Today, the politics of Afghanistan are Obama’s problem, and what he said during the campaign now gives him much less room to maneuver in Afghanistan, especially politically.

A Zogby Interactive poll of nearly 2,300 likely voters conducted Nov. 4-6 reinforces the dilemma Obama now faces with Afghanistan.

Read John Zogby’s column at Forbes.com that discusses the latest public opinion on the War in Afghanistan and finds several similarities to the Vietnam War.

Paul John Zogby, war elections, John Zogby, Obama, politics, war, zogby

There has been plenty of talk over what mid-term election outcomes will mean. Will majority changes mean that Americans disagree with the President? Are people simply discontent with the state of America in general?  In a recent Zogby Interactive poll (administered November 4 – 6), 72% of likely voters said they believe that Democrats will lose seats in 2010. This is amidst Republican wins last Tuesday in Virginia and New Jersey, but a Democratic win in New York’s 23rd.  The President’s approval rating hovers around 50% and few are happy with leadership for healthcare reform, a major topic not only of political debate but also of our everyday news.  On top of these figures, 89% of likely voters say that the American public is polarized.

With these indicators that voters are discontent and the belief that America is polarized, how should pundits and other media figures interpret these numbers?  Do you think the 2010 elections will mean Democratic losses and if so, why?

Leann Uncategorized elections, health, history, media, politics, zogby

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question we asked concerned respondents’ feelings about a potential link between cell phones and cancer.  The question noted that “some scientists suggest there is no link between cell phone usage and cancer, while other scientists argue there is a link. How concerned are you that long-term cell phone usage can cause cancer?”.

Overall, 42% of the sample was concerned (10% very concerned, 32% somewhat concerned), and 56% of the sample was not concerned (36% not very concerned, 20% not at all concerned).  Young people were slightly more average than likely to not be concerned, with 62% of those 18-29 saying they were not very or not at all  that long-term cellphone usage can cause cancer. Those who described themselves as very cosnservative were also more likely than average to not be concerned, with 63% of this group saying they were not very or not at all concerned.

Liberals (46% ) and  females (45%) were the  few groups that were more likely than other groups to be concerned about links between cellphones and cancer.  However, even these two groups had the majority of their respondents say they were not concerned.

How concerned are you about a potential link between cell phones and cancer? How about concern for your kids, many of whom may have had cell phones since a young age?  Do you believe the scientific evidence is currently strong enough to either prove or disprove a connection?

Katy health, technology elections, health, lifestyle, technology, Top Question Tuesday

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question asked whether Americans should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes. Overall, 68% of the sample believed yes,  Americans  should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, while 22% of the sample believed they should not, and 10% were not sure.

Groups that were more likely than average to say yes included those 18-29 (83%), progressives (96%), liberals (92%), and Democrats (83%). Groups that were more likely than average to say no included conservatives (37%),  very conservatives (49%), and Republicans (37%). However, even most of  these groups had more respondents answer yes than no; in fact, the very conservatives were the only group in our survey that had more people answer no than yes.

What are your feelings on medical marijuana? Why should people be allowed or not allowed to smoke for medicinal purposes?  Does it surprise you that majorities of most groups in America believe people should be allowed to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, but relatively few locations have laws which permit this? Is this likely to change in the future?

Katy health, politics culture, elections, future, health, politics, Top Question Tuesday

So what did we learn from Tuesday’s elections? And what lessons should Democrats and Republicans draw from the results?

The big races resulted in Republican wins in the gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia, and the first win by a Democrat this century for the Congressional district that comprises most of northern New York State.

Read all of John Zogby’s take on Tuesday’s elections at Forbes.com.

Paul John Zogby, elections, politics elections, John Zogby, race, zogby

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question asked people how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “I am angry at the U.S. government over the current state of the economy.” Overall, 49% strongly agreed, 27% somewhat agreed, 16% somewhat disagreed, and 6% strongly disagreed with this statement.

Groups that were more likely to strongly agree were those over 65 (58%),  those living in rural areas (59%), conservatives (71%) and very conservatives (82%).  Groups that were more likely to somewhat or strongly disagree were those 18-29  (33% somewhat or strongly disagreed, compared to 22% of the overall population),  those with a college degree  (31%), liberals (43%), and progressives (40%).

Are you surprised by these results? Do you believe anger at the US government over the state of the economy is likely to increase or decrease in the coming year?

Katy Uncategorized economy, elections, Top Question Tuesday

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question asked whether respondents planned to be vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu virus this year. Overall, 1% of the respondents had already been vaccinated, 31% said they planned to be vaccinated, 54% did not plan to be vaccinated, and 15% were not sure.

Groups that were more likely than average to say they planned to be vaccinated were  those with a college education or higher (36% planned to be vaccinated), those who live in large cities (36%), liberals (42%),  and those over aged 65 years old (38%). However, no demographic subgroup had more than 50% of respondents planning to be vaccinated, and liberals were the only group where those who said they would  be vaccinated outnumbered those who said they would not.

Do you plan on being vaccinated this year? What factors are affecting your decision? Why do you think so many people do not plan to be vaccinated?

Katy Uncategorized education, elections, health, polls, Top Question Tuesday

This may be an off-year election, but two governor’s races and one congressional district are making national news. From my perspective, there will be three themes coming out of Tuesday’s governor races in New Jersey and Virginia, and the election to fill a vacant House seat in northern New York state.

First, most elections are seen as a referendum on the president, and that’s especially true for Barack Obama, who in his first year in office is taking up major issues. Second, two of the races, for New Jersey governor and New York’s 23rd Congressional District seat, include third-party candidates, and how well they do will have significance. Third, the congressional election is splitting the national Republican Party, with some big names in the GOP backing the third-party candidate.

Read all of John Zogby’s thoughts on next week’s elections at Forbes.com.

Paul John Zogby, politics elections, John Zogby, Obama, race, zogby

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question asked respondents if they couldn’t live in the US or US territories anymore, which area of the world would they choose for their new home. Overall, 24% of those surveyed selected Australia/New Zealand, 19% selected Canada, 17% said Western Europe, 16% were not sure, and 9% selected the Caribbean. All other options (Central America, Mexico, South America, North Africa, Southern Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Antarctica) received less than 3% of the total.

Age, race, gender, education and whether one lived in a large city, small city, suburb or rural area had minimal impact on the region or country selected. Progressives and liberals were more likely than average to favor Canada, with 36% of progressives and 33% of liberals selecting this country. Conservatives and very conservatives were more likely than average to favor Australia/New Zealand, with 38% of conservatives and 40% of very conservatives selecting this region. This pattern was also seen with Democrats and Republicans, with 30% of Democrats selecting Canada and 36% of Republicans selecting Australia/New Zealand.

If you could no longer live in the US, where would you move and why?

Katy global issues, international education, elections, global issues, lifestyles, middle east, race, Top Question Tuesday

We recently included several winning Top Question Tuesday selections on an interactive poll. Stay tuned to this blog as we’ll be releasing the results over the next several weeks! And don’t forget to submit your own nominations for Top Question Tuesday using the box on the right of this blog.

One question asked whether respondents pay more, less, or about the same amount of attention to local political races (such as mayoral elections) compared to national political races. Overall, 8% of the respondents said they paid more attention to local races, 39% said they paid less attention to local races, and 52% paid the same amount of attention to local and national races.

Results did not vary widely across most demographics. Those with a college degree or more were slightly more likely (44%) to say they paid less attention to local political races, as were those living in the suburbs (45%), and those who are single (51%). No group was significantly more likely to say they paid more attention to local political races.

How much attention do you give to local political races? Are certain types of local races more interesting to you than others? Do you feel there is a strong relationship between local politics in your area and national politics?

Katy politics elections, politics, race, Top Question Tuesday