October 6, 2011 - Obama And Economy Are In The Dumps, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; End Saturday Mail To Cut Costs, Voters Say 4-1 Word format American voters disapprove 55 - 41 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, an all- time low, and say 77 - 20 percent that the economy is in a recession, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Voters say 44 - 11 percent that the economy is getting worse, not better, while only 29 percent say the economy will improve if the president is re-elected. Voters also disapprove 48 - 34 percent of the way Obama is handling the Israeli- Palestinian dispute. The president should be a strong supporter of Israel, voters say 63 - 20 percent, but they split 39 - 40 percent on whether Obama is a strong supporter, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. The Israelis and the Palestinians are equally to blame for the failure to achieve Middle East peace, 64 percent of American voters say, while 22 percent blame the Palestinians and 6 percent blame the Israelis. "The trend isn't good for President Barack Obama. His disapproval has gone up 9 points since the summer, from 46 percent in July to 52 percent in September to 55 percent today," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Especially troubling for the president is that voters say 49 - 39 percent that Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney would do a better job on the economy. GOP contender Rick Perry would do only slightly better, voters say, and Republicans in Congress would not be much better. "The president is stuck at a politically unhealthy level for someone who wants to be re- elected. His standing with the American people is obviously closely related to their views of the economy." The president's job approval among Democrats, 77 - 18 percent, is lower than his disapproval among Republicans, 91 - 7 percent. Independent voters disapprove 56 - 38 percent. Men disapprove 60 - 36 percent and women disapprove 51 - 46 percent. Black voters approve 81 - 15 percent, but disapproval is 62 - 34 percent among white voters and 50 - 45 percent among Hispanic voters. Voters continue, however, to blame former President George W. Bush more than Obama for the economy, 51 - 32 percent, statistically unchanged from 53 - 32 percent in September. "The political challenge for the president will be whether he can make voters believe his eventual GOP opponent is a carbon copy of the former president," said Brown. "The fact that voters are unsure whether the economy will improve if he is re-elected is not a good sign for Obama." American sympathies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain strongly with the Jewish state, at 51 - 15 percent. Voters support the creation of a Palestinian state 44 - 35 percent, compared to 45 - 30 percent in June. "Americans remain in Israel's corner in the dispute with the Palestinians, but they think both sides have contributed to the problem," said Brown. U.S. Postal Service To help solve the Postal Service's financial problems, voters support 79 - 20 percent ending Saturday mail deliveries. Attitudes on other possible steps are: 53 - 45 percent in favor of closing local branches, including their own local branch; 57 - 38 percent opposed to providing additional federal funding; 60 - 38 percent support raising stamp prices. Voters say 60 - 32 percent that it is unfair to call Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," and by 50 - 32 percent they have a favorable opinion of the retirement system. Social Security should continue to be run by the federal government, not the states, voters say 63 - 26 percent. Voters support 56 - 35 percent raising the income cap for Social Security taxes from its current $106,800 level. From September 27 - October 3, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,118 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.1 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia 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. 13. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Approve 41% 7% 77% 38% 36% 46% 34% 81% 45% Disapprove 55 91 18 56 60 51 62 15 50 DK/NA 4 2 4 6 5 3 4 3 5 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Approve 26% 34% 20% 46% 39% 40% 40% 42% Disapprove 69 63 76 50 57 55 56 54 DK/NA 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Approve 49% 46% 35% 37% 34% Disapprove 46 50 61 60 60 DK/NA 5 4 4 3 5 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (*High also 59% Mar 2009) APPROVE....... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Jun 04 Oct 06 2011 2011 2011 2011 2009* 2011 Approve 41 42 47 47 59 41 Disapprove 55 52 46 46 31 55 DK/NA 4 6 7 7 10 4 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Approve 24% 3% 50% 19% 19% 28% 20% 50% 35% Disapprove 71 92 45 75 78 65 75 44 57 DK/NA 5 4 5 6 3 7 5 6 8 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Approve 14% 24% 13% 27% 22% 24% 25% 21% Disapprove 82 70 84 67 72 72 70 73 DK/NA 4 6 3 6 6 4 5 5 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Approve 35% 23% 18% 18% 20% Disapprove 59 72 77 79 74 DK/NA 6 5 4 4 6 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? (*Low also 24% Sep 2011) APPROVE....... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Mar 31 Mar 4 Oct 06 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2009 2011* Approve 24 24 28 28 31 45 24 Disapprove 71 70 64 64 58 45 71 DK/NA 5 6 8 8 11 10 5 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Approve 23% 47% 8% 19% 24% 22% 25% 8% 31% Disapprove 71 47 89 75 71 71 70 86 57 DK/NA 6 6 4 6 4 7 5 6 11 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Approve 27% 27% 34% 30% 23% 21% 24% 22% Disapprove 68 69 62 63 72 74 70 74 DK/NA 5 5 4 7 5 5 6 5 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Approve 22% 24% 21% 28% 25% Disapprove 71 70 75 69 70 DK/NA 7 6 4 3 5 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? (*High also 34% Mar 3, 2011 & Mar 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Mar 31 Mar 31 Sep 01 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011* 2011 Approve 23 22 26 30 34 34 22 Disapprove 71 71 65 61 55 55 71 DK/NA 6 7 9 9 11 11 7 17. 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? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Very satisfied 2% 2% 5% 1% 2% 3% 2% 6% 3% Smwht satisfied 16 4 32 14 16 15 12 32 36 Smwht dissatisfied 28 20 36 28 26 30 29 32 20 Very dissatisfied 53 75 27 56 55 51 57 26 41 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 - - 4 - WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Very satisfied 2% 1% 2% 1% 4% 2% 3% 1% Smwht satisfied 8 11 7 25 13 14 17 14 Smwht dissatisfied 25 34 24 27 30 28 27 31 Very dissatisfied 64 53 68 46 53 56 53 53 DK/NA - - - 1 - 1 1 1 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Very satisfied 4% 1% 2% 1% 1% Smwht satisfied 22 14 12 14 13 Smwht dissatisfied 27 30 33 26 27 Very dissatisfied 46 54 53 58 58 DK/NA 1 1 - - 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? BIN LADEN DTH VERY+SMWHT SAT Post Pre High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 May 05 May 05 Dec 11 Nov 13 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2001 2008 Very satisfied 2 2 3 6 3 21 2 Smwht satisfied 16 17 24 32 25 47 14 Smwht dissatisfied 28 29 32 29 26 19 38 Very dissatisfied 53 51 40 33 44 10 44 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 3 2 24. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Approve 32% 4% 66% 26% 27% 37% 25% 70% 40% Disapprove 64 93 29 69 69 59 70 25 57 DK/NA 4 2 5 5 4 5 5 5 3 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Approve 21% 24% 15% 32% 31% 33% 31% 35% Disapprove 76 71 83 63 65 62 66 59 DK/NA 3 5 3 5 3 5 4 6 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Approve 37% 38% 26% 30% 24% Disapprove 60 56 69 66 70 DK/NA 3 5 5 4 5 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? (* Low also 32% Sep 2011) APPROVE...... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Mar 04 Oct 06 2011 2011 2011 2011 2009 2011* Approve 32 32 38 36 57 32 Disapprove 64 62 56 58 33 64 DK/NA 4 6 5 6 10 4 25. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Approve 44% 13% 73% 44% 42% 46% 38% 80% 47% Disapprove 48 81 17 49 52 45 55 10 47 DK/NA 8 6 10 7 7 9 8 10 6 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Approve 32% 36% 23% 49% 43% 42% 40% 51% Disapprove 60 54 69 43 50 49 51 44 DK/NA 7 10 8 8 6 9 9 5 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Approve 47% 46% 43% 45% 39% Disapprove 43 46 50 51 53 DK/NA 10 8 7 3 8 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy? APPROVE....... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Apr 29 Mar 30 2011 2011 2011 2011 2009 2011 Approve 44 44 47 46 57 41 Disapprove 48 47 43 44 32 47 DK/NA 8 9 10 10 11 12 26. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation between Israel and the Palestinians? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Approve 34% 11% 57% 35% 32% 36% 29% 67% 34% Disapprove 48 78 21 48 52 45 53 16 41 DK/NA 17 11 22 17 16 19 18 16 25 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Approve 24% 32% 22% 35% 36% 33% 33% 36% Disapprove 60 51 65 47 48 48 49 48 DK/NA 17 17 13 18 16 19 18 16 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Approve 40% 40% 29% 36% 30% Disapprove 41 42 54 51 54 DK/NA 19 18 17 13 16 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation between Israel and the Palestinians? Oct 06 Jun 09 Apr 22 2011 2011 2010 Approve 34 35 35 Disapprove 48 47 44 DK/NA 17 17 21 27. 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 Wht Blk Hisp Excellent - 1% - - - - - - - Good 6 2 12 4 7 6 5 10 11 Not so good 38 28 50 35 36 39 35 51 49 Poor 55 69 37 60 57 54 59 38 40 DK/NA - - 1 - - - - 1 - WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Excellent 1% - 1% - 1% - - - Good 5 6 4 8 5 6 7 5 Not so good 33 36 29 47 38 34 36 40 Poor 62 58 67 45 56 59 56 54 DK/NA - - - - - - - - ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Excellent - - 1% - - Good 6 4 5 7 5 Not so good 41 40 38 38 33 Poor 52 56 56 55 61 DK/NA - - - - - TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor? EXLNT+GOOD.... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jan 18 Nov 17 Dec 10 Mar 04 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2003 2009 Excellent - - - 1 - 3 - Good 6 4 9 13 7 37 3 Not so good 38 35 45 43 43 42 28 Poor 55 61 45 43 49 16 68 DK/NA - - - - 1 1 - 28. Do you think the nation's economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Better 11% 3% 22% 9% 12% 10% 9% 24% 13% Worse 44 59 24 49 45 44 48 23 29 The same 44 37 54 42 42 45 42 51 58 DK/NA 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 - WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Better 8% 10% 5% 15% 12% 9% 11% 12% Worse 51 48 57 33 45 49 46 41 The same 40 42 36 52 43 41 43 46 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Better 12% 11% 13% 10% 7% Worse 42 41 43 44 49 The same 45 48 43 45 43 DK/NA 1 - - - 1 TREND: Do you think the nation's economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same? (* Low also 11% Sep 2011) BETTER........ High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jan 18 Nov 17 Jan 18 Oct 06 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2011 2011* Better 11 11 23 36 28 36 11 Worse 44 49 32 20 28 20 44 The same 44 39 43 43 43 43 44 DK/NA 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 29. Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy - President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 41% 4% 82% 38% 37% 45% 34% 82% 49% Reps in Congress 43 88 8 38 46 40 50 4 38 DK/NA 16 8 9 24 17 15 16 14 13 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Obama 26% 33% 19% 39% 42% 42% 40% 44% Reps in Congress 58 51 69 46 43 41 43 43 DK/NA 16 15 12 15 15 17 18 13 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Obama 49% 46% 35% 41% 37% Reps in Congress 33 40 49 48 50 DK/NA 18 14 16 12 13 TREND: Who do you trust to do a better job handling the economy, President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? (* Low also 41% Jul 2010, Jun 2011) OBAMA......... High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Aug 06 Oct 06 2011 2011 2011 2011 2009 2011* Obama 41 44 45 41 47 41 Reps in Congress 43 41 38 43 36 43 DK/NA 16 15 17 15 17 16 30. Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on the economy Barack Obama or - Mitt Romney? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 39% 3% 80% 36% 36% 43% 31% 82% 52% Romney 49 91 12 49 53 46 57 10 39 DK/NA 11 6 8 15 11 12 12 7 9 TREND: Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on the economy, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? Oct 06 Sep 01 2011 2011 Obama 39 42 Romney 49 46 DK/NA 11 12 31. Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on the economy Barack Obama or - Rick Perry? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 42% 5% 83% 39% 39% 46% 35% 83% 47% Perry 45 85 10 43 49 41 51 10 40 DK/NA 13 10 7 18 13 14 14 7 12 TREND: Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on the economy, Barack Obama or Rick Perry? Oct 06 Sep 01 2011 2011 Obama 42 43 Perry 45 41 DK/NA 13 15 32. Do you think the United States economy is in a recession now? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Yes 77% 80% 69% 82% 74% 81% 78% 66% 79% No 20 16 27 16 24 16 18 30 18 DK/NA 3 4 4 2 3 4 3 3 2 TREND: Do you think the United States economy is in a recession now? (*Low also 71% May 2008) YES RECESSION. High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jun 09 Jan 18 Jun 22 Jul 14 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2011* Yes 77 76 71 78 73 79 71 No 20 20 25 19 24 18 25 DK/NA 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 33. Who do you blame more for the current condition of the U.S. economy - Former President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Bush 51% 12% 84% 53% 50% 51% 43% 83% 69% Obama 32 67 6 29 32 32 38 9 18 NEITHER (VOL) 7 8 4 6 7 6 7 4 9 BOTH (VOL) 9 12 5 9 9 8 10 4 2 DK/NA 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 - 2 TREND: Who do you blame more for the current condition of the U.S. economy Former President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama? Oct 06 Sep 01 Jul 14 Jan 18 Jul 22 Jan 13 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2010 Bush 51 53 54 57 53 55 Obama 32 32 27 21 25 20 NEITHER(VOL) 7 6 8 11 10 14 BOTH(VOL) 9 7 7 7 7 7 DK/NA 2 3 3 4 4 4 34. If - Barack Obama is reelected President, do you think the economy will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Get better 29% 6% 59% 24% 26% 32% 23% 65% 29% Get worse 36 66 7 36 40 33 41 5 30 Stay the same 31 25 29 38 31 31 31 26 39 DK/NA 4 3 5 3 4 4 5 5 2 TREND: If Barack Obama is reelected President, do you think the economy will get better, get worse or stay about the same? (* May 2008 "elected President") Oct 06 May 15 2011 2008* Get better 29 37 Get worse 36 22 Stay the same 31 32 DK/NA 4 9 35. If - Mitt Romney is elected President, do you think the economy will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Get better 36% 65% 13% 33% 40% 31% 41% 13% 28% Get worse 16 4 29 14 17 15 13 31 18 Stay the same 37 23 45 43 34 40 35 42 41 DK/NA 11 8 13 10 9 13 11 14 13 36. If - Rick Perry is elected President, do you think the economy will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Get better 30% 61% 8% 27% 35% 26% 35% 10% 27% Get worse 24 5 45 22 22 25 20 48 22 Stay the same 32 23 33 37 31 33 31 30 34 DK/NA 14 11 14 14 12 16 15 12 17 37. If - Barack Obama is reelected President, do you think taxes on the middle class will go up, go down, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Go up 43% 72% 15% 45% 47% 40% 48% 18% 33% Go down 10 3 20 8 8 12 8 26 16 Stay the same 42 19 61 44 41 43 40 51 45 DK/NA 5 6 4 4 4 6 4 5 6 38. If - Mitt Romney is elected President, do you think taxes on the middle class will go up, go down, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Go up 30% 18% 43% 30% 27% 33% 27% 49% 27% Go down 9 16 5 9 9 10 11 6 5 Stay the same 49 56 41 51 56 43 52 35 47 DK/NA 11 10 11 11 8 14 11 11 21 39. If - Rick Perry is elected President, do you think taxes on the middle class will go up, go down, or stay about the same? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Go up 33% 16% 50% 34% 30% 36% 29% 56% 32% Go down 9 16 5 8 11 8 11 3 5 Stay the same 44 54 34 45 49 39 46 32 42 DK/NA 14 14 12 13 11 16 14 9 21 40. Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on foreign policy Barack Obama or - Mitt Romney? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 43% 8% 82% 40% 41% 45% 36% 82% 53% Romney 43 82 9 43 46 41 51 8 32 DK/NA 13 10 9 17 13 14 13 10 15 41. Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on foreign policy Barack Obama or - Rick Perry? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 46% 9% 82% 46% 45% 47% 39% 83% 54% Perry 38 75 8 35 39 36 45 6 27 DK/NA 16 15 10 19 15 17 16 11 20 42. Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on Social Security, Barack Obama or - Mitt Romney? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 42% 6% 81% 41% 39% 46% 35% 85% 46% Romney 46 86 11 42 49 42 53 7 34 DK/NA 12 7 7 17 12 12 11 8 20 43. Regardless of how you intend to vote, who do you think would do a better job on Social Security, Barack Obama or - Rick Perry? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Obama 44% 7% 82% 43% 41% 47% 37% 84% 46% Perry 42 81 10 38 45 40 50 6 31 DK/NA 14 11 8 19 14 14 13 10 23 44. Is your opinion of Social Security favorable, unfavorable, or haven't you heard enough about it? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Favorable 50% 42% 62% 47% 50% 49% 50% 52% 45% Unfavorable 32 41 17 36 34 29 33 18 30 Hvn't hrd enough 16 14 19 14 14 18 14 27 24 REFUSED 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 4 2 45. Do you think the Social Security program should continue to be run by the federal government or the Social Security program should be turned over to the states? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Federal gov 63% 48% 80% 63% 63% 64% 62% 76% 60% States 26 34 14 29 28 24 26 20 28 DK/NA 11 18 6 8 9 13 12 4 12 46. Under the current system employers and employees pay Social Security taxes on workers' incomes up to the first $106,800 they earn. Do you support or oppose raising this $106,800 income cap to help bring more money into the Social Security system? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Support 56% 42% 69% 59% 56% 57% 56% 67% 51% Oppose 35 46 22 36 39 31 35 25 42 DK/NA 9 12 9 6 5 12 9 8 7 47. Social Security benefits for today's retirees come from taxes paid by today's workers. When today's workers retire, their benefits will be paid by people working at the time. Some have said this system is a "Ponzi scheme." Do you think that it is fair or unfair to describe the Social Security system as a Ponzi scheme? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Fair 32% 46% 17% 33% 35% 29% 34% 22% 29% Unfair 60 44 76 59 58 61 58 70 58 DK/NA 8 9 8 7 7 10 8 8 13 48. Based on what you've heard or read, do you think Rick Perry wants to fix Social Security or end Social Security? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Fix 30% 55% 11% 30% 37% 24% 34% 9% 30% End 35 11 60 33 35 35 30 61 39 DK/NA 35 35 29 36 28 41 36 29 31 49. Would you support or oppose - Ending Saturday deliveries as a way to help the Postal Service solve its financial problems? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Support 79% 84% 74% 80% 80% 78% 83% 60% 73% Oppose 20 14 25 19 19 21 16 39 25 DK/NA 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 50. Would you support or oppose - Closing some post office branches, including your local office as a way to help the Postal Service solve its financial problems? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Support 53% 59% 46% 55% 61% 45% 55% 41% 42% Oppose 45 39 52 43 38 52 42 59 57 DK/NA 2 3 2 3 1 3 3 1 1 51. Would you support or oppose - Providing additional federal funding as a way to help the Postal Service solve its financial problems? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Support 38% 24% 57% 34% 32% 44% 35% 61% 45% Oppose 57 70 38 63 63 50 60 34 52 DK/NA 5 6 5 4 4 6 5 5 3 52. Would you support or oppose - Raising stamp prices as a way to help the Postal Service solve its financial problems? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Support 60% 53% 68% 60% 61% 60% 61% 54% 71% Oppose 38 45 32 38 38 38 38 45 29 DK/NA 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 - - 53. From what you know about the situation in the Middle East, do your sympathies lie more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Israelis 51% 69% 36% 51% 58% 44% 55% 35% 44% Palestinians 15 7 21 18 15 15 14 14 20 DK/NA 34 24 44 31 27 41 31 51 36 54. Do you think the President of the United States should be a strong supporter of Israel or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Yes/Should 63% 76% 56% 62% 68% 58% 66% 62% 57% No/Should not 20 12 19 25 20 20 19 15 17 DK/NA 17 12 25 13 12 22 15 23 26 TREND: Do you think the President of the United States should be a strong supporter of Israel or not? Oct 06 Jun 09 Apr 22 2011 2011 2010 Yes/Should 63 66 66 No/Should not 20 18 19 DK/NA 17 16 15 55. Do you think President Obama is a strong supporter of Israel or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Yes/Strong 39% 14% 60% 41% 38% 40% 36% 56% 37% No/Not strong 40 69 12 41 46 34 45 9 33 DK/NA 21 16 28 17 16 26 19 35 30 TREND: Do you think President Obama is a strong supporter of Israel or not? Oct 06 Jun 09 Apr 22 2011 2011 2010 Yes/Strong 39 40 34 No/Not strong 40 39 42 DK/NA 21 22 24 56. Generally speaking, would you support or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Support 44% 29% 51% 52% 52% 37% 45% 36% 46% Oppose 35 52 23 33 33 38 36 34 33 DK/NA 20 19 26 15 15 25 19 29 21 TREND: Generally speaking, would you support or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state? Oct 06 Jun 09 2011 2011 Support 44 45 Oppose 35 30 DK/NA 20 25 57. Who do you blame more for the failure to achieve a peace settlement in the Middle East - the Israelis, the Palestinians or both equally? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Israelis 6% 3% 8% 7% 7% 6% 5% 10% 8% Palestinians 22 39 9 19 26 18 25 10 18 Both equally 64 53 70 68 61 66 63 68 57 DK/NA 8 6 12 6 7 10 7 12 17 58. Do you consider yourself part of the Tea Party movement or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hisp Yes 16% 33% 4% 13% 17% 15% 19% 3% 6% No 80 62 94 83 79 80 77 95 89 DK/NA 4 5 2 4 3 5 4 2 5 WHITE............... AGE IN YRS....... EDUCATION..... BrnAgn No col College Prot Cath Evngl 18-34 35-54 55+ degree degree Yes 25% 15% 33% 10% 18% 17% 17% 14% No 70 80 64 86 78 78 77 84 DK/NA 5 5 3 4 4 5 5 2 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME Military <30K 30-50 50-100 >100K HsHlds Yes 15% 16% 19% 15% 19% No 81 79 78 83 77 DK/NA 5 5 3 2 4 TREND: Do you consider yourself part of the Tea Party movement or not? (* Low also 12% Sep 2010, Jul 2010) YES TEA PARTY.. High Low Oct 06 Sep 01 Nov 22 Sep 09 Jul 21 Oct 06 Sep 01 2011 2011 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011* Yes 16 12 13 12 12 16 12 No 80 85 83 80 81 80 85 DK/NA 4 3 4 9 7 4 3 Demographic Summary
