January 22, 2014 - Economy/Jobs And Healthcare Are Top Voter Priorities, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Obama Gets Low Grades On Top Priorities PDF format In an open-ended question, allowing for any answer, American voters list the economy/jobs and healthcare as their top priorities, two issues for which President Barack Obama gets low job approval ratings, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Naming "the top priority for President Obama and Congress in 2014," 15 percent of voters say the economy, while 16 percent list jobs or unemployment, a total of 31 percent, while 18 percent list healthcare, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. A total of 10 percent list the budget, the budget deficit, spending or other budget-related items. Another 4 percent list bi-partisanship or cooperation and 2 percent list education. American voters give President Obama a negative 40 - 54 percent approval rating, compared to 41 - 53 percent January 8, and 38 - 57 percent December 10, indications that his plunge has leveled off. But voters give Obama his lowest grades for their top priorities: Negative 39 - 56 percent for his handling of the economy; Negative 36 - 59 percent for his handling of healthcare; Positive 48 - 41 percent for handling terrorism; Negative 40 - 49 percent for foreign policy; Negative 39 - 47 percent for handling Iran. "'It's the economy, Mr. President,' say dissatisfied American voters who are not yet willing to give President Barack Obama a thumbs up on his presidency," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "If - and it's a big IF - the president can convince the American people that the economy is getting better and that Obamacare will be good for them, it will go a long way to rebuilding his sagging job approval ratings." A total of 67 percent of American voters plan to watch President Obama deliver the State of the Union address January 28. The economy is "not so good" or "poor," a total of 77 percent of voters say. Only 28 percent say the economy is getting better, while 26 percent say it is getting worse and 44 percent say it's the same. The Obama administration is not competent running the government, voters say 53 - 42 percent. The president is paying attention to what his administration is doing, 45 percent say, while 47 percent say he is not paying attention. The president's character measures remain low: 46 percent say he is honest and trustworthy and 49 percent say he is not; 49 percent say he is a strong leader and 48 percent say he is not; 51 percent say he cares about their needs and problems and 46 percent say he does not. Olympic Terrorism A terrorist attack at the Winter Olympics is "very likely," 12 percent of voters say, while 38 percent say an attack is "somewhat likely." Another 26 percent say an attack is "somewhat unlikely," and 19 percent say "very unlikely." "It's a chilling and troubling thought: half of Americans think a terror attack on the Winter Olympic Games is either likely or very likely," Malloy said. From January 15 - 19, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,933 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 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, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research. For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 40% 8% 79% 36% 37% 43% 33% 81% 53% Disapprove 54 89 16 58 58 50 61 11 41 DK/NA 6 3 4 6 4 7 5 8 7 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 73% 48% 17% 43% 38% 44% 53% 43% 38% 32% Disapprove 20 47 78 49 59 53 37 53 58 59 DK/NA 6 6 4 8 3 3 10 4 4 8 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 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Jun 04 Dec 10 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2009* 2013 Approve 40 41 38 39 45 59 38 Disapprove 54 53 57 54 49 31 57 DK/NA 6 7 6 7 6 10 6 6. 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 Hsp Very satisfied 2% - 4% 2% 2% 1% 1% 4% 2% Smwht satisfied 22 10 43 18 21 23 20 36 27 Smwht dissatisfied 32 29 36 30 32 32 32 36 37 Very dissatisfied 43 59 18 50 44 42 46 22 31 DK/NA 1 2 - 1 2 1 1 2 2 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Very satisfied 2% 1% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% 2% 1% Smwht satisfied 35 28 12 24 20 26 32 23 19 18 Smwht dissatisfied 33 36 27 31 34 34 36 35 28 31 Very dissatisfied 30 33 58 41 45 37 31 38 50 48 DK/NA - 1 1 1 - 1 - 2 1 2 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 Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Dec 11 Nov 13 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2001 2008 Very satisfied 2 1 2 2 2 21 2 Smwht satisfied 22 24 22 19 23 47 14 Smwht dissatisfied 32 31 30 31 34 19 38 Very dissatisfied 43 43 46 47 41 10 44 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 3 2 18. Would you say that Barack Obama - is honest and trustworthy or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Yes 46% 13% 85% 41% 42% 51% 41% 84% 48% No 49 82 12 52 54 44 54 10 49 DK/NA 5 5 3 6 4 6 5 6 4 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 78% 55% 23% 50% 41% 52% 54% 46% 46% 43% No 18 39 74 44 54 45 34 49 52 51 DK/NA 3 6 3 6 5 4 12 4 2 6 TREND: Would you say that Barack Obama is honest and trustworthy or not? (* Low also 44% Nov 2013) YES........... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Jan 13 Dec 10 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2011 2013* Yes 46 46 44 44 54 63 44 No 49 49 52 52 41 31 52 DK/NA 5 4 4 4 4 6 4 19. Would you say that Barack Obama - has strong leadership qualities or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Yes 49% 20% 80% 45% 45% 52% 43% 85% 62% No 48 76 17 53 52 44 54 11 35 DK/NA 3 4 4 2 3 3 3 4 3 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 79% 55% 27% 54% 47% 49% 73% 53% 43% 36% No 17 41 71 42 51 50 20 44 56 60 DK/NA 3 3 2 4 2 2 7 3 1 3 TREND: Would you say that Barack Obama has strong leadership qualities or not? YES........... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Jan 13 Jan 08 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2010 2014 Yes 49 46 47 48 53 66 46 No 48 51 51 50 45 32 51 DK/NA 3 3 2 2 3 2 3 20. Would you say that Barack Obama - cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Yes 51% 19% 85% 49% 49% 53% 46% 84% 58% No 46 79 12 49 49 44 52 13 37 DK/NA 3 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 5 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 81% 62% 26% 53% 51% 56% 66% 54% 47% 42% No 18 35 71 42 47 44 30 44 52 53 DK/NA 1 3 3 4 2 1 5 2 1 5 TREND: Would you say that Barack Obama cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not? YES........... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Nov 12 Dec 10 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2008 2013 Yes 51 50 48 49 54 70 48 No 46 48 49 48 42 22 49 DK/NA 3 2 3 3 3 7 3 21. President Obama's State of the Union address is scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening, January 28th. How likely is it you will watch the President's State of the Union address that night, very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Very likely 41% 29% 58% 40% 39% 43% 38% 66% 41% Smwht likely 26 24 23 29 26 27 27 18 28 Not very likely 11 14 9 9 13 9 12 6 15 Not likely at all 21 32 9 21 22 20 22 9 16 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Very likely 53% 48% 31% 42% 41% 42% 35% 37% 43% 49% Smwht likely 25 27 25 27 25 29 29 29 24 23 Not very likely 10 10 12 11 10 11 17 11 9 8 Not likely at all 11 15 31 20 22 18 18 21 24 19 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 TREND: President Obama's State of the Union address is scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening, January 28th. How likely is it you will watch the President's State of the Union address that night, very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely or not at all likely? (* State of the Union address 2013) Jan 22 Feb 11 2014 2013* Very likely 41 43 Smwht likely 26 23 Not very likely 11 9 Not likely at all 21 24 DK/NA 1 1 22. What do you think should be the top priority for President Obama and Congress in 2014? Tot Economy(General) 15% Jobs/Unemployment 16 Wages/Minimum Wage 1 Income inequality 1 Class inequality 1 Budget(General) 4 Budget(Gov spending) 2 Budget deficit 3 Budget (Other) 1 Taxes(General) 1 Education(General) 2 Gun Issues/Policy/Control 1 Healthcare 18 Social Issues/Social Services 1 Immigration Issues 2 Environment 1 Military Issues/Benefits 1 Foreign Policy 2 Bipartisan/Cross party lines/ Coop to get things done 4 Candidate cares about people 1 Obama resign 1 Other 10 DK/NA 9 23. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the economy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 39% 8% 77% 33% 35% 42% 34% 72% 49% Disapprove 56 88 18 60 60 52 61 21 46 DK/NA 5 3 5 7 5 6 5 7 5 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 71% 48% 16% 42% 37% 42% 51% 38% 36% 36% Disapprove 23 47 79 50 61 55 41 58 60 56 DK/NA 5 6 5 8 3 3 8 4 5 7 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? (* Low also 32% Sep 2011) APPROVE....... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Mar 04 Oct 06 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2009 2011* Approve 39 39 37 38 44 57 32 Disapprove 56 58 59 59 52 33 64 DK/NA 5 4 4 3 4 10 4 24. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - health care? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 36% 5% 70% 32% 33% 38% 30% 68% 49% Disapprove 59 93 23 61 62 56 65 22 46 DK/NA 5 2 7 6 4 7 5 10 5 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 68% 42% 15% 38% 34% 38% 49% 34% 33% 34% Disapprove 26 52 82 56 61 59 43 60 62 62 DK/NA 6 6 3 6 5 4 8 6 5 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care? APPROVE....... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Jul 11 Jul 02 Dec 10 2014 2014 2013 2013 2012 2009 2013 Approve 36 35 34 36 43 46 34 Disapprove 59 61 62 60 52 42 62 DK/NA 5 4 4 4 5 13 4 25. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - terrorism? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 48% 23% 75% 48% 50% 47% 44% 73% 53% Disapprove 41 65 16 44 42 41 45 17 35 DK/NA 10 12 9 8 8 12 10 10 12 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 73% 57% 28% 51% 43% 56% 57% 52% 45% 42% Disapprove 19 33 62 38 47 37 32 39 47 43 DK/NA 8 10 10 11 9 6 11 9 8 16 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling terrorism? (* Low also 48% Jan 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 May 05 Jan 22 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2011 2014* Approve 48 52 50 52 52 67 48 Disapprove 41 41 41 42 42 27 41 DK/NA 10 6 8 6 6 7 10 26. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - foreign policy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 40% 10% 74% 38% 37% 43% 35% 66% 49% Disapprove 49 80 17 52 55 44 54 20 41 DK/NA 11 10 9 10 8 14 11 14 10 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 70% 49% 18% 42% 38% 46% 44% 43% 40% 34% Disapprove 22 41 72 45 54 46 37 47 53 53 DK/NA 7 11 10 13 8 7 19 10 6 14 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy? APPROVE....... High Low Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Apr 29 Nov 12 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 2009 2013 Approve 40 41 42 38 41 57 38 Disapprove 49 51 49 53 53 32 53 DK/NA 11 8 9 9 7 11 9 27. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the situation in Iran? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Approve 39% 15% 69% 36% 39% 38% 35% 60% 47% Disapprove 47 72 18 51 50 44 52 21 37 DK/NA 14 13 13 13 11 18 13 19 16 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Approve 67% 45% 19% 39% 38% 46% 44% 41% 38% 35% Disapprove 24 39 68 45 52 41 40 44 52 48 DK/NA 9 16 13 16 10 13 17 15 10 16 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation in Iran? Jan 22 Dec 10 Oct 01 Nov 23 Apr 22 Oct 07 2014 2013 2013 2011 2010 2009 Approve 39 40 48 46 44 45 Disapprove 47 48 40 38 43 39 DK/NA 14 12 12 16 13 17 28. 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 Hsp Excellent 1% - 2% 1% 1% 1% - 2% 3% Good 21 12 36 20 26 17 21 29 17 Not so good 44 47 45 42 41 46 44 45 42 Poor 33 41 17 37 31 35 34 23 35 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Excellent 1% 1% - 1% - - - 1% 1% 1% Good 31 29 11 17 23 34 35 21 19 18 Not so good 46 43 43 45 45 43 44 49 40 41 Poor 21 26 45 35 31 23 20 29 40 37 DK/NA 2 - 1 1 1 - 2 - - 3 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 Jan 22 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Aug 02 Dec 10 Mar 04 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2003 2009 Excellent 1 - 1 - 1 3 - Good 21 20 21 23 25 37 3 Not so good 44 44 41 44 40 42 28 Poor 33 36 36 31 33 16 68 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 29. 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 Hsp Better 28% 12% 49% 26% 31% 26% 28% 40% 27% Worse 26 38 10 28 24 29 27 19 25 The same 44 49 40 45 45 44 44 40 49 DK/NA 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 - POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Better 46% 39% 12% 24% 33% 38% 33% 28% 26% 30% Worse 16 17 39 30 23 17 22 23 29 30 The same 37 44 48 45 44 44 44 48 45 38 DK/NA - - 1 2 - - 1 - 1 2 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 Jan 22 Dec 10 Nov 12 Oct 01 Aug 02 Jan 18 Oct 06 2014 2013 2013 2013 2013 2011 2011* Better 28 29 28 31 34 36 11 Worse 26 28 31 24 25 20 44 The same 44 42 40 44 40 43 44 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 30. Do you think that in general the Obama administration has been competent in running the government, or don't you think so? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Yes 42% 9% 80% 39% 39% 45% 38% 72% 44% No 53 86 17 58 58 49 58 20 45 DK/NA 5 4 4 4 3 6 4 8 12 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 76% 52% 16% 44% 39% 49% 49% 43% 41% 39% No 23 44 79 49 59 49 42 52 57 55 DK/NA 1 4 5 7 2 2 9 5 2 6 TREND: Do you think that in general the Obama administration has been competent in running the government, or don't you think so? Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 2014 2014 2013 2013 Yes 42 43 40 43 No 53 55 56 53 DK/NA 5 2 3 3 31. Do you think President Barack Obama is paying enough attention to what his administration is doing, or don't you think so? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Yes 45% 21% 71% 43% 46% 44% 40% 72% 58% No 47 73 22 50 48 46 52 24 37 DK/NA 8 6 7 7 6 10 8 5 6 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Yes 69% 51% 28% 48% 41% 50% 54% 44% 47% 40% No 25 42 64 43 51 45 35 47 48 53 DK/NA 6 7 8 9 8 5 11 9 6 6 TREND: Do you think President Barack Obama is paying enough attention to what his administration is doing, or don't you think so? Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 10 Nov 12 2014 2014 2013 2013 Yes 45 45 41 43 No 47 50 52 51 DK/NA 8 6 6 6 32. Do you support or oppose the health care law passed by Barack Obama and Congress in 2010? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Support 38% 6% 76% 34% 35% 40% 33% 68% 50% Oppose 56 91 18 57 58 53 62 19 42 DK/NA 7 3 6 8 6 7 5 13 9 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Support 73% 45% 15% 38% 39% 41% 44% 37% 38% 36% Oppose 21 49 81 52 57 57 42 57 59 58 DK/NA 6 6 4 10 4 2 13 6 4 7 TREND: Do you support or oppose the health care law passed by Barack Obama and Congress in 2010? Jan 22 Jan 08 Dec 11 Nov 12 Oct 01 2014 2014 2013 2013 2013 Support 38 40 39 39 45 Oppose 56 56 57 55 47 DK/NA 7 4 4 6 8 36. How likely do you think it is that a terrorist attack of some sort will occur at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia next month; very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, or very unlikely? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk Hsp Very likely 12% 15% 11% 11% 12% 12% 12% 8% 6% Somewhat likely 38 43 30 41 35 41 40 31 32 Somewhat unlikely 26 25 32 24 28 25 27 28 22 Very unlikely 19 12 22 20 22 16 17 26 30 DK/NA 5 5 5 4 4 6 4 6 10 POLITICAL PHILSPHY ANNUAL HSHOLD INC AGE IN YRS.............. Lib Mod Con <50K 50-100 >100K 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ Very likely 11% 11% 12% 11% 10% 11% 6% 10% 13% 15% Somewhat likely 31 38 43 39 38 38 27 35 43 45 Somewhat unlikely 32 26 25 24 30 30 29 30 26 20 Very unlikely 21 22 13 21 18 19 35 21 14 12 DK/NA 4 3 7 6 2 3 3 5 4 8 TREND: How likely do you think it is that a terrorist attack of some sort will occur at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia next month very likely, somewhat likely, somewhat unlikely, or very unlikely? Jan 22 Jan 09 2014 2014 Very likely 12 15 Somewhat likely 38 41 Somewhat unlikely 26 25 Very unlikely 19 12 DK/NA 5 6 Demographic Summary
