July 23, 2009 - Dodd In Slump In Connecticut Reelection Bid, Quinnipiac University Connecticut Poll Finds; Obama Approval Down 8 Points Word format Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd trails former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a likely Republican challenger 48 - 39 percent in the 2010 Senate race, but he is inching up in his job approval to a negative 42 - 52 percent approval rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. The matchup compares to a 45 - 39 percent Simmons lead in a May 27 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. In this latest survey, Simmons leads 87 - 7 percent among Republicans and 56 - 27 percent among independent voters, while Sen. Dodd takes Democrats 74 - 16 percent. The incumbent has gained among Democrats, but lost independent support since May 27. Dodd's negative 42 - 52 percent approval compares to 38 - 53 percent May 27 and this was up from a negative 33 - 58 percent April 2. Simmons dominates a Republican primary matchup with 42 percent, while no other Republican tops 5 percent, with 45 percent undecided. Dodd leads businessman Merrick Alpert 52 - 18 percent in a Democratic primary. "Sen. Christopher Dodd is rebuilding his approval rating, but he is still in negative territory. He has moved the needle from 25 points down April 2 to 10 points down today. He still is losing to Rob Simmons," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD. "Sen. Dodd's numbers among Democrats are back to where they used to be with over 70 percent of Democrats approving of his job performance and backing his reelection bid. Perhaps Dodd's visibility in helping with President Barack Obama's agenda has brought some wavering Democrats home. But he still is struggling with Independents, who will be harder to win back than his own partisans." Looking at Dodd's characteristics, Connecticut voters say: 55 - 35 percent that he is not honest and trustworthy; 62 - 32 percent that he has strong leadership qualities; 49 - 45 percent that he does not share their views on issues important to them. "Dodd's most glaring weakness continues to be that a majority of voters say he is not honest and trustworthy. This is not something that will be easy for Dodd to reverse. Another problem for Dodd is that the bad economy has put voters in a grumpy mood. Consequently, voters have little patience for politician's missteps," Schwartz said. Obama Approval Connecticut voters approve 63 - 32 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, down from 71 - 22 percent in April 2 and May 27 Quinnipiac University polls. Obama gets a 93 - 6 percent approval from Democrats and a 61 - 31 percent thumbs up from independent voters. Republicans disapprove 75 - 19 percent, compared to 57 - 33 percent May 27. Voters approve 57 - 38 percent of the way Obama is handling the economy and 54 percent say his policies will help the economy in the future. Obama's financial policies will help them personally, 35 percent of voters say, while 30 percent say his policies will hurt them and 31 percent say they won't make a difference. Fully 56 percent of Connecticut voters say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago and only 27 percent expect things to get better in the next 12 months, with 16 percent who expect things to get worse and 54 percent who expect no change. The current economic situation is causing stress in their life, 57 percent say and 33 percent of that group say it's causing serious stress. "Can President Obama help Dodd? The President is popular in Connecticut, but his numbers are down here, as we have seen in recent Quinnipiac University polls in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio. Moreover, 71 percent say that the President actively campaigning for Dodd won't make a difference in their vote," Schwartz said. From July 16 - 20, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,499 Connecticut registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The survey includes 612 Democrats with a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points and 384 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data and RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, or call (203) 582-5201. 1. (If registered Democrat) If the 2010 Democratic primary for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Chris Dodd and Merrick Alpert, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED DEMS.. Tot Men Wom Dodd 52% 50% 53% Alpert 18 25 14 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 DK/NA 27 24 29 TREND: (If registered Democrat) If the 2010 Democratic primary for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Chris Dodd and Merrick Alpert, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED DEMS Jul 22 May 27 2009 2009 Dodd 52 44 Alpert 18 24 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 DK/NA 27 30 2. (If registered Republican) If the 2010 Republican primary for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Rob Simmons, Tom Foley, Peter Schiff, and Sam Caligiuri, for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPS.. Tot Men Wom Simmons 42% 52% 32% Foley 5 7 4 Schiff - - - Caligiuri 5 7 4 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 - 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 2 DK/NA 45 33 56 TREND: (If registered Republican) If the 2010 Republican primary for United States Senator were being held today and the candidates were Rob Simmons, Tom Foley, Sam Caligiuri, and Peter Schiff for whom would you vote? REGISTERED REPS Jul 23 May 27 2009 2009 Simmons 42 48 Foley 5 na Caligiuri 5 10 Schiff - na SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 DK/NA 45 39 3. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Chris Dodd the Democrat and Rob Simmons the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Dodd 39% 7% 74% 27% 33% 44% Simmons 48 87 16 56 56 42 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - - - 1 1 - WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 - 2 3 1 2 DK/NA 10 5 8 14 9 11 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT........... First Second Third Fourth Fifth Dodd 39% 37% 44% 39% 36% Simmons 50 50 39 48 54 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 0 0 - 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 3 3 1 1 DK/NA 10 9 14 12 8 TREND: If the two thousand ten election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were - Chris Dodd the Democrat, Rob Simmons the Republican, for whom would you vote? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 2009 2009 2009 2009 Dodd 39 39 34 42 Simmons 48 45 50 43 SMONE ELSE(VOL) - 2 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 2 1 DK/NA 10 13 12 12 4. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Chris Dodd the Democrat and Sam Caligiuri the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Dodd 42% 10% 74% 34% 38% 46% Caligiuri 40 81 12 43 46 36 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 2 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 - 1 2 1 2 DK/NA 15 7 12 21 15 15 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT........... First Second Third Fourth Fifth Dodd 42% 44% 45% 44% 38% Caligiuri 42 39 35 40 46 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 0 1 1 2 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 2 1 1 DK/NA 16 14 17 13 14 TREND: If the two thousand ten election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were - Chris Dodd the Democrat, Sam Caligiuri the Republican, for whom would you vote? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 2009 2009 2009 2009 Dodd 42 41 37 47 Caligiuri 40 39 41 34 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 3 2 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 2 2 DK/NA 15 17 17 16 5. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Chris Dodd the Democrat and Tom Foley the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Dodd 42% 9% 75% 32% 38% 45% Foley 42 82 11 46 49 37 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 1 2 1 2 DK/NA 14 7 11 19 12 15 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT........... First Second Third Fourth Fifth Dodd 41% 46% 42% 44% 37% Foley 44 40 36 44 47 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 1 3 1 1 DK/NA 14 13 18 10 13 TREND: If the two thousand ten election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Chris Dodd the Democrat and Tom Foley the Republican, for whom would you vote? Jul 23 Apr 2 2009 2009 Dodd 42 35 Foley 42 43 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 3 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 DK/NA 14 16 6. If the 2010 election for United States Senator were being held today, and the candidates were Chris Dodd the Democrat and Peter Schiff the Republican, for whom would you vote? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Dodd 43% 12% 77% 32% 39% 47% Schiff 38 76 11 41 44 33 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 1 1 1 1 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 2 1 1 3 2 2 DK/NA 16 9 12 23 15 17 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT........... First Second Third Fourth Fifth Dodd 44% 45% 46% 42% 39% Schiff 39 38 32 40 42 SMONE ELSE(VOL) 1 1 2 1 0 WLDN'T VOTE(VOL) 1 2 1 2 3 DK/NA 16 14 19 15 16 7. Is your opinion of - Chris Dodd favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 40% 13% 70% 31% 36% 44% Unfavorable 50 80 23 56 57 44 Hvn't hrd enough 7 5 5 8 5 9 REFUSED 3 2 2 4 2 3 TREND: Is your opinion of Chris Dodd favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 May 10 Feb 19 2009 2009 2009 2009 2007 2007 Favorable 40 37 30 46 45 49 Unfavorable 50 51 58 45 31 30 Hvn't hrd enough 7 9 8 7 22 18 REFUSED 3 3 3 3 2 3 8. Is your opinion of - Rob Simmons favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 39% 57% 24% 41% 46% 33% Unfavorable 12 2 21 9 12 11 Hvn't hrd enough 48 40 53 48 41 53 REFUSED 1 - 1 2 1 2 TREND: Is your opinion of - Rob Simmons favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jul 22 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 2009 2009 2009 2009 Favorable 39 34 39 36 Unfavorable 12 12 12 10 Hvn't hrd enough 48 53 47 53 REFUSED 1 1 2 1 9. Is your opinion of - Sam Caligiuri favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 12% 20% 6% 11% 15% 9% Unfavorable 4 1 5 4 4 4 Hvn't hrd enough 84 78 88 85 81 87 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of - Sam Caligiuri favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 2009 2009 2009 2009 Favorable 12 9 8 9 Unfavorable 4 3 3 3 Hvn't hrd enough 84 87 88 88 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 10. Is your opinion of - Merrick Alpert favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 3% 1% 4% 3% 4% 2% Unfavorable 1 - 2 1 2 1 Hvn't hrd enough 95 98 93 95 93 96 REFUSED 1 - 1 2 1 1 TREND:Is your opinion of - Merrick Alpert favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jul 23 May 27 2009 2009 Favorable 3 4 Unfavorable 1 2 Hvn't hrd enough 95 93 REFUSED 1 1 11. Is your opinion of - Tom Foley favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 17% 23% 11% 20% 23% 13% Unfavorable 5 2 7 3 4 5 Hvn't hrd enough 77 74 82 76 72 81 REFUSED 1 1 1 1 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of - Tom Foley favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Jul 23 Apr 02 2009 2009 Favorable 17 12 Unfavorable 5 6 Hvn't hrd enough 77 80 REFUSED 1 1 12. Is your opinion of - Peter Schiff favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Favorable 7% 10% 4% 8% 8% 7% Unfavorable 3 1 6 3 4 3 Hvn't hrd enough 89 89 89 89 87 90 REFUSED 1 - 1 1 1 - 18. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Lieberman is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 46% 62% 33% 49% 50% 42% Disapprove 46 29 62 42 44 48 DK/NA 8 9 5 10 6 10 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joseph Lieberman is handling his job as United States Senator? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 Feb 10 Sep 21 Dec 17 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2000 2008 Approve 46 46 46 46 45 80 38 Disapprove 46 44 47 46 48 14 54 DK/NA 8 10 7 8 7 6 8 19. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Chris Dodd is handling his job as United States Senator? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 42% 13% 72% 33% 37% 46% Disapprove 52 83 24 60 60 47 DK/NA 6 4 4 7 4 7 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Chris Dodd is handling his job as United States Senator? APPROVE....... High Low Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 Feb 10 Apr 19 Apr 02 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2001 2009 Approve 42 38 33 49 41 71 33 Disapprove 52 53 58 44 48 16 58 DK/NA 6 10 9 7 11 13 9 21. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 63% 19% 93% 61% 59% 66% Disapprove 32 75 6 31 37 29 DK/NA 5 6 1 8 5 5 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Mar 10 Feb 11 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 Approve 63 71 71 67 69 Disapprove 32 22 22 23 18 DK/NA 5 7 7 10 13 22. If President Obama actively campaigns for Chris Dodd in his Senate race, would that make you more likely to vote for Dodd, less likely to vote for Dodd, or wouldn't it make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom More likely 14% 2% 25% 11% 11% 16% Less likely 15 33 4 16 17 13 Wouldn't make diff 71 64 71 73 71 71 DK/NA - - - 1 - 1 34. Would you say that Chris Dodd is honest and trustworthy or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 35% 14% 58% 28% 34% 36% No 55 78 33 61 59 52 DK/NA 10 8 9 11 7 12 TREND: Would you say that Chris Dodd is honest and trustworthy or not? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 Feb 10 2009 2009 2009 2009 Yes 35 35 32 41 No 55 49 54 42 DK/NA 10 15 13 17 35. Would you say that Chris Dodd has strong leadership qualities or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 62% 42% 81% 58% 59% 65% No 32 55 15 35 37 29 DK/NA 5 3 4 7 4 6 TREND: Would you say that Chris Dodd has strong leadership qualities or not? Jul 23 May 27 Apr 02 2009 2009 2009 Yes 62 56 50 No 32 35 43 DK/NA 5 9 7 36. Would you say that Chris Dodd shares your views on issues that you care about or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 45% 9% 76% 38% 40% 49% No 49 88 20 51 54 44 DK/NA 7 3 4 11 6 7 TREND: Would you say that Chris Dodd shares your views on issues that you care about or not? Jul 23 May 27 2009 2009 Yes 45 37 No 49 48 DK/NA 7 15 37. Would you say that Joe Lieberman is honest and trustworthy or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 58% 82% 44% 60% 65% 53% No 35 13 51 33 31 39 DK/NA 6 5 5 7 4 8 TREND: Would you say that Joseph Lieberman is honest and trustworthy or not? Jul 23 Aug 17 Apr 6 2009 2006 2005 Yes 58 74 78 No 35 20 13 DK/NA 6 6 9 38. Would you say that Joe Lieberman has strong leadership qualities or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 58% 77% 49% 57% 62% 54% No 38 19 49 39 35 41 DK/NA 4 5 3 5 3 5 TREND: Would you say that Joseph Lieberman has strong leadership qualities or not? Jul 23 Aug 17 Apr 6 2009 2006 2005 Yes 58 76 70 No 38 20 26 DK/NA 4 5 4 39. Would you say that Joe Lieberman shares your views on issues that you care about or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 45% 60% 35% 44% 48% 42% No 47 31 59 44 44 49 DK/NA 9 8 6 11 8 9 TREND: Would you say that Joseph Lieberman shares your views on issues that you care about or not? Jul 23 Aug 17 Apr 6 2009 2006 2005 Yes 45 51 57 No 47 39 30 DK/NA 9 9 13 40. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Approve 57% 17% 86% 56% 54% 60% Disapprove 38 81 11 38 42 35 DK/NA 5 2 4 7 3 6 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? Jul 23 Mar 10 Feb 11 2009 2009 2009 Approve 57 62 63 Disapprove 38 27 21 DK/NA 5 11 16 41. Do you think President Obama's policies have helped the economy, hurt the economy, or haven't made a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Helped 36% 9% 58% 31% 35% 36% Hurt 22 53 4 20 26 20 No difference 38 36 33 45 37 39 DK/NA 4 2 4 5 2 6 42. Looking forward, do you think President Obama's policies will help the economy, will hurt the economy, or won't make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Will help 54% 15% 83% 53% 51% 57% Will hurt 29 66 6 27 35 24 No difference 12 13 9 15 11 13 DK/NA 5 7 2 6 3 6 43. Do you think President Obama's policies have helped your personal financial situation, hurt your personal financial situation, or haven't made a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Helped 14% 5% 25% 11% 14% 15% Hurt 18 40 6 18 20 17 No difference 66 54 67 70 66 66 DK/NA 2 1 2 2 1 2 44. Looking forward, do you think President Obama's policies will help your personal financial situation, will hurt your personal financial situation, or won't make a difference? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Will help 35% 10% 58% 31% 33% 37% Will hurt 30 65 7 29 35 25 No difference 31 22 31 36 29 33 DK/NA 4 3 4 4 3 4 50. Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent - - - - - - Good 4 2 5 5 4 4 Not so good 47 41 58 43 49 46 Poor 48 57 36 52 46 49 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor?(*Combined low also 2% on Dec 17 2008) EXCLNT+GOOD... High Low Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Mar 27 Sep 30 Apr 23 Feb 11* 2009 2009 2008 2008 2004 2001 2009 Excellent - - - - 1 4 - Good 4 2 2 11 36 57 2 Not so good 47 28 29 43 45 34 28 Poor 48 69 68 45 18 5 69 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 51. Would you describe the state of Connecticut's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent - - 1% - 1% - Good 13 16 12 12 14 12 Not so good 57 56 61 56 57 57 Poor 28 28 24 32 27 29 DK/NA 1 - 2 - 1 1 TREND: Would you describe the state of Connecticut's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? EXCLNT+GOOD... High Low Jul 23 Feb 10 Dec 17 Jul 1 Apr 7 Dec 20 Feb 10 2009 2009 2008 2008 2005 2001 2009 Excellent - - - 1 2 3 - Good 13 6 11 29 43 51 6 Not so good 57 53 62 48 41 38 53 Poor 28 39 26 22 12 7 39 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 52. During the next 12 months, do you think the economic conditions in Connecticut will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Get better 31% 23% 38% 32% 34% 29% Get worse 20 24 15 20 21 19 Stay the same 46 50 45 45 43 48 DK/NA 3 3 2 3 2 4 TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think the economic conditions in Connecticut will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? GET BETTER... High Low Jul 23 Jul 1 Apr 7 Nov 24 Nov 21 Nov 21 Jul 1 2009 2008 2005 2004 2003 2003 2008 Get better 31 12 22 31 38 38 12 Get worse 20 44 23 14 13 13 44 Stay the same 46 39 51 52 47 47 39 DK/NA 3 5 4 3 2 2 5 53. Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Excellent 4% 5% 5% 3% 6% 2% Good 52 56 49 52 54 50 Not so good 32 29 35 32 30 34 Poor 11 8 10 12 9 12 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 - 1 TREND: Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor? Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Dec 20 Apr 23 2009 2009 2008 2001 2001 Excellent 4 4 5 11 10 Good 52 44 48 65 63 Not so good 32 35 34 18 20 Poor 11 15 12 5 6 DK/NA 1 2 1 1 1 54. Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Better off 20% 20% 25% 16% 23% 18% Worse off 56 57 53 57 54 57 SAME(VOL) 23 23 21 26 22 24 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 - 1 TREND: Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago? BETTER OFF.... High Low Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Jul 1 Apr 7 Nov 24 Feb 11 2009 2009 2008 2008 2005 2004 2009 Better off 20 18 22 25 39 40 18 Worse off 56 60 58 60 35 32 60 Same 23 21 18 14 25 26 21 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 55. During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Get better 27% 20% 33% 27% 31% 25% Get worse 16 22 11 17 15 16 Stay the same 54 54 54 54 53 55 DK/NA 2 5 2 2 1 4 TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Jul 23 Feb 11 Dec 17 Dec 20 2009 2009 2008 2001 Get better 27 24 25 33 Get worse 16 20 18 7 Stay the same 54 51 53 58 DK/NA 2 5 4 2 56. Is the current economic situation a cause of stress in your life, or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes 57% 59% 58% 56% 54% 60% No 42 41 41 43 46 39 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 - 1 57. (If YES q56) Is it a cause of serious stress, or stress, but not serious? CAUSE OF STRESS Q56................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Serious stress 33% 36% 30% 33% 28% 37% Not serious 66 64 69 66 71 63 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 58. What is your biggest personal economic concern right now - food costs, healthcare costs, mortgage or rent payments, energy bills, credit card or loan payments, college tuition, retirement savings, or loss of a job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Loss of a job 18% 16% 20% 18% 20% 16% Retirement savings 18 24 14 18 19 17 Healthcare costs 16 16 16 16 16 15 Mortgage/rent 11 9 12 12 11 12 College tuition 11 11 13 9 9 12 Energy bills 8 8 9 7 9 8 Credit card/loan 6 4 8 7 5 7 Food costs 3 2 2 3 2 3 DK/NA 9 11 7 10 9 9 59. How concerned are you that you or someone in your family will lose their job in the next year or so - very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Very concerned 26% 24% 24% 28% 24% 27% Smwht concerned 28 22 31 29 26 29 Not too concerned 24 31 25 21 26 22 Not concerned at all 19 22 18 18 21 17 HAVE LOST JOB(VOL) 2 1 2 3 2 3 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 - 1 TREND: How concerned are you that you or someone in your family will lose their job in the next year or so - very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all? Jul 23 Dec 20 2009 2001 Very concerned 26 18 Smwht concerned 28 20 Not too concerned 24 28 Not concerned at all 19 34 HAVE LOST JOB(VOL) 2 - DK/NA 1 1 60. When it comes to your current finances, would you say that you have enough money to save a little, enough to just cover your bills, or not enough to make ends meet? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Save 43% 53% 37% 46% 49% 38% Cover bills 42 37 46 40 40 44 Not enough 13 10 16 12 9 16 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 1 2 TREND: When it comes to your current finances, would you say that you have enough money to save a little, enough to just cover your bills, or not enough to make ends meet? Jul 23 Aug 1 2009 2002 Save 43 54 Cover bills 42 35 Not enough 13 10 DK/NA 1 1 61. Are you currently employed full time, employed part time, retired, not working but looking for a job or not working and not looking for a job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Employed Full Time 46% 49% 44% 44% 55% 38% Employed Part time 15 12 15 19 11 18 Retired 23 27 19 24 21 24 Looking 10 7 13 8 10 10 Not looking 6 4 9 5 2 10 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 TREND: Are you currently employed, employed part time, retired, not working but looking for a job or not working and not looking for a job? Jul 23 Dec 17 2009 2008 Employed 46 54 Part time 15 10 Retired 23 23 Looking 10 5 Not looking 6 7 DK/NA 1 2 62. (If employed Full or Part time q61) During the past 12 months, would you say you have felt more secure and confident that you can continue in your job as long as you want, or less secure and confident, or has there been no change? EMPLOYED Q61.......................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom More secure 17% 19% 15% 18% 17% 18% Less secure 36 29 39 38 37 35 No change 46 52 45 44 45 46 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 63. (If employed Full or Part time q61) During the past 12 months, have you received a pay increase, a pay cut, or has your pay stayed the same? EMPLOYED Q61.......................... Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Pay increase 31% 36% 32% 29% 33% 30% Pay cut 17 16 18 18 16 18 Stayed the same 51 46 50 53 50 51 DK/NA 1 2 - 1 2 1
