Ohio (OH) Poll * February 6, 2009 * Obama's Stimulus Package Won't - Quinnipiac University

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February 6, 2009 - Obama's Stimulus Package Won't Help Me, Ohio Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Strong Support And Hope For New President

Word format Ohio voters give President Barack Obama a 67 - 16 percent approval rating and support his Economic Stimulus Package 57 - 32 percent, but voters say 51 - 42 percent that the stimulus plan won't help them personally, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Democrats hope the stimulus plan helps them 59 - 33 percent. The stimulus plan won't help them, Republicans say 71 - 24 percent and independent voters say 57 - 36 percent. Men and women are about equally pessimistic.
Voters 18 to 34 years old have a bright outlook, 60 - 33 percent, but pessimism sets in with age, with a 53 - 41 percent negative among voters 35 to 54 and a 58 - 33 percent negative among voters over 55 years old.
Voters making less than $50, 000 per year split 46 - 44 percent while voters in higher income brackets go negative, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-e-ack) University poll finds.
"The honeymoon between President Obama and Ohio voters is still going. Even though he's been in office only two weeks, President Obama's numbers are stratospheric. He even has a 52 - 29 percent approval rating among white evangelical Christians, a solid part of the Republican coalition," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"When a politician's approval rating among independent voters is 72 - 12 percent, he's riding the wave. When and if it crests only time will tell."
Ohioans think Obama is doing a better job handling the economy, 58 - 21 percent, than popular Gov. Ted Strickland, 44 - 37 percent.
"Given his short period on the job, this obviously reflects the general public infatuation with the new President as much as public approval of any specific part of his proposals," said Brown.
Even Republicans, by a 39 - 23 percent margin, expect by the end of Obama's term that the economy will be better.
"The President has the advantage of having to meet a relatively low bar, given the historic nature of the economic downturn, hence the belief even among his political opponents that things will improve on his watch," said Brown. "The key question for Obama is how well he will wear on the people of Ohio if the economy isn't much better at the end of his four years."
Although Ohioans support Obama's stimulus package by almost two-to-one, they are not nearly as confident that it will pull the nation out of its economic downward spiral. Only 7 percent say they are "very confident" it will help solve the nation's economy problems and 45 percent say they are "somewhat confident," while 46 percent say they are "not too confident" or "not confident at all" that it would do so.
The Economic Stimulus Package will take more than a year to work, 71 percent of Ohio voters say, while 22 percent say it will never work. Only 5 percent think it will work in less than a year.
"In a political sense, the fact that a small plurality of independent voters - 49 percent - say they are not too confident or not at all confident the stimulus plan will work is a potential warning sign for the President, since his job approval among that group is so high," said Brown.
From January 29 - February 2, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,127 Ohio voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.
26. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 67% 31% 90% 72% 64% 69% 52% Disapprove 16 42 1 12 16 16 29 DK/NA 17 26 8 16 20 14 18 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Approve 69% 65% 71% 70% 69% 65% Disapprove 14 16 15 14 16 22 DK/NA 17 20 14 15 15 14 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Approve 79% 65% 64% 71% 68% 58% 66% 71% Disapprove 8 18 19 13 19 20 16 17 DK/NA 13 17 18 16 13 22 18 13
30. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Approve 58% 25% 83% 60% 58% 59% 44% Disapprove 21 51 2 18 20 22 36 DK/NA 21 24 15 21 22 19 20 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Approve 67% 55% 60% 58% 58% 58% Disapprove 17 20 19 26 22 29 DK/NA 16 26 21 16 20 13 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Approve 64% 58% 56% 65% 55% 46% 59% 57% Disapprove 16 23 23 16 24 31 20 24 DK/NA 20 19 21 19 21 22 21 19
31. Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Excellent - - 1% - 1% - - Good 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 Not so good 29 38 28 23 34 25 31 Poor 68 59 69 74 63 72 65 DK/NA - - 1 - - - - Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Excellent 1% - - - 2% - Good 2 2 - 4 2 4 Not so good 27 32 35 28 25 25 Poor 70 65 65 68 71 70 DK/NA - 1 - - - - AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Excellent - - - 1% - - - - Good 2 2 3 3 3 2 3 2 Not so good 41 28 24 31 28 26 29 29 Poor 57 69 72 66 69 72 67 68 DK/NA - - 1 - - - - 1
TREND: Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
Feb 6 Dec 11 Feb 25 2009 2008 2008 Excellent - - 1% Good 2 4 13 Not so good 29 27 36 Poor 68 68 50 DK/NA - - 1
32. Would you describe the state of Ohio's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Excellent - - - - - - - Good 5 7 4 4 7 3 6 Not so good 33 39 32 29 33 33 41 Poor 61 54 63 67 60 63 53 DK/NA 1 - 1 1 - 1 - Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Excellent - - - - - - Good 6 4 - 13 5 4 Not so good 35 32 44 37 31 29 Poor 58 63 56 49 63 66 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 - 1 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Excellent - - - - - - - - Good 8 4 3 6 5 - 6 2 Not so good 34 31 35 36 29 33 33 35 Poor 56 64 61 57 65 67 61 63 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 -
TREND: Would you describe the state of Ohio's economy these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
Feb 6 Dec 11 Aug 14 Jun 4 Jul 11 Mar 21 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 Excellent - - - - 2 1 Good 5 5 14 18 30 31 Not so good 33 36 49 42 44 46 Poor 61 58 36 39 22 21 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 2 2
33. Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as - excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Excellent 5% 7% 3% 4% 6% 4% 5% Good 38 42 37 36 40 36 40 Not so good 34 38 34 33 32 36 32 Poor 21 12 24 25 20 22 22 DK/NA 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Excellent 4% 6% 3% 4% 3% 6% Good 42 37 37 51 33 37 Not so good 32 37 43 23 31 34 Poor 20 19 12 18 32 23 DK/NA 2 2 4 4 - 1 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Excellent 5% 4% 5% 2% 8% 12% 3% 9% Good 37 42 37 27 52 63 32 58 Not so good 30 32 38 39 32 20 37 27 Poor 27 22 17 31 8 4 26 6 DK/NA - 1 3 1 1 1 2 1
TREND: Would you describe the state of your own personal finances these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor?
Feb 6 Dec 11 Feb 25 2009 2008 2008 Excellent 5 5 6 Good 38 46 50 Not so good 34 32 30 Poor 21 15 14 DK/NA 2 2 1
34. Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Better off 24% 26% 25% 23% 26% 23% 29% Worse off 53 51 53 56 54 52 50 SAME(VOL) 22 23 21 21 19 24 19 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Better off 29% 22% 27% 41% 22% 21% Worse off 55 54 46 35 61 53 SAME(VOL) 15 23 28 24 17 26 DK/NA 1 2 - - - 1 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Better off 35% 27% 17% 22% 31% 30% 23% 30% Worse off 52 52 54 57 47 48 55 49 SAME(VOL) 13 19 27 20 22 21 22 21 DK/NA - 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
TREND: Would you say that you are better off or worse off financially than you were a year ago?
Feb 6 Dec 11 2009 2008 Better off 24 24 Worse off 53 55 SAME(VOL) 22 21 DK/NA 1 1
35. During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Get better 31% 27% 38% 24% 30% 31% 25% Get worse 16 18 13 20 15 17 16 Stay the same 49 49 45 53 49 49 55 DK/NA 4 5 4 4 5 3 4 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Get better 27% 30% 35% 28% 31% 35% Get worse 15 15 11 24 20 16 Stay the same 54 50 50 47 46 44 DK/NA 3 5 4 1 2 5 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Get better 54% 33% 17% 35% 29% 22% 32% 26% Get worse 6 21 18 13 20 20 16 16 Stay the same 38 43 61 47 49 56 47 54 DK/NA 2 4 4 4 2 2 4 3
TREND: During the next 12 months, do you think your own personal finances will get better, get worse, or stay about the same? (*personal financial situation)
Feb 6 Dec 11 Feb 25 2009 2008 2008* Get better 31 26 29 Get worse 16 17 12 Stay the same 49 52 57 DK/NA 4 4 2
36. By the end of Barack Obama's term in office, do you expect the economy to be better than it is today, worse than it is today, or about the same?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Better 66% 39% 85% 68% 64% 67% 52% Worse 11 23 2 10 10 11 19 Same 19 31 11 17 21 17 24 DK/NA 5 7 3 5 6 5 6 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Better 76% 64% 63% 54% 66% 62% Worse 8 11 12 10 8 13 Same 12 19 18 32 21 20 DK/NA 4 6 8 4 5 4 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Better 74% 65% 63% 67% 68% 63% 63% 72% Worse 4 15 11 9 14 10 11 9 Same 22 16 19 20 15 23 20 15 DK/NA - 4 7 5 3 4 6 4
37. Congress is debating President Obama's economic stimulus package which includes tax cuts and new federal spending of about 800 billion dollars. Do you support or oppose this economic stimulus package?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Support 57% 25% 82% 55% 59% 56% 41% Oppose 32 64 10 32 33 32 48 DK/NA 10 10 8 13 8 12 11 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Support 63% 58% 54% 46% 58% 56% Oppose 30 31 33 41 31 36 DK/NA 7 11 13 13 11 8 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Support 70% 56% 52% 63% 57% 42% 58% 54% Oppose 23 34 36 26 36 50 31 37 DK/NA 7 10 12 11 8 8 11 9
38. How confident are you that this economic stimulus package will help solve the nation's economic problems - very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not confident at all?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Very confident 7% 1% 14% 4% 7% 7% 6% Smwht confident 45 21 65 42 43 47 31 Not too confident 23 35 14 24 24 22 30 Not confident at all 22 43 5 25 24 21 33 DK/NA 3 - 2 5 2 3 - Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Very confident 7% 4% 4% 12% 11% 11% Smwht confident 51 47 43 39 40 43 Not too confident 20 23 29 25 23 19 Not confident at all 21 22 19 24 22 27 DK/NA - 3 6 1 4 1 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Very confident 10% 6% 7% 9% 5% 2% 8% 4% Smwht confident 50 47 42 47 47 40 45 47 Not too confident 20 20 26 23 23 25 23 22 Not confident at all 19 24 23 18 24 31 22 25 DK/NA 1 3 2 2 2 2 3 2
39. How long do you think it will take for the program to work - less than a year, more than a year, or will it never work?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Less than a year 5% 3% 8% 5% 7% 3% 4% More than a year 71 49 88 68 67 75 61 Never 22 44 4 25 25 19 31 DK/NA 2 4 1 3 2 3 4 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Less than a year 4% 4% 6% 4% 9% 5% More than a year 73 70 73 60 70 73 Never 19 23 19 31 21 21 DK/NA 3 2 2 5 1 2 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Less than a year 8% 4% 5% 6% 4% 2% 6% 3% More than a year 74 69 71 75 71 59 71 71 Never 18 24 21 17 23 35 21 24 DK/NA - 3 2 2 2 3 2 2
40. Do you think the economic stimulus package will help your personal financial situation?
WtBrnAgn Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Evnglcl Yes 42% 24% 59% 36% 42% 41% 29% No 51 71 33 57 51 50 64 DK/NA 8 6 8 8 7 9 6 Cntrl NrthE NrthW SthE SthW WstCnt Yes 43% 41% 40% 41% 43% 40% No 50 50 50 47 53 54 DK/NA 7 9 10 12 4 6 AGE IN YRS....... INCOME............. NoColl College 18-34 35-54 55+ <50 50-100 >100K Degree Degree Yes 60% 41% 33% 46% 38% 30% 43% 36% No 33 53 58 44 59 65 48 59 DK/NA 7 7 9 10 3 5 8 5