "Handling the federal budget deficit"
	10/10-13/12 RV	44	47	-	4	5
	9/26-29/12 RV	45	48	-	5	3
	9/7-9/12 RV	44	47	0	7	3
	8/22-25/12 RV	38	51	0	7	3
	7/5-8/12	42	52	1	3	2
	4/5-8/12	38	51	-	5	6
	2/1-4/12 RV	39	52	-	4	4

	"Handling health care policy" 4/12: "Dealing with health care policy."
	10/10-13/12 RV	49	43	1	4	3
	9/26-29/12 RV	48	44	-	6	2
	9/7-9/12 RV	47	44	1	4	4
	8/22-25/12 RV	47	45	-	6	2
	7/5-8/12	46	45	1	5	3
	4/5-8/12	48	38	-	7	6

	"Handling international affairs"
	10/10-13/12 RV	50	40	1	5	3
	9/26-29/12 RV	49	44	-	2	4
	9/7-9/12 RV	51	38	-	2	9
	8/22-25/12 RV	46	41	1	6	5
	4/5-8/12	53	36	-	7	4
	2/1-4/12 RV	55	38	1	3	4

	"Handling Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors"
	10/10-13/12 RV	53	38	1	5	3
	9/26-29/12 RV	47	43	-	6	3
	9/7-9/12 RV	48	43	-	4	5
	8/22-25/12 RV	42	45	1	7	5

	"Handling an unexpected major crisis"
	10/10-13/12 RV	52	40	2	3	3
	9/26-29/12 RV	52	42	1	2	3

"Regardless of who you may support, who do you think [see below]: Obama or Romney?" Candidate names rotated. Some items asked of half the sample.

		Obama	Romney	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Seems like the more friendly and likable person"
	10/10-13/12 RV	60	30	6	3	2
	9/26-29/12 RV	62	29	5	3	2
	9/7-9/12 RV	61	27	5	3	3
	8/22-25/12 RV	61	27	6	4	2
	7/5-8/12	63	27	5	2	4
	4/5-8/12	64	26	3	2	4

	"Has better ideas about the right size and role of the federal government"
	10/10-13/12 RV	44	46	1	5	5

	"Is the stronger leader"
	10/10-13/12 RV	49	45	1	2	3
	9/7-9/12 RV	50	42	2	2	5
	7/5-8/12	47	42	3	2	6
	4/5-8/12	46	40	1	6	7

"Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Obama, or not. He is honest and trustworthy."

		Applies	Does not apply	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	56	40	4

"Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Romney, or not. He is honest and trustworthy?"

		Applies	Does not apply	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	45	47	8

"Do you think Obama does more to favor the middle class or more to favor the wealthy?" Options rotated

		Favors middle class	Favors wealthy	Treats equally (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	68	17	4	11
	9/26-29/12 RV	66	17	5	12
	8/22-25/12 RV	62	23	6	9

"As president do you think Romney would do more to favor the middle class or more to favor the wealthy?" Options rotated

		Favor middle class	Favor wealthy	Treat equally (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	31	58	5	6
	9/26-29/12 RV	35	57	3	4
	8/22-25/12 RV	32	58	5	5

"So far during this campaign, do you think Obama has been mainly attacking his opponent or mainly addressing the issues?" Options rotated

		Attacking opponent	Addressing issues	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	49	44	7

"So far during this campaign, do you think Romney has been mainly attacking his opponent or mainly addressing the issues?" Options rotated

		Attacking opponent	Addressing issues	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	53	41	6

"I have a question about the first presidential debate between Obama and Romney. From what you've seen, heard or read about it, who, in your opinion, won the debate?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Neither/ Tie (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	18	69	7	6

"Just your best guess, who do you think will win the presidential election this year: Obama or Romney?" Options rotated

		Obama	Romney	Other (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/10-13/12 RV	57	33	-	10
	9/26-29/12 RV	63	31	-	6
	8/22-25/12 RV	56	37	-	8
	7/5-8/12	58	34	1	8

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 11, 2012. N=381 registered voters nationwide who watched the Oct. 11 vice-presidential debate. Margin of error ą 5. Per CNN: Survey respondents were first interviewed as part of a random national sample on Oct. 8-10, 2012. In those interviews, respondents indicated they planned to watch tonight's debate and were willing to be re-interviewed after the debate. ... 33% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 31% identified themselves as Democrats, and 34% identified themselves as independents.

"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate: Joe Biden or Paul Ryan?"

		Debate Watchers

		Biden	Ryan	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/11/12	44	48	2	6	1

"Based on what you know about Joe Biden, do you think he is qualified to serve as president if it becomes necessary, or not?"

		Debate Watchers

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/11/12	57	42	1

"Based on what you know about Paul Ryan, do you think he is qualified to serve as president if it becomes necessary, or not?"

		Debate Watchers

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/11/12	60	38	2

"Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think each one better described Joe Biden or Paul Ryan during tonight's debate. . . ."

		Debate Watchers

		Biden	Ryan	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Expressed his views more clearly"
	10/11/12	41	50	8	1	-

	"Spent more time attacking his opponent"
	10/11/12	70	19	8	2	1

	"Was more likeable"
	10/11/12	43	53	3	1	-

	"Was more in touch with the needs and problems of people like you"
	10/11/12	44	51	2	2	1

	"Did the better job defending his running mate"
	10/11/12	43	49	6	-	1

Pew Research Center omnibus poll. Oct. 4-7, 2012. N=812 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.1.

"Regardless of which presidential candidate you support, who do you think will do the better job in the vice presidential debate: Paul Ryan or Joe Biden?" Options rotated

		Ryan	Biden	Neither/ Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/4-7/12	40	34	3	23

Pew Research Center. Oct. 4-7, 2012. N=1,201 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.3.

"Thinking about a few specific foreign policy issues, do you think Mitt Romney or Barack Obama would do the better job dealing with the issue of [see below]?"

		Romney	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"Iran's nuclear program"
	10/4-7/12	44	45	3	8

	"Political instability in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt and Libya"
	10/4-7/12	42	47	4	8

	"China's trade policies"
	10/4-7/12	49	40	3	8

Gallup Poll. Oct. 4-5, 2012. N=749 adults nationwide who said they had watched or listened to the Oct. 3 presidential debate. Margin of error ą 4. Interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking.

"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the better job in last/Wednesday night's debate: Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?" Options rotated

		Romney	Obama	Neither/ Both (vol.)/ Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	72	20	9
	Republicans	97	2	1
	Independents	70	19	11
	Democrats	49	39	12

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 3, 2012. N=430 adults nationwide who watched the Oct. 3 presidential debate. Margin of error ą 4.5. Per CNN: Survey respondents were first interviewed as part of a random national sample on September 28-October 2, 2012. In those interviews, respondents indicated they planned to watch tonight's debate and were willing to be re-interviewed after the debate. The sample includes 362 interviews among landline respondents and 68 interviews among cell phone respondents. Some questions were asked of each respondent both in the pre-debate questionnaire on September 28-October 2 and on tonight's questionnaire. Where applicable, results for tonight's respondents from both the pre-debate survey and the post-debate survey are reported. 33% of the respondents who participated in tonight's survey identified themselves as Republicans, 37% identified themselves as Democrats, and 29% identified themselves as Independents.

"Regardless of which candidate you happen to support, who do you think did the best job in the debate: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?"

		Debate Watchers

		Obama	Romney	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)
		%	%	%	%
	10/3/12	25	67	3	5

"Did Barack Obama do a better or worse job than you expected?"

		Debate Watchers

		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/3/12	21	61	16	2

"Did Mitt Romney do a better or worse job than you expected?"

		Debate Watchers

		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/3/12	82	10	7	1

"Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Barack Obama?"

		Debate Watchers

		Favorable	Unfavorable	No opinion
		%	%	%
	10/3/12	49	49	2
	9/28 - 10/2/12	49	50	1

"Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Mitt Romney?"

		Debate Watchers

		Favorable	Unfavorable	No opinion
		%	%	%
	10/3/12	56	42	2
	9/28 - 10/2/12	54	42	3

"Overall, did tonight's debate make you more likely to vote for Barack Obama or more likely to vote for Mitt Romney, or did tonight's debate not affect how you are likely to vote?"

		Debate Watchers

		Obama	Romney	No effect on vote
		%	%	%
	10/3/12	18	35	47

Campaign 2012 continued

HOME | TABLE OF CONTENTS | SEARCH THE SITECopyright Š 2015 POLLING REPORT, INC., and polling/sponsoring organizations