Often times in the media you hear of presidential approval ratings, Congressional approval ratings, the state of the economy, or many other questions that are polled amongst the American people. Just about any media outlet, from Fox News to Newsweek conducts some kind of polling to gauge how people feel about a lot of stuff. Instead of just focusing on headline making poll results, I’m going to list a bunch of them and (when it exists), compare it to other things when appropriate.
How is Obama doing?: In February of 2009 62% approved of him but now it’s just 47%. That sounds terrible but it was lower in February of 2010 than it is today. Not surprisingly, his approval ratings and his ratings on how well he’s doing with the economy are about the same.
Most important issue today: From April of 2009 to June of 2011 the only issues that seemed to be the most important were economy and jobs. Things like Medicare and education are not on the radar.
Obama on terrorism: Killing Bin Laden did wonders for this stat, but more people disapprove today than they did when he took office.
Obama on Libya: Like any “war” or “conflict” the longer we’re involved the worse things get.
How Congress is doing: The only real takeaway from this number is that dating back to the 1970s, Congress has never had a good approval rating. It’s the nature of Congress so bad numbers don’t deter them. Notably, the highest approval rating was after 9/11, with a 67% approval rating. This is an outlier statistic.
Overall view of the economy: Our feeling of the economy today is not indicative of tomorrow. Peaks in economic optimism were before asset bubbles burst. In our forward view, the numbers seem to follow short term swings in the stock market.
Spending vs Jobs: The margin is small, but more people favor cutting spending and lowering debt over increasing spending for the sake of jobs.
The American Dream: Almost everyone still believes home ownership is an important part of the American Dream.
Dems vs GOP: The GOP is more hated, but both have a majority vote as unfavorable. This poll is not indicative of who wins elections. It rarely happens, but currently more people identify with independents than Democrats or Republicans. Tea Party support peaks whenever Republicans in Congress make a stand.
2012 Nominations: Romney and Bachman are equally favored among Republicans. But Romney actually has some love from non-GOPers. This isn’t surprising because he’s much more moderate and Bachman is swinging from right-field.
Housing Crisis: People blame lenders more than borrowers or regulators for the crisis. About three years ago much more blame was on regulators but now the banks are getting the blame. Few seem capable of blaming themselves. 93% of people think it’s important for the mortgage interest tax deduction to stay. 18% of people feel the housing market has prevented them from moving to take a new job.
Personal Finances: The number of people who feel their financial situation is getting worse has reduced significantly since 2009. The number thinking it’s getting better has doubled.
Demographics: 1% of people don’t know if they are of Hispanic origin or descent.
You can see the full results of what is an extensive poll (and history) here. Via Business Insider
Photo: Martin Bamford
 By The Weakonomist |
The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice. |
Be First To Comment!