Monday morning Matt Drudge used a curious headline -“Obama Approve/Disapprove Reach Parity”  – to link to the RealClearPolitics Average, which now shows the President with a 48% approval rating and a 47% disapproval rating.  To us, this revelation was far from shocking; it is the extension of a trend we have seen emerging as far back as this past August.

Our interactive polling began to show the President’s predicament not long after the healthcare town hall events finished unsettling the usually calm Washington August.  Since that time, his standing among political independents has fluctuated from a low of 36% to a high of 47%.  And with every dip in the President’s support among independents, his overall approval has followed.

The RealClearPolitics average itself first dropped below 50% at the end of November of last year and has shown the parity of the President’s approval fairly consistently over the past several months.  But when you look at the RealClearPolitics chart, you may notice something missing.  Though our interactive tracking polls for the past 6 months align with the trend shown by the polling average, our interactive results are not included in the data set.

RealClearPolitics is not alone in failing to report our interactive methodology, though the number of outlets dismissing this methodology grows fewer every day.  News outlets who hold fast to a belief in the telephone only world of polling miss the chance to seize on a new and better source of public opinion — the increasing number of Americans who are moving into the online world in droves and who go there to voice their opinions.

For those who wonder about the track record of our interactive they need look no further than our performance in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 elections.

So while many pollsters continue to argue that the landline telephone is the only true polling methodology available, doubling down on a technology that grows more obsolete by the day gives new meaning to the word foolhardy.  Rather than place the same foolish bets, we invested in developing new technologies and new methodologies like our Zogby Interactive polling, which allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of the new interconnected and interactive America.

There will be those who bemoan internet based polling and will rant about methodology issues until they have exhausted all available oxygen in the room, but for all the shouting in the world one fact remains –internet-based polling will be a vital part of the future.  And while no one methodology is perfect, having spent the past decade refining our interactive panel of nearly 500,000 respondents, we can say that the view from the head of this trend is a good one and we look forward to the day when the rest of the industry catches up.

ZogbyFeaturedContributor Uncategorized Obama, polls

One year into Obama’s presidency, a majority of Americans are proud to have Obama as President.  A Zogby poll conducted just before Obama’s recent State of the Union Address found that 51% of Americans overall, along with 88% of Democrats, 45% of Independents, and 11% of Republicans, said they were proud to have Obama as President.  The full press release can be read here.

What do you think – are you proud or ashamed to have Obama as President? Can one be proud to have Obama as President while still disapproving of the job he is doing?

Katy politics Obama, politics, zogby

Welcome to this week’s edition of Top Question Tuesday. Voter turnout was higher than expected last week!  To thank you for your vote, we have decided to run the top two winning questions from last week’s Top Question Tuesday on an upcoming poll!  The two questions that will be added to an upcoming nationwide survey will ask Americans if they think “In God We Trust” should appear on US coins and the second question will ask Americans if they agree or disagree with Obama critics who argue that Obama is leading the US toward socialism.  Once we have results from the question we’ll post them on our blog.

This week’s user-submitted survey questions are below. The questions are shortened to save space on our blog post, but these are the basic ideas. Take a look through and then vote for the question you’d most like to see on a Zogby Interactive survey. As a reminder, if you’d like to submit a question to be considered for a Top Question Tuesday Zogby survey, use the “Top Question Tuesday” box on the right of the page. And if you’d like to join Zogby’s interactive panel to answer questions similar to these, click here.

1. Do you think women should receive their first mammogram starting at age 40, starting at age 50, some other age, or should women not receive mammograms at all?

2. Do you think having a graduate degree, such as a masters or doctoral degree, makes it is easier to get ahead in the workplace?  

3. Which of the following domestic issues do you think should be the number one priority for the U.S.?
1. National Security 2. Jobs 3. Education. 4. Healthcare. 5. Taxes. 6. Environment 7.  The economy 8. Something else/None of these

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Leann Uncategorized economy, education, environment, health, Obama, Top Question Tuesday, war, work, zogby

The latest Zogby approval numbers for Obama are out and show Obama’s overall job approval rating at 49%, a number unchanged from the last time we asked about Obama’s job approval three weeks ago on October 19. While ratings of Obama among core supporters such as First Globals™, Democrats, and Liberals remain high, ratings among independents have dipped slightly, from 47% approval on September 28, to 43% on October 19, to 40% on our most recent survey. Pollster John Zogby notes that “inside this poll are warning signs for the President…given his drop among independents, who our polling finds include many conservatives, the President has little slack to give from his base.”

The complete press release can be read here. What are your feelings on these numbers? Should Obama be worried about the decline in approval among independents if his overall approval remains steady?

Katy first globals first globals, John Zogby, Obama, politics, polls, war, zogby

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

Every week, John Zogby grades the performance of President Barack Obama for U.S. News and World Report. Read the full report card by clicking on the quote below.

Paul Uncategorized John Zogby, Obama, zogby

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

Every week, John Zogby grades the performance of President Barack Obama for U.S. News and World Report. Read the full report card by clicking on the quote below.

Paul Uncategorized John Zogby, Obama, zogby

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

Every week, John Zogby grades the performance of President Barack Obama for U.S. News and World Report. Read the full report card by clicking on the quote below.

Paul John Zogby, politics John Zogby, Obama, zogby