April 21, 2010 - Obama's Bounce Goes Flat, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; But Voters Confident He Will Pick Good Judge Word format President Barack Obama's job approval, which bounced slightly to a 45 - 46 percent split March 25 in the wake of his health care victory, has flattened out at 44 - 46 percent, his lowest approval rating since his inauguration, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. A total of 53 percent of American voters are "very confident" or "somewhat confident" President Obama will make the right decision in nominating a U.S. Supreme Court justice, while 46 percent are "not too confident" or "not confident at all," the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN- uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. Voters trust the President rather than Senate Republicans 46 - 43 percent to make the right choice for the Supreme Court, but say 48 - 41 percent that Senators who do not agree with the nominee on key issues should filibuster the choice. American voters approve 49 - 21 percent of the job John Roberts is doing as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and approve 52 - 32 percent of Obama's nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Court. The court is too liberal, 29 percent say, while 19 percent say it is too conservative and 40 percent say it is about right. Saying "about right" are 36 percent of self-described liberals, 44 percent of moderates, 38 percent of conservatives and 30 percent of those who consider themselves part of the Tea Party. Voters say 78 - 16 percent that Supreme Court justices allow political views to enter into their decisions. "President Barack Obama's approval rating hovers at an all-time low. The White House had predicted passage of the health care overhaul would boost his fortunes, but that has not been the case, and that legislation itself remains decidedly unpopular," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "At this point Americans are slightly more confident than not that President Obama will make a good choice for the Supreme Court, but they split with 42 percent saying the nominee will be too liberal and 42 percent saying the nominee will be about right," Brown added. "Perhaps most interesting is that almost five times as many voters think the justices allow their political views to play in their rulings rather than deciding cases solely on the law, perhaps a result of the all-out war that has been the case for most Supreme Court confirmations in the past two decades," said Brown. "And 43 percent say Senators should consider a nominee's political views while 47 percent say consider only qualifications when voting on confirmation." Voters disapprove 79 - 14 percent of the Supreme Court's January ruling removing limits on the amount corporations and unions could spend attacking or boosting political candidates, with consistently strong opposition across the political spectrum. Tea Party members disapprove 85 - 10 percent of Obama, while liberals approve 77 - 15 percent, as do moderates, 54 - 34 percent. Conservatives disapprove 76 - 18 percent. Men disapprove 50 - 41 percent while women approve 47 - 43 percent. White voters disapprove 55 - 35 percent while black voters approve 92 - 6 percent. Obama's ratings are far superior to Congress, which gets a 71 - 20 percent disapproval. The Supreme Court does better than Obama or Congress, with a 49 - 33 percent approval rating, but this is down from a 62 - 22 percent approval rating June 4, 2009. Voters disapprove 55 - 40 percent of the way Obama is handling the economy and disapprove 55 - 40 percent of the way he is handling health care. By a narrow 42 - 39 percent margin voters trust Obama, rather than congressional Republicans to handle health care. But they disapprove 53 - 39 percent of the federal health care overhaul that he recently signed into law. "The racial split in attitudes toward the President has widened with only slightly more than one in three whites, but virtually all blacks, giving him a thumbs up for his job performance," said Brown. From April 14 - 19, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,930 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 44% 11% 82% 38% 77% 54% 18% 10% Disapprove 46 83 10 50 15 34 76 85 DK/NA 10 7 8 12 8 12 7 6 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 41% 47% 20% 27% 35% 59% 35% 92% Disapprove 50 43 72 65 54 35 55 6 DK/NA 9 10 9 9 11 6 10 2 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 42% 50% 53% 42% 40% 48% 43% 43% Disapprove 47 43 37 49 49 41 48 51 DK/NA 11 7 10 9 11 11 9 6 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (*High also 59% Mar 2009) PostVt PreVt APPROVE....... Poll Poll High Low Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Jun 4 Apr 21 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009* 2010 Approve 44 45 46 45 45 59 44 Disapprove 46 46 49 46 45 31 46 DK/NA 10 9 6 9 10 10 10 INDEPENDENTS......................................... PostVt PreVt APPROVE...... Poll Poll High Low Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Jun 4 Dec 9 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 Approve 38 40 40 40 42 57 37 Disapprove 50 44 53 49 48 30 51 DK/NA 12 15 7 10 10 13 11 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 20% 7% 39% 16% 34% 25% 9% 6% Disapprove 71 87 48 77 52 66 87 92 DK/NA 9 6 13 7 15 9 5 2 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 18% 21% 9% 11% 15% 27% 15% 49% Disapprove 75 67 83 81 79 68 76 44 DK/NA 6 12 8 8 6 6 9 7 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 19% 21% 32% 18% 13% 24% 19% 15% Disapprove 70 72 58 72 79 64 75 80 DK/NA 10 6 10 10 8 12 5 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job? APPROVE....... High Low Apr 21 May 14 Oct 31 Aug 16 Jun 13 Mar 6 May 14 2010 2008 2007 2007 2007 2003 2008 Approve 20 16 21 20 23 42 16 Disapprove 71 76 70 70 66 46 76 DK/NA 9 8 10 10 11 12 8 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the United States Supreme Court is handling its job? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 49% 44% 56% 49% 47% 53% 47% 46% Disapprove 33 36 27 34 37 27 37 37 DK/NA 18 20 17 17 17 19 16 17 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 47% 50% 42% 43% 59% 45% 47% 55% Disapprove 34 32 38 39 26 39 35 29 DK/NA 19 18 20 18 15 16 19 16 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 47% 54% 53% 53% 41% 48% 48% 54% Disapprove 33 32 29 32 37 32 34 33 DK/NA 20 13 18 15 21 20 18 13 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the United States Supreme Court is handling its job? APPROVE........ High Low Apr 21 Jun 4 Jul 17 Aug 16 May 3 Jun 4 Jul 17 2010 2009 2008 2007 2007 2009 2008 Approve 49 62 39 45 58 62 39 Disapprove 33 22 43 37 27 22 43 DK/NA 18 16 18 17 15 16 18 4. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Very satisfied 3% 2% 6% 2% 7% 3% 1% 1% Smwht satisfied 28 10 52 24 46 35 12 6 Smwht dissatisfied 29 29 25 30 26 34 25 18 Very dissatisfied 40 59 17 44 21 28 62 75 DK/NA - - 1 - 1 - - - WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Very satisfied 4% 3% 2% 2% 2% 1% 2% 9% Smwht satisfied 24 31 15 18 26 22 23 53 Smwht dissatisfied 30 28 26 28 29 48 31 20 Very dissatisfied 42 38 57 52 42 29 44 17 DK/NA - - - - - - - - NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Very satisfied 3% 3% 2% 4% 3% 3% 4% 2% Smwht satisfied 26 34 34 28 25 29 30 27 Smwht dissatisfied 28 30 38 26 25 27 30 33 Very dissatisfied 43 32 26 42 46 40 36 37 DK/NA - - - - - - - 1 TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT High Low Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 24 Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 11 Nov 13 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2001 2008 Very satisfied 3 4 3 2 2 21 2 Smwht satisfied 28 25 26 24 25 47 14 Smwht dissatisfied 29 28 29 33 31 19 38 Very dissatisfied 40 41 41 40 41 10 44 DK/NA - 2 1 1 1 3 2 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the economy? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 40% 10% 78% 35% 75% 49% 15% 5% Disapprove 55 87 19 60 23 46 81 94 DK/NA 5 3 4 6 2 5 4 - WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 41% 40% 20% 25% 35% 48% 33% 81% Disapprove 56 54 75 71 60 48 62 17 DK/NA 3 6 5 4 5 4 5 2 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 38% 46% 46% 40% 38% 44% 43% 38% Disapprove 57 50 48 57 57 51 52 60 DK/NA 5 4 6 4 5 5 5 2 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? APPROVE...... High Low Apr 21 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22 Mar 4 Mar 25 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010 Approve 40 39 41 41 44 57 39 Disapprove 55 57 54 54 51 33 57 DK/NA 5 5 5 6 5 10 5 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - healthcare? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 40% 8% 78% 36% 74% 50% 15% 6% Disapprove 55 89 18 59 21 46 81 93 DK/NA 5 3 4 6 5 5 4 1 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 39% 42% 17% 22% 29% 55% 30% 87% Disapprove 57 52 78 73 65 40 64 9 DK/NA 4 6 5 6 6 5 5 3 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 38% 47% 49% 38% 37% 44% 40% 37% Disapprove 57 50 50 56 56 49 55 62 DK/NA 6 4 2 5 7 6 4 1 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling healthcare? PostVt PreVt APPROVE....... Poll Poll High Low Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 July 2 Jan 13 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 Approve 40 44 36 35 35 46 35 Disapprove 55 50 58 58 58 42 58 DK/NA 5 6 6 6 6 13 6 8b. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - creating jobs? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 38% 11% 72% 32% 68% 44% 18% 10% Disapprove 56 85 23 62 26 49 79 90 DK/NA 6 4 5 6 6 7 3 - WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 38% 38% 23% 26% 28% 51% 30% 81% Disapprove 58 54 71 68 66 46 63 18 DK/NA 4 8 7 6 6 3 7 2 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 37% 40% 47% 36% 35% 41% 38% 36% Disapprove 57 53 48 59 57 52 56 60 DK/NA 6 6 5 6 8 7 6 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling creating jobs? Apr 21 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 Approve 38 37 37 34 37 Disapprove 56 57 56 59 56 DK/NA 6 6 7 7 8 10. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the budget deficit? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 34% 10% 67% 25% 61% 40% 13% 7% Disapprove 59 86 24 67 30 51 83 90 DK/NA 7 4 9 8 9 9 4 3 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 34% 33% 17% 20% 24% 38% 26% 76% Disapprove 61 57 76 73 69 54 68 17 DK/NA 5 10 7 7 7 8 6 7 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 32% 38% 38% 35% 31% 37% 37% 30% Disapprove 60 57 54 60 60 54 59 66 DK/NA 9 5 8 5 9 10 4 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the budget deficit? Apr 21 Feb 11 2010 2010 Approve 34 33 Disapprove 59 60 DK/NA 7 7 14. Is your opinion of the Republican Party favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Favorable 33% 72% 6% 29% 8% 28% 53% 60% Unfavorable 47 17 72 50 78 49 31 29 Hvn't hrd enough 15 10 19 16 9 18 14 8 REFUSED 4 2 3 5 5 5 3 3 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Favorable 34% 33% 48% 44% 40% 23% 38% 10% Unfavorable 50 45 36 40 44 69 46 59 Hvn't hrd enough 13 17 11 11 13 3 12 27 REFUSED 3 5 5 4 2 5 4 4 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Favorable 34% 31% 35% 33% 31% 30% 33% 40% Unfavorable 42 60 42 48 50 41 56 50 Hvn't hrd enough 19 7 20 14 13 24 6 7 REFUSED 5 3 2 5 6 4 5 3 TREND: Is your opinion of the Republican Party favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? (*Low also 25% Jul 2009) FAVORABLE.... High Low Apr 21 Mar 24 Nov 19 Oct 8 Jul 2 Nov 12 Oct 8 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009* Favorable 33 33 28 25 25 36 25 Unfavorable 47 42 53 53 52 52 53 Hvn't hrd enough 15 21 16 18 20 7 18 REFUSED 4 4 4 4 3 5 4 15. Is your opinion of the Democratic Party favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Favorable 32% 5% 74% 24% 67% 38% 11% 7% Unfavorable 52 84 11 58 23 44 76 87 Hvn't hrd enough 12 9 13 14 8 14 12 4 REFUSED 3 2 2 4 2 4 2 2 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Favorable 30% 35% 17% 20% 26% 55% 27% 63% Unfavorable 56 48 72 69 60 42 60 14 Hvn't hrd enough 12 13 9 8 10 1 10 21 REFUSED 2 4 3 3 3 2 3 2 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Favorable 29% 40% 32% 32% 34% 33% 36% 29% Unfavorable 53 50 46 53 54 45 54 61 Hvn't hrd enough 15 6 20 12 7 19 6 8 REFUSED 3 3 1 3 4 3 4 1 TREND: Is your opinion of the Democratic Party favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? FAVORABLE..... High Low Apr 21 Mar 24 Nov 19 Oct 8 Jul 2 Nov 12 Mar 24 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2008 2010 Favorable 32 33 39 38 42 55 33 Unfavorable 52 48 46 46 42 35 48 Hvn't hrd enough 12 17 13 13 13 6 17 REFUSED 3 2 2 3 3 4 2 16. Is your opinion of the Tea Party movement favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about it? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Favorable 32% 57% 5% 37% 9% 20% 60% 92% Unfavorable 31 10 57 28 58 39 10 1 Hvn't hrd enough 34 32 37 33 30 40 29 6 REFUSED 2 1 1 2 3 1 2 - WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Favorable 37% 28% 47% 45% 43% 23% 38% 7% Unfavorable 34 29 14 22 27 63 28 50 Hvn't hrd enough 28 40 36 32 29 14 32 42 REFUSED 2 2 2 2 2 - 2 - NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Favorable 33% 32% 22% 33% 39% 26% 35% 37% Unfavorable 26 43 30 32 32 26 36 42 Hvn't hrd enough 39 24 47 34 27 46 28 19 REFUSED 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 TREND: Is your opinion of the Tea Party movement favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about it? Apr 21 Mar 24 2010 2010 Favorable 32 28 Unfavorable 31 23 Hvn't hrd enough 34 49 REFUSED 2 1 17. Do you consider yourself part of the Tea Party movement or not? POL PHILOSOPHY... Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con Yes 15% 27% 3% 17% 4% 8% 30% No 79 67 91 79 90 86 67 DK/NA 6 6 6 4 5 6 4 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Yes 17% 14% 22% 22% 18% 10% 18% 6% No 81 78 74 73 74 84 77 89 DK/NA 2 9 4 5 8 6 6 5 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Yes 17% 11% 10% 15% 19% 13% 16% 16% No 76 86 83 80 74 79 81 82 DK/NA 7 3 6 5 7 8 3 2 TREND: Do you consider yourself part of the Tea Party movement or not? Apr 21 Mar 24 2010 2010 Yes 15 13 No 79 80 DK/NA 6 6 18. Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care - President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Pres Obama 42% 6% 83% 37% 76% 50% 16% 7% Reps in Cong 39 80 5 39 10 29 65 76 DK/NA 19 15 11 25 14 20 19 17 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Pres Obama 40% 43% 19% 24% 35% 61% 33% 88% Reps in Cong 43 36 58 55 50 28 47 4 DK/NA 17 21 23 20 15 11 20 7 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Pres Obama 39% 47% 48% 40% 40% 47% 40% 38% Reps in Cong 40 37 37 38 41 35 39 46 DK/NA 20 17 15 21 19 19 21 16 TREND: Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care - President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? (*Low also 42% Jan 2010 & Mar 2010)) PostVt PreVt BETTER PRES... Poll Poll High Low Apr 21 Mar 25 Mar 25 Feb 11 Jan 14 July 1 Apr 21 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 President Obama 42 45 42 44 42 53 42 Reps in Congress 39 35 42 38 41 33 39 DK/NA 19 20 16 17 18 14 19 19. Do you approve or disapprove of the federal health care overhaul? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 39% 9% 75% 36% 74% 46% 16% 8% Disapprove 53 86 17 56 18 43 79 90 DK/NA 8 5 9 8 8 11 4 2 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 37% 42% 18% 22% 31% 61% 31% 82% Disapprove 56 49 74 69 63 34 61 13 DK/NA 7 9 8 9 6 6 8 4 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 36% 47% 44% 40% 37% 43% 39% 38% Disapprove 54 48 48 55 52 47 54 59 DK/NA 9 5 8 5 12 10 6 3 20. If your member of Congress voted for the health care overhaul just passed by Congress, would that make you more likely to vote for him or her in November, less likely, or not make a difference? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 More likely 24% 6% 47% 20% 52% 25% 10% 6% Less likely 42 73 8 46 12 33 68 82 No difference 31 18 42 31 34 40 20 11 DK/NA 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 1 TREND: If your member of Congress voted for the health care overhaul just passed by Congress, would that make you more likely to vote for him or her in November, less likely, or not make a difference? Apr 21 Mar 25 2010 2010 More likely 24 25 Less likely 42 38 No difference 31 34 DK/NA 3 3 21. Attorneys general from several states have said they will sue to block the recently passed healthcare overhaul plan. Do you think filing a lawsuit to stop the plan from taking effect is a good idea or a bad idea? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Good idea 40% 67% 9% 46% 14% 29% 64% 80% Bad idea 53 24 85 47 81 63 29 17 DK/NA 8 9 6 7 4 8 7 3 TREND: Attorneys general from several states have said they will sue to block the recently passed healthcare overhaul plan. Do you think filing a lawsuit to stop the plan from taking effect is a good idea or a bad idea? Apr 21 Mar 25 2010 2010 Good idea 40 40 Bad idea 53 51 DK/NA 8 9 24. Do you think the United States Supreme Court is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Right direction 35% 28% 47% 32% 37% 40% 28% 27% Wrong direction 37 45 27 39 39 29 46 50 DK/NA 28 27 26 29 24 30 26 23 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Right direction 34% 35% 25% 28% 40% 20% 31% 53% Wrong direction 41 33 44 43 33 46 39 27 DK/NA 24 32 31 29 28 33 30 20 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Right direction 35% 33% 41% 36% 28% 36% 34% 36% Wrong direction 35 42 33 40 37 33 41 43 DK/NA 30 25 26 24 35 30 25 21 TREND: Do you think the United States Supreme Court is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction? Apr 21 Jul 17 Aug 16 2010 2008 2007 Right direction 35 33 39 Wrong direction 37 42 37 DK/NA 28 25 25 25. Do you think the Supreme Court is too liberal, too conservative, or about right? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Liberal 29% 53% 8% 30% 7% 23% 48% 60% Conservative 19 7 32 19 46 20 6 6 About right 40 31 46 41 36 44 38 30 DK/NA 12 9 14 11 11 12 9 4 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Liberal 29% 30% 46% 39% 32% 12% 34% 11% Conservative 20 18 8 12 13 45 17 29 About right 41 38 33 37 48 28 37 51 DK/NA 10 15 13 11 7 15 12 9 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Liberal 32% 22% 29% 26% 32% 26% 33% 28% Conservative 15 28 19 20 18 19 20 22 About right 39 42 39 44 36 41 35 44 DK/NA 14 8 13 10 14 14 11 6 TREND: Do you think the Supreme Court is too liberal, too conservative, or about right? Apr 21 Jul 17 Aug 16 Mar 5 2010 2008 2007 2003 Liberal 29 25 20 19 Conservative 19 31 29 26 About right 40 33 37 46 DK/NA 12 10 13 10 26. As you may know, Justice John Paul Stevens is retiring from the Supreme Court. How confident are you that President Obama will make the right decision about who should replace Justice Stevens on the Supreme Court - Very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Very confident 27% 5% 57% 21% 51% 32% 9% 7% Smwht confident 26 12 31 30 31 34 16 5 Not too confident 18 28 5 20 7 17 23 25 Not confident at all 28 52 4 28 8 15 51 63 DK/NA 2 4 2 1 3 1 2 - 27. Who do you trust more to make the right decisions about who should sit on the United States Supreme Court - President Obama or the Republicans in the United States Senate? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Pres Obama 46% 9% 86% 43% 81% 57% 18% 11% Reps in US Senate 43 85 8 42 15 34 69 79 DK/NA 11 6 6 15 4 9 13 10 28. Do you think President Obama's nominee to the US Supreme Court will be more liberal than you would like, not liberal enough, or about right? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 More liberal 42% 75% 10% 44% 5% 33% 72% 78% Not liberal enough 8 5 12 8 25 5 3 6 About right 42 14 72 40 63 55 20 11 DK/NA 8 6 6 8 6 7 5 5 29. Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 52% 25% 81% 52% 81% 63% 29% 27% Disapprove 32 56 9 33 10 21 55 63 DK/NA 16 19 10 15 10 16 16 10 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court? Apr 21 July 2 Jun 4 2010 2009 2009 Approve 52 54 55 Disapprove 32 26 25 DK/NA 16 20 20 30. Do you approve or disapprove of the way John Roberts is handling his job as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 49% 52% 47% 50% 38% 50% 56% 62% Disapprove 21 18 27 21 33 19 19 18 DK/NA 30 30 26 29 29 30 25 20 31. Which comes closer to your point of view: A) In making decisions, the Supreme Court should only consider the original intentions of the authors of the Constitution or B) In making decisions, the Supreme Court should consider changing times and current realities in applying the principles of the Constitution? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 A)Original intent 49% 70% 24% 52% 21% 40% 74% 78% B)Changing times 42 24 65 40 69 51 19 16 DK/NA 9 7 11 8 9 9 7 6 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk A)Original intent 53% 46% 70% 65% 47% 29% 53% 28% B)Changing times 38 45 21 27 45 63 38 62 DK/NA 9 9 8 8 7 8 9 10 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K A)Original intent 50% 46% 40% 48% 55% 48% 49% 45% B)Changing times 39 50 51 44 34 41 44 51 DK/NA 11 5 9 7 11 11 7 3 TREND: Which comes closer to your point of view?: A) In making decisions, the Supreme Court should only consider the original intentions of the authors of the Constitution or B) In making decisions, the Supreme Court should consider changing times and current realities in applying the principles of the Constitution? Apr 21 Jul 17 Aug 16 Jul 27 May 25 Mar 5 2010 2008 2007 2005 2005 2003 A)Original intention 49 40 43 44 42 39 B)Changing times 42 52 48 50 51 54 DK/NA 9 8 9 6 8 7 32. Do you think Supreme Court justices make their decisions solely based on the law, or do you think their political views enter into their decisions? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Based on law 16% 13% 21% 13% 17% 18% 13% 10% Political views 78 82 72 80 77 78 80 83 DK/NA 6 6 7 6 6 4 7 7 33. Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Legal all cases 18% 7% 27% 18% 32% 19% 8% 6% Legal most cases 33 26 38 34 45 38 22 31 Illegal most cases 27 39 15 28 13 25 38 37 Illegal all cases 16 23 13 15 8 12 25 22 DK/NA 6 5 7 5 2 6 7 4 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Legal all cases 16% 19% 5% 11% 12% 37% 17% 21% Legal most cases 33 33 19 26 39 46 33 32 Illegal most cases 31 23 42 37 28 9 29 20 Illegal all cases 15 18 27 19 15 1 15 22 DK/NA 6 6 6 7 6 8 6 6 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Legal all cases 16% 21% 24% 18% 13% 17% 18% 22% Legal most cases 30 41 29 37 31 29 39 38 Illegal most cases 28 24 24 30 27 28 26 26 Illegal all cases 19 9 19 12 19 21 12 10 DK/NA 7 4 4 4 10 6 5 4 TREND: Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases? (*Combined high also 57% Aug 2007, Dec 2005, Jul 2005, & Dec 2004 /**Combined low also 52% May 2009) COMBINED LEGAL ALL & MOST CASES High Low Apr 21 Jan 14 May 14 Jul 17 Aug 16 Jul 17 Jan 14 2010 2010 2009 2008 2007 2008* 2010** Legal all cases 18 18 15 19 21 19 18 Legal most cases 33 34 37 38 36 38 34 Illegal most cases 27 24 27 24 24 24 24 Illegal all cases 16 18 14 14 13 14 18 DK/NA 6 5 7 5 6 5 5 34. In general, do you agree or disagree with the 1973 Roe versus Wade Supreme Court decision that established a woman's right to an abortion? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Agree 60% 42% 75% 61% 84% 68% 39% 44% Disagree 35 52 22 34 13 26 57 49 DK/NA 5 5 3 5 2 6 3 7 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Agree 58% 61% 33% 49% 60% 86% 59% 72% Disagree 37 34 62 46 37 12 37 23 DK/NA 5 5 5 5 3 2 4 4 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Agree 56% 68% 60% 61% 58% 55% 64% 67% Disagree 38 29 36 35 35 38 33 30 DK/NA 6 3 4 4 6 6 3 3 TREND: In general, do you agree or disagree with the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that established a woman's right to an abortion? Apr 21 Jul 17 Aug 16 Dec 7 Jul 27 May 25 Mar 5 2010 2008 2007 2005 2005 2005 2003 Agree 60 63 62 63 65 63 62 Disagree 35 33 32 32 30 33 35 DK/NA 5 5 6 5 6 5 3 35. Should Senators support or oppose President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court based only on whether he or she is qualified to be a justice, or should they also consider his or her views on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Qualifications 47% 36% 56% 47% 55% 52% 37% 38% Consider views 43 53 33 45 35 40 53 54 DK/NA 10 11 11 8 10 8 10 8 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Qualifications 48% 45% 36% 39% 49% 63% 47% 43% Consider views 41 45 57 52 44 27 44 43 DK/NA 11 9 7 9 6 11 9 14 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Qualifications 42% 59% 45% 47% 47% 42% 52% 52% Consider views 46 36 46 44 41 46 39 43 DK/NA 12 5 9 9 12 12 9 5 36. If Senators did not agree with President Obama's Supreme Court nominee on controversial issues like abortion and gay marriage, do you think they would be justified, or not justified in using the filibuster to prevent the nomination from coming to a vote? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Justified 48% 66% 30% 50% 29% 44% 65% 76% Not Justified 41 23 60 39 63 46 25 19 DK/NA 11 11 10 10 8 10 11 5 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Justified 52% 45% 63% 62% 51% 25% 51% 41% Not Justified 39 42 24 29 39 64 38 47 DK/NA 9 13 13 9 10 11 11 12 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Justified 50% 43% 46% 49% 49% 47% 49% 47% Not Justified 37 51 41 42 39 40 41 49 DK/NA 14 6 13 9 12 13 9 4 37. Do you approve or disapprove of the recent Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations and unions to spend without limit in attacking or boosting candidates for federal office? POL PHILOSOPHY... PartOfTea Tot Rep Dem Ind Lib Mod Con PartyQ17 Approve 14% 15% 10% 15% 6% 10% 23% 22% Disapprove 79 78 82 79 90 85 69 73 DK/NA 7 7 8 5 5 5 8 5 WHITE............. BrnAgn Men Wom Evngl Prot Cath Jew Wht Blk Approve 18% 10% 13% 13% 16% 11% 12% 16% Disapprove 77 82 78 81 79 84 81 72 DK/NA 5 9 8 5 5 5 6 12 NoColl Coll AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. Degree Degree 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Approve 12% 18% 14% 16% 10% 12% 14% 18% Disapprove 79 79 79 77 82 80 81 79 DK/NA 9 4 7 6 8 8 5 3
