Our latest Zogby Interactive poll shows President Barack Obama would beat former Vice President Dick Cheney 49% to 35% in a hypothetical presidential match-up if the election were held today. Obama shows predictable support for Democrats (90%) and liberal voters (95%), while Cheney would get the votes of most Republicans (75%) and conservatives (82%). Independents give the edge to Obama, with 41% who would vote for the current president and 32% who say they would prefer Cheney.

Overall, 14% said they would choose “someone else” if Obama and Cheney were the choices for president – with those age 18-29 (20%), political independents (25%), and moderates (19%) among the most likely to say their vote would go elsewhere. Our latest polling shows Obama’s job approval has risen slightly to 49% overall, but his support among young voters is starting to slip. Support among First Globals™, those likely voters age 18-30 has fallen slightly, to 50% from 54% in late December.

Would you have expected President Obama to fare better or worse in our match-up against Cheney? Does either choice appeal to you, or would you count yourself among those who want “someone else”?

Steph Uncategorized

The New Year traditionally marks a fresh start, but heading into 2010 many Americans are facing serious financial troubles and are cautiously optimistic at best that this will be a year of positive financial news. Our latest polling shows that heading into 2010, nearly half of Americans (47%) say their financial situation is worse now than it was a year ago. That’s more than twice as many who say their financial situation has improved over the past year (19%). Nearly as many have not only been having a bad financial year, but a bad financial decade – 46% say their personal financial situation is worse now than it was 10 years ago.

Will 2010 be the year things turn around, or will financial woes continue for many Americans this year? Slightly more (33%) are hopeful their personal financial situation will be better next year, compared to 29% who believe they will be worse off financially and 25% who expect their financial situation to stay about the same. Looking ahead to 10 years from now, most Americans can see better financial days ahead – nearly half (48%) of Americans expect they will be better off financially by 2020. Fewer than one in four Americans (22%) expect to be in a worse financial situation 10 years from now.

When asked what they anticipate is in store for the economy as a whole over the next year, Americans are slightly more likely to believe the U.S. economy will be worse off next year (38%) than better off (35%).

What do think lies ahead for the U.S. economy and your own financial situation in 2010? Are you hopeful your finances will improve, or do you fear the overall economy – and your own financial situation – could be worse at this time next year?

Steph Uncategorized

It’s almost a new decade, and as we head into 2010, a new Zogby/Scoop Daily interactive survey finds nearly a third of Americans thought we would be living in a world with greater technological advances. While we might not have flying cars or electric robot housemaids, we DO have robot vacuum cleaners. We also have high-speed Internet, tiny cell phones, giant TVs on our walls, and the beginnings of space tourism.

Even though some are let down that 2010 doesn’t have most of us living like the Jetsons, 21% believe we are more technologically advanced than they thought we would be by the start of this new decade. Another 37% say the current level of technological advancement is just about where they thought it would be by 2010.

Younger Americans, including First Globals™, those age 18-30, are much less likely (13%) than older generations to be impressed at our current level of technology. But then again, they have never known a world without cell phones, computers, television, and for some, the Internet. It’s no surprise that those age 70 and older are more likely (34%) than younger Americans to say we are more advanced than they thought we would be by 2010. These oldest Americans have witnessed amazing technological advances over the years, and while many use the Internet and cell phones, they also remember the days when many of the technologies we take for granted today were science fiction.

Are you impressed with today’s level of technology, or did you think we would be more advanced heading into 2010? What do you think is the greatest technological advancement today and what technology did you hope we would have by how?

Steph Uncategorized

Even as healthcare reform and climate change talks grab big headlines, few likely voters in a recent ScoopDaily/Zogby Interactive poll put either healthcare or the environment at the top of their domestic agenda list. The economy (26%) and jobs (31%) are of far greater concern right now, regardless of age, gender, or political persuasion.

Despite relative agreement about the nation’s economic and unemployment woes, there is much greater division – especially politically – regarding many of the other domestic issues facing the U.S. Even as 19% of Democrats say healthcare should be the nation’s number one priority, just 1% of Republicans and 9% of independents feel the same. After jobs and the economy, national security (22%) and the national debt (13%) are most likely to be cited as top Republican concerns.

As world leaders meet in Copenhagen this week to discuss global climate change, few likely voters in the U.S. say environmental issues trump other domestic priorities – just 2% say this should be the nation’s top issue. Few rank the environment as a top concern across the political spectrum – just 2% of Democrats and political independents and less than 1% of Republicans feel this way.

Do you believe America’s primary focus should be on jobs and the economy – or are there more pressing issues that need to be the priority? Despite your personal preference, what do you believe is the main domestic agenda of the U.S. right now?

Steph Uncategorized

Three years ago, Zogby asked Americans if they believed the U.S. government should act to reduce energy use in the county, even if that action meant significant personal lifestyle changes – and more than half (57%) said the U.S. should take those steps. Fast forward to today, and our latest polling shows that support for reduction of U.S. energy use that would crimp the American lifestyles has dropped to 44%.

The 30% who strongly agreed with the U.S. taking such action three years ago has fallen to 19% — while those with strong opposition have grown to 41%, from 26% who said they strongly disagreed in 2007. Young Americans were much more likely than older Americans in 2007 to strongly agree that the U.S. should take action (40% of those age 18-29 felt this way in 2007, compared with 24% of those age 65 and older). Our latest survey shows young Americans are still more likely than older adults to strongly support government action to reduce energy use in the U.S. even if it could impact their lifestyle, but those who strongly support this view have dropped to 31% from 40% three years ago. Just 15% of 18- to 29-year-olds strongly disagreed with U.S. action to curtail energy use in 2007 – now 27% say they strongly disagree.

Do you support U.S. efforts to reduce energy use – even if your current lifestyle might suffer? How much sacrifice, if any, are you willing to make to bring down the nation’s energy consumption?

Steph Uncategorized

Web sites devoted to Black Friday highlight leaked circulars for major retailers such as WalMart and Target and constantly update rumors of the latest deals — giving both devoted Black Friday shoppers (in stores and online) and those just considering heading to the mall a chance to plan their shopping strategy. As retailers try to lure shoppers to the stores early Friday with promises of amazing deals, just 14% of Americans in a new Zogby Interactive poll say they have “Black Friday” shopping plans and another 13% may go shopping, but aren’t fully committed to braving the crowds. 

One in four Americans plans to get their Black Friday shopping fix from the comfort of home – 26% plan to spend at least some of the day shopping online. But for all the commercials, news stories, and ads pumping up Black  Friday, more than half of Americans (58%) say they will be staying home with no plans to shop, even online.

So who might you encounter in line at 4 a.m. hoping to get a great deal? Men (14%) and women (14%) are equally likely to say they have Black Friday shopping plans, and those with children at home (18%) are more likely to be hitting the mall Friday than those without children (12%). Fifteen percent of those younger than 30 are heading to the stores in search of deals Friday,  but 22% of these young Americans say they still have not decided if they will join the crowds. Those age 30-49 are the most likely of any age group (18%) to say they will go shopping Black Friday. The vast majority of older Americans will be staying home – just 6% of those age 65 and older plan to hit the stores on Black Friday.

Even though most of the  holiday shopping hype is focused on Black Friday, only 12% of respondents say they wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start their shopping. Nearly a third (32%) of respondents in our poll said they plan to wait until December to begin their shopping and 7% wait until a few days before their gifts are to be given to start tackling their holiday shopping list. Nearly four in 10 Americans have already begun their holiday shopping – 24% start shopping in early fall, 2% started shopping this summer and 12% space their holiday shopping throughout the year.

Will you be taking part in Black Friday shopping this year at the mall or online? Do you think dealing with crowded stores is worth the chance that you might score a fabulous deal or are the deals just as good online? If you don’t plan to do any shopping Black Friday, what will you be doing instead?

Steph Uncategorized

One-Third of 18-24 Year Olds: Obama Is Abandoning Progressive Causes

By Alexander Heffner / November 4th, 2009

Steph Uncategorized economy, faith, Obama, war, white house, work, zogby

A lot has changed in America over the past year. We have a new President and a new administration. Healthcare reform is now on the front burner. Swine flu fears are making headlines. But some things haven’t changed: Troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a new surge may be in the works. The recession continues, with unemployment hitting record highs and no one really sure when and if the nation’s economy will bounce back.

The latest Zogby Interactive survey shows President Barack Obama’s job performance rating has fallen slightly to 49%. Just over a year ago, former President George W. Bush hit a record low of just 21% in Zogby telephone polling as he neared the end of his second term and the November election loomed.

While our latest polling shows 42% of likely voters say the nation is headed in the right direction and 51% believe it is off on the wrong track, Americans were much more pessimistic about the state of the country a year ago. In October of last year, three in four Americans believe the country was headed on the wrong track and just 18% believed the U.S. was headed in the right direction. A year ago, under the Bush administration, there was strong dissatisfaction with the direction the country was headed from all sides of the political spectrum – 84% of Democrats, 79% of self-identified political independents, and even 64% of Republicans felt this way. Fast forward to today, under the Obama administration, and views on the direction the country is headed have become increasingly partisan. Our latest survey shows while 90% of Republicans believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, just 15% of Democrats feel the same. Among independents, 55% believe the country is on the wrong track.

Do you think the country is better off today than at this time last year, and has the change in administrations made a difference either way? Do you think American will be in a better or worse place a year from now?

Steph Uncategorized economy, employment, health, Obama, recession, war, work, zogby

There is no shortage of opinions about the state of healthcare in America. Some insist we need a public option while others cry “socialism”. Many blame insurance companies for being “greedy”, and the debate rages on about requiring everyone to purchase insurance, what to do for Americans with pre-existing conditions and of course, the big question – what it will all cost?

A recent Zogby Interactive survey shows that healthcare in the U.S. is not so much an issue of people dissatisfied with the quality of care, but that most believe that care costs too much. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) rate the quality of healthcare in the United States as “excellent” or “good”, but less than half (43%) believe U.S. healthcare is a excellent or good value. Older Americans are among those most likely to give American healthcare high marks for quality – 70% of those age 65 and older rate is positively, with nearly a third (32%) who believe U.S. healthcare is “excellent” in terms of quality. Among First Globals™, 22% give American healthcare “excellent” marks for quality.

This question regarding the quality of American healthcare also showed a stark political divide – just 7% of Democrats would rate the quality of healthcare in the U.S. as excellent, compared to more than half of Republicans (53%) and nearly a third of political independents (30%). Nearly a third of Democrats (31%) give the quality of American healthcare a poor rating, compared to just 3% of Republicans and 14% of independents. Political affiliation showed similar division when respondents were asked about healthcare value – Republicans (72%) overwhelmingly believe it is an excellent or good value, while Democrats are much more likely (77%) to give the value of healthcare in the U.S. a fair or poor rating.

How would you rate the quality and value of healthcare in America? What do you think are the best options for improving both?

Steph Uncategorized first globals, health, zogby

There’s a new president in office, but a new Zogby-Scoop 44 interactive survey shows nearly half of likely voters – 47% — put the blame for the nation’s current job losses squarely on the previous administration. While it comes as no surprise that Democrats are quick to find fault with the Bush administration and Republicans are much more likely to believe the policies of the Obama administration are largely responsible for the current unemployment figures, political independents are much more closely divided. Independent likely voters are slightly more likely to blame Bush administration policies (42%) than Obama administration policies (36%), and nearly one in five (18%) said neither administrations’ policies are the cause of rising unemployment.

The vast majority of those who believe the country is now headed in the right direction – 93% — believe that the previous administration is to blame for the country’s current job woes. Those who believe the country is on the wrong track, however, take the opposite view – 70% who think the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction also believe Obama administration policies are directly responsible for the nation’s job losses since he took office in January.

The survey also found that most 18- to 29-year-olds blame the economic policies of the Bush administration for the nation’s continued job losses, a demographic that Alexander Heffner expands on at Scoop 44.

Those from less –affluent households are most likely to blame Bush administration policies for the country’s job losses – nearly two-thirds of those with less than $25,000 in household income (62%) say the previous administration is responsible  for job losses. As household income increases, likely voters are less likely to put the blame on Bush, but likely voters from all income levels are more likely to believe the Bush administration is more at fault than the Obama administration. Among those who have $100,000 or more in household income, 40% think the Bush administration is mostly to blame, but just as many (40%) think the policies of the Obama administration have primarily contributed to the nation’s job losses.

Do you believe the nation’s job losses are more the fault of the Bush or Obama administrations, or is neither administration at fault? As we get further along into Obama’s presidency, do you believe more people will hold the current administration’s policies responsible if job losses continue, or do you think Bush will continue to shoulder the brunt of the blame?

Steph Uncategorized employment, Obama, zogby