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Survey Reports
May 10, 2005
Beyond Red vs. Blue
Questionnaire (December 2004, Part 1)
PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE & THE PRESS
DECEMBER 2004 POLITICAL TYPOLOGY SURVEY
FINAL TOPLINE
December 1 - 16, 2004
N=2000
ON FORM ONE Q.1/1a PRECEDES Q.2 --- ON FORM TWO, Q.2 PRECEDES Q.1/1a
Q.1 Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? [IF DK
ENTER AS DK. IF DEPENDS PROBE ONCE WITH: Overall do you approve or disapprove of the
way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? IF STILL DEPENDS ENTER AS DK]
Dis- Don't
Approve approve know
December, 2004 48 44 8=100
Mid-October, 2004 44 48 8=100
August, 2004 46 45 9=100
July, 2004 46 46 8=100
June, 2004 48 43 9=100
May, 2004 44 48 8=100
Late April, 2004 48 43 9=100
Early April, 2004 43 47 10=100
Late March, 2004 47 44 9=100
Mid-March, 2004 46 47 7=100
February, 2004 48 44 8=100
Mid-January, 2004 56 34 10=100
Early January, 2004 58 35 7=100
2003
December, 2003 57 34 9=100
November, 2003 50 40 10=100
October, 2003 50 42 8=100
September, 2003 55 36 9=100
Mid-August, 2003 56 32 12=100
Early August, 2003 53 37 10=100
Mid-July, 2003 58 32 10=100
Early July, 2003 60 29 11=100
June, 2003 62 27 11=100
May, 2003 65 27 8=100
April 10-16, 2003 72 22 6=100
April 9, 2003 74 20 6=100
April 2-7, 2003 69 25 6=100
March 28-April 1, 2003 71 23 6=100
March 25-27, 2003 70 24 6=100
March 20-24, 2003 67 26 7=100
March 13-16, 2003 55 34 11=100
February, 2003 54 36 10=100
January, 2003 58 32 10=100
2002
December, 2002 61 28 11=100
Late October, 2002 59 29 12=100
Early October, 2002 61 30 9=100
Mid-September, 2002 67 22 11=100
Early September, 2002 63 26 11=100
Late August, 2002 60 27 13=100
August, 2002 67 21 12=100
Late July, 2002 65 25 10=100
July, 2002 67 21 12=100
June, 2002 70 20 10=100
April, 2002 69 18 13=100
Early April, 2002 74 16 10=100
February, 2002 78 13 9=100
January, 2002 80 11 9=100
2001
Mid-November, 2001 84 9 7=100
Early October, 2001 84 8 8=100
Late September, 2001 86 7 7=100
Mid-September, 2001 80 9 11=100
Early September, 2001 51 34 15=100
August, 2001 50 32 18=100
July, 2001 51 32 17=100
June, 2001 50 33 17=100
May, 2001 53 32 15=100
April, 2001 56 27 17=100
March, 2001 55 25 20=100
February, 2001 53 21 26=100
IF APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE (1,2 IN Q.1) ASK:
Q.1a Do you (approve/disapprove) very strongly, or not so strongly?
Nov 2003 Sept 2003 June 2002 April 2001
48 Approve 50 55 70 56
34 Very strongly 34 35 46 34
12 Not so strongly 14 18 21 20
2 Don't know (VOL) 2 2 3 2
44 Disapprove 40 36 20 27
35 Very strongly 30 27 8 18
8 Not so strongly 9 9 12 9
1 Don't know (VOL) 1 * 0 *
8 Don't know/Refused 10 9 10 17
100 100 100 100 100
ASK ALL:
Q.2 All in all, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today?
Sat- Dis- No
isfied satisfied Opinion
December, 2004 39 54 7=100
Mid-October, 2004 36 58 6=100
July, 2004 38 55 7=100
May, 2004 33 61 6=100
Late February, 2004 39 55 6=100
Early January, 2004 45 48 7=100
December, 2003 44 47 9=100
October, 2003 38 56 6=100
August, 2003 40 53 7=100
April, 2003 50 41 9=100
January, 2003 44 50 6=100
November, 2002 41 48 11=100
September, 2002 41 55 4=100
Late August, 2002 47 44 9=100
May, 2002 44 44 12=100
March, 2002 50 40 10=100
Late September, 2001 57 34 9=100
Early September, 2001 41 53 6=100
June, 2001 43 52 5=100
March, 2001 47 45 8=100
February, 2001 46 43 11=100
January, 2001 55 41 4=100
October, 2000 (RV's) 54 39 7=100
September, 2000 51 41 8=100
June, 2000 47 45 8=100
April, 2000 48 43 9=100
August, 1999 56 39 5=100
Sat- Dis- No
isfied satisfied Opinion
January, 1999 53 41 6=100
November, 1998 46 44 10=100
Early September, 1998 54 42 4=100
Late August, 1998 55 41 4=100
Early August, 1998 50 44 6=100
February, 1998 59 37 4=100
January, 1998 46 50 4=100
September, 1997 45 49 6=100
August, 1997 49 46 5=100
January, 1997 38 58 4=100
July, 1996 29 67 4=100
March, 1996 28 70 2=100
October, 1995 23 73 4=100
June, 1995 25 73 2=100
April, 1995 23 74 3=100
July, 1994 24 73 3=100
March, 1994 24 71 5=100
October, 1993 22 73 5=100
September, 1993 20 75 4=100
May, 1993 22 71 7=100
January, 1993 39 50 11=100
January, 1992 28 68 4=100
November, 1991 34 61 5=100
Late Feb, 1991 (Gallup) 66 31 3=100
August, 1990 47 48 5=100
May, 1990 41 54 5=100
January, 1989 45 50 5=100
September, 1988 (RVs) 50 45 5=100
May, 1988 41 54 5=100
January, 1988 39 55 6=100
ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=993]:
Q.3F1 What's your view Do you think the country is more politically divided these days than in the past,
or not?
66 More politically divided
26 Not more divided
8 Don't know/Refused
100
ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=1007]:
Q.4F2 Thinking about the people you know, are they more divided over politics these days than in the past,
or not?
53 More divided
40 Not more divided
7 Don't know/Refused
100
ASK IF 'MORE DIVIDED' IN EITHER (1 IN Q.3F1 OR 1 IN Q.4F2) [N=1178]:
Q.5 Why do you think people are more divided these days? What are they more divided about? [OPEN END;
ENTER MULTIPLE RESPONSES BUT DO NOT PROBE FOR ADDITIONAL; IF RESPONDENT
VOLUNTEERS "BUSH" ENTER BUSH, BUT ALSO PROBE "What is it about George W. Bush that
divides people?"]
36 FOREIGN POLICY (NET)
32 War/Iraq
3 Terrorism/ 9/11
2 Other foreign policy issues
19 DOMESTIC ISSUES (NET)
13 Economy/jobs
3 Healthcare
2 Taxes
1 Social Security
4 Other domestic issues
14 RELIGION AND MORALITY (NET)
5 Religion
3 Values/morals
3 Gay marriage/gay rights
2 Abortion
1 Church-State divide
1 Christian Right
3 Other religious/moral issues
12 LEADERSHIP/ELECTED OFFICIALS (NET)
6 President Bush
1 Democrats/liberals
1 Republicans/conservatives
4 Other leaders/the way the country is run
4 People are ignorant/selfish/scared/stubborn
3 CAMPAIGN/ELECTION (NET)
2 Election/Close election
* Negative Campaign
1 Other campaign/election
3 Rich-poor gap
3 Politics
3 Political parties/Both Republicans and Democrats
2 Everything is more divided
Q.5 CONTINUED...
2 Money
2 People have different views
1 Ideology/political philosophy
1 Media
1 Race
1 The way things are going
1 Immigrants
6 Other
9 Don't know
ASK ALL:
Q.6 All in all, how do you feel about George W. Bush being reelected President? Are you [READ]
15 Excited
34 Happy
29 Unhappy
15 Or depressed
7 (VOL. DO NOT READ) Don't know/Refused
100
Q.7 Here are some stories covered by news organizations this past month. For each, please tell me if you
happened to follow this news story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely.
[INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE WITH ITEMS a FIRST, FOLLOWED BY RANDOMIZED ITEMS
b THRU e; OBSERVE FORM SPLITS AND DATES]
Very Fairly Not too Not at all
Closely Closely Closely Closely DK/Ref
a. News about the current situation in Iraq 34 44 15 6 1=100
Mid-October, 2004 42 38 11 8 1=100
Early September, 2004 47 37 9 6 1=100
August, 2004 39 42 12 6 1=100
July, 2004 43 40 11 6 *=100
June, 2004 39 42 12 6 1=100
April, 2004 54 33 8 5 *=100
Mid-March, 2004 47 36 12 4 1=100
Early February, 2004 47 38 10 4 1=100
Mid-January, 2004 48 39 9 4 *=100
December, 2003 44 38 11 6 1=100
November, 2003 52 33 9 5 1=100
October, 2003 38 40 14 7 1=100
September, 2003 50 33 10 6 1=100
Mid-August, 2003 45 39 10 5 1=100
Early July, 2003 37 41 13 8 1=100
June, 2003 46 35 13 6 *=100
May, 2003 63 29 6 2 *=100
April 11-16, 2003 47 40 10 2 1=100
April 2-7, 2003 54 34 9 2 1=100
March 20-24, 2003 57 33 7 2 1=100
Q.7 CONTINUED... Very Fairly Not too Not at all
Closely Closely Closely Closely DK/Ref
March 13-16, 2003 62 27 6 4 1=100
February, 2003 62 25 8 4 1=100
January, 2003 55 29 10 4 2=100
December, 2002 51 32 10 6 1=100
Late October, 2002 53 33 8 5 1=100
Early October, 2002 60 28 6 5 1=100
Early September, 2002 48 29 15 6 2=100
ASK FORM 1 ONLY, DECEMBER 1-7, 2004 ONLY [N=523]:
b1.F1 A fistfight between players and
fans at an NBA game 24 25 25 26 *=100
ASK FORM 1 ONLY, DECEMBER 8-15, 2004 ONLY [N=419]:
b2.F2 Recent reports of steroid use by some
Major League Baseball players 22 28 23 27 0=100
ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=993]:
c.F1 Controversy over the results of
the recent election in Ukraine 10 22 29 38 1=100
ASK FORM 2 ONLY, DECEMBER 1-7, 2004 ONLY [N=523]:
d1.F2 The conviction of Scott Peterson
for the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson 21 27 27 24 1=100
April, 2004 20 37 24 17 2=100
July, 2003 22 34 26 17 1=100
May, 2003 31 31 21 16 1=100
ASK FORM 2 ONLY, DECEMBER 8-15, 2004 ONLY [N=436]:
d2.F2 The debate in Washington
over reorganizing the nation's
intelligence system 16 31 29 22 2=100
ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=1007]:
e.F2 The death of Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat 18 38 25 17 2=100
NO QUESTION 8
ASK ALL:
Q.9 Can you tell me the name of the person George W. Bush has nominated to replace Colin Powell as
Secretary of State?
43 Yes, Correct, Condoleezza Rice / Condi / Rice
5 Yes, Incorrect, any other person
52 No, Don't know/Refused
100
Q.10 Do you happen to know when Iraq is scheduled to hold its first national elections? Will it be this winter,
sometime in the spring, or later in the summer?
57 This winter
10 Sometime in the spring
5 Later in the summer
28 Don't know/Refused
100
ASK ALL:
Q.11 I'm going to read you some pairs of statements that will help us understand how you feel about a number of
things. As I read each pair, tell me whether the FIRST statement or the SECOND statement comes closer
to your own views even if neither is exactly right. The first pair is... (READ AND RANDOMIZE)
(AFTER CHOICE IS MADE, PROBE: Do you feel STRONGLY about that, or not?)
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
a. Government is almost always
47 wasteful and inefficient 48 -- -- 52 51 -- 59 56 -- 63 63 64 66
38 Strongly 38 -- -- 43 41 -- 49 48 -- 53 51 54 54
9 Not Strongly 10 -- -- 9 10 -- 10 8 -- 10 12 10 12
Government often does a better
45 job than people give it credit for 46 -- -- 40 43 -- 36 39 -- 34 34 32 31
28 Strongly 28 -- -- 27 28 -- 23 25 -- 20 19 19 17
17 Not Strongly 18 -- -- 13 15 -- 13 14 -- 14 15 13 14
8 Neither/Don't know 6 -- -- 8 6 -- 5 5 -- 3 3 4 3
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
b. Government regulation of
business is necessary to
49 protect the public interest -- 54 50 -- 48 -- -- 45 -- 45 43 38 41
32 Strongly -- 39 35 -- 32 -- -- 29 -- 28 25 24 24
17 Not Strongly -- 15 15 -- 16 -- -- 16 -- 17 18 14 17
Government regulation of
business usually does
41 more harm than good -- 36 41 -- 44 -- -- 46 -- 50 51 55 54
30 Strongly -- 27 31 -- 32 -- -- 33 -- 37 38 41 39
11 Not Strongly -- 9 10 -- 12 -- -- 13 -- 13 13 14 15
10 Neither/Don't know -- 10 9 -- 8 -- -- 9 -- 5 6 7 5
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Q.11 CONTINUED...
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
c. Poor people today have it easy because 03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
they can get government benefits
34 without doing anything in return 34 -- -- -- 45 -- 45 46 -- 54 52 48 53
23 Strongly 24 -- -- -- 30 -- 33 35 -- 36 37 35 37
11 Not Strongly 10 -- -- -- 15 -- 12 11 -- 18 15 13 16
Poor people have hard lives because
government benefits don't go far
52 enough to help them live decently 55 -- -- -- 42 -- 42 40 -- 36 39 41 39
40 Strongly 42 -- -- -- 31 -- 31 28 -- 25 28 31 27
12 Not Strongly 13 -- -- -- 11 -- 11 12 -- 11 11 10 12
14 Neither/Don't know 11 -- -- -- 13 -- 13 14 -- 10 9 11 8
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
d. The government should do more to help 03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
needy Americans, even if it means going
57 deeper into debt -- -- -- -- 57 -- -- 46 49 47 46 50 48
46 Strongly -- -- -- -- 44 -- -- 36 42 35 33 39 35
11 Not Strongly -- -- -- -- 13 -- -- 10 7 12 13 11 13
The government today can't afford to do
33 much more to help the needy -- -- -- -- 35 -- -- 44 44 47 47 43 47
22 Strongly -- -- -- -- 23 -- -- 31 34 31 34 31 32
11 Not Strongly -- -- -- -- 12 -- -- 13 10 16 13 12 15
10 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- -- 8 -- -- 10 7 6 7 7 5
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
e. The position of blacks in American society
73 has improved in recent years -- -- -- -- 78 -- 73 73 -- 69 70 67 72
59 Strongly -- -- -- -- 63 -- 55 57 -- 52 52 50 52
14 Not Strongly -- -- -- -- 15 -- 18 16 -- 17 18 17 20
There hasn't been much real progress for
20 blacks in recent years -- -- -- -- 18 -- 22 21 -- 27 26 27 25
14 Strongly -- -- -- -- 13 -- 16 16 -- 20 19 20 18
6 Not Strongly -- -- -- -- 5 -- 6 5 -- 7 7 7 7
7 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- -- 4 -- 5 6 -- 4 4 6 3
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
f. Racial discrimination is the main 03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
reason why many black people
27 can't get ahead these days 24 -- -- 31 28 25 33 28 -- 37 34 34 32
18 Strongly 16 -- -- 22 19 -- 22 19 -- 25 21 24 20
9 Not Strongly 8 -- -- 9 9 -- 11 9 -- 12 13 10 12
Blacks who can't get ahead in this
country are mostly responsible for
60 their own condition 64 -- -- 54 59 61 54 58 -- 53 56 54 59
44 Strongly 50 -- -- 43 46 -- 41 45 -- 38 40 40 43
16 Not Strongly 14 -- -- 11 13 -- 13 13 -- 15 16 14 16
13 Neither/Don't know 12 -- -- 15 13 14 13 14 -- 10 10 12 9
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Q.11 CONTINUED...
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Apr Jun Oct Apr Oct Jul
g. Immigrants today strengthen our 03 02 02 00 99 97 97 97 96 95 95 94 94
country because of their hard
45 work and talents 46 -- -- 50 46 41 41 38 37 -- -- -- 31
32 Strongly 30 -- -- 36 30 -- 26 19 -- -- -- -- 17
13 Not Strongly 16 -- -- 14 16 -- 15 19 -- -- -- -- 14
Immigrants today are a burden on
our country because they take our
44 jobs, housing and health care 44 -- -- 38 44 48 48 52 54 -- -- -- 63
34 Strongly 35 -- -- 29 34 -- 37 38 -- -- -- -- 49
10 Not Strongly 9 -- -- 9 10 -- 11 14 -- -- -- -- 14
11 Neither/Don't know 10 -- -- 12 10 11 11 10 9 -- -- -- 6
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
NO ITEM H.
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
i. The best way to ensure peace is through
30 military strength -- -- -- -- 33 -- -- 36 -- 36 35 40 36
25 Strongly -- -- -- -- 26 -- -- 30 -- 28 27 32 28
5 Not Strongly -- -- -- -- 7 -- -- 6 -- 8 8 8 8
Good diplomacy is the best way to
55 ensure peace -- -- -- -- 55 -- -- 53 -- 59 58 52 58
46 Strongly -- -- -- -- 45 -- -- 44 -- 49 46 43 46
9 Not Strongly -- -- -- -- 10 -- -- 9 -- 10 12 9 12
15 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- -- 12 -- -- 11 -- 5 7 8 6
100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
j. We should all be willing to fight for our
46 country, whether it is right or wrong -- -- -- 48 47 -- -- 48 -- 49 49 47 52
39 Strongly -- -- -- 41 39 -- -- 39 -- 38 39 39 43
7 Not Strongly -- -- -- 7 8 -- -- 7 -- 11 10 8 9
It's acceptable to refuse to fight in a war
46 you believe is morally wrong -- -- -- 45 47 -- -- 47 -- 48 47 47 45
38 Strongly -- -- -- 37 38 -- -- 39 -- 38 38 37 35
8 Not Strongly -- -- -- 8 9 -- -- 8 -- 10 9 10 10
8 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- 7 6 -- -- 7 -- 3 4 6 3
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
k. Most people who want to get ahead can
68 make it if they're willing to work hard -- -- -- 73 74 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 68
62 Strongly -- -- -- 66 66 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 59
6 Not strongly -- -- -- 7 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 9
Hard work and determination are no
28 guarantee of success for most people -- -- -- 24 23 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 30
22 Strongly -- -- -- 20 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 22
6 Not strongly -- -- -- 4 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8
4 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- 3 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2
100 100 100 100
Q.11 CONTINUED...
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
l. Success in life is pretty much determined
16 by forces outside of our control -- -- -- -- 15 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 18
11 Strongly -- -- -- -- 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 12
5 Not strongly -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6
78 Everyone has it in their own power
to succeed -- -- -- -- 80 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 79
68 Strongly -- -- -- -- 72 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 67
10 Not strongly -- -- -- -- 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 12
6 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3
100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
m. Too much power is concentrated in the
77 hands of a few large companies -- 80 77 -- 77 -- -- 75 -- 77 75 73 76
64 Strongly -- 67 62 -- 62 -- -- 61 -- 62 59 58 59
13 Not Strongly -- 13 15 -- 15 -- -- 14 -- 15 16 15 17
The largest companies do NOT have
16 too much power -- 12 17 -- 17 -- -- 18 -- 18 20 20 19
9 Strongly -- 7 9 -- 10 -- -- 10 -- 9 10 10 9
7 Not Strongly -- 5 8 -- 7 -- -- 8 -- 9 10 10 10
7 Neither/Don't know -- 8 6 -- 6 -- -- 7 -- 5 5 7 5
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
n. Business corporations make too
53 much profit 51 58 54 54 52 -- 51 51 -- 53 51 50 52
46 Strongly 43 51 44 46 42 -- 43 43 -- 44 42 40 43
7 Not Strongly 8 7 10 8 10 -- 8 8 -- 9 9 10 9
Most corporations make a fair
39 and reasonable amount of profit 42 33 39 38 42 -- 43 42 -- 43 44 44 43
25 Strongly 27 22 24 28 29 -- 28 27 -- 27 26 28 27
14 Not Strongly 15 11 15 10 13 -- 15 15 -- 16 18 16 16
8 Neither/Don't know 7 9 7 8 6 -- 6 7 -- 4 5 6 5
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
o. Elected officials in Washington lose touch
66 with the people pretty quickly -- -- -- 66 68 -- -- 69 72 73 76 74 71
54 Strongly -- -- -- 53 55 -- -- 58 59 60 64 61 58
12 Not Strongly -- -- -- 13 13 -- -- 11 13 13 12 13 13
Elected officials in Washington try hard to
26 stay in touch with voters back home -- -- -- 27 26 -- -- 25 23 24 21 22 25
15 Strongly -- -- -- 18 16 -- -- 15 14 14 12 13 14
11 Not Strongly -- -- -- 9 10 -- -- 10 9 10 9 9 11
8 Neither/Don't know -- -- -- 7 6 -- -- 6 5 3 3 4 4
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Jun Jul Feb Sep Aug Oct Jun Oct Apr Oct Apr Oct Jul
03 02 02 00 99 97 97 96 96 95 95 94 94
p. Most elected officials care what
32 people like me think 33 -- -- 39 35 -- 28 38 -- 33 32 29 34
19 Strongly 18 -- -- 26 21 -- 17 23 -- 18 18 17 18
13 Not Strongly 15 -- -- 13 14 -- 11 15 -- 15 14 12 16
Most elected officials don't care
63 what people like me think 62 -- -- 55 60 -- 67 58 -- 64 64 68 64
52 Strongly 51 -- -- 44 49 -- 55 48 -- 53 53 56 51
11 Not Strongly 11 -- -- 11 11 -- 12 10 -- 11 11 12 13
5 Neither/Don't know 5 -- -- 6 5 -- 5 4 -- 3 4 3 2
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Q.12 Would you say your overall opinion of [INSERT ITEM; ROTATE ITEMS a. AND b. WITH c.
ALWAYS LAST] is very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?
[INTERVIEWERS: PROBE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN "NEVER HEARD OF" AND "CAN'T
RATE."] How about [NEXT ITEM]?
-------Favorable------ -----Unfavorable----- Never Can't
Total Very Mostly Total Very Mostly Heard of Rate
a. The Republican Party 52 15 37 42 17 25 0 6=100
June, 2004 51 12 39 40 14 26 0 9=100
Early February, 2004 52 14 38 42 16 26 * 6=100
June, 2003 58 14 44 33 10 23 0 9=100
April, 2003 63 14 49 31 10 21 * 6=100
December, 2002 59 18 41 33 11 22 * 8=100
July, 2001 48 11 37 42 15 27 * 10=100
January, 2001 56 13 43 35 13 22 * 9=100
September, 2000 (RVs) 53 11 42 40 12 28 0 7=100
August, 1999 53 8 45 43 12 31 * 4=100
February, 1999 44 7 37 51 15 36 0 5=100
January, 1999 44 10 34 50 23 27 0 6=100
Early December, 1998 46 11 35 47 20 27 * 7=100
Early October, 1998 (RVs) 52 9 43 42 14 28 0 6=100
Early September, 1998 56 9 47 37 11 26 * 7=100
March, 1998 50 10 40 43 12 31 * 7=100
August, 1997 47 9 38 47 11 36 * 6=100
June, 1997 51 8 43 42 11 31 1 6=100
January, 1997 52 8 44 43 10 33 * 5=100
October, 1995 52 10 42 44 16 28 * 4=100
December, 1994 67 21 46 27 8 19 * 6=100
July, 1994 63 12 51 33 8 25 * 4=100
May, 1993 54 12 42 35 10 25 0 11=100
July, 1992 46 9 37 48 17 31 * 6=100
b. The Democratic Party 53 13 40 41 14 27 * 6=100
June, 2004 54 12 42 36 11 25 0 10=100
Early February, 2004 58 14 44 37 9 28 * 5=100
June, 2003 54 11 43 38 10 28 0 8=100
April, 2003 57 13 44 36 11 25 * 7=100
December, 2002 54 15 39 37 10 27 * 9=100
July, 2001 58 18 40 34 10 24 * 8=100
January, 2001 60 18 42 30 9 21 1 9=100
Q.12 CONTINUED... -------Favorable------ -----Unfavorable----- Never Can't
Total Very Mostly Total Very Mostly Heard of Rate
September, 2000 (RVs) 60 16 44 35 12 23 * 5=100
August, 1999 59 14 45 37 9 28 * 4=100
February, 1999 58 11 47 37 11 26 0 5=100
January, 1999 55 14 41 38 12 26 0 7=100
Early December, 1998 59 18 41 34 10 24 0 7=100
Early October, 1998 (RVs) 56 11 45 38 9 29 * 6=100
Early September, 1998 60 13 47 33 8 25 * 7=100
March, 1998 58 15 43 36 10 26 * 6=100
August, 1997 52 11 41 42 10 32 0 6=100
June, 1997 61 10 51 33 8 25 * 6=100
January, 1997 60 13 47 35 7 28 * 5=100
October, 1995 49 9 40 48 11 37 0 3=100
December, 1994 50 13 37 44 13 31 * 6=100
July, 1994 62 13 49 34 7 27 * 4=100
May, 1993 57 14 43 34 9 25 0 9=100
July, 1992 61 17 44 33 9 24 * 6=100
c. The news media 43 8 35 51 18 33 * 6=100
Late October, 2000 (RVs) 50 7 43 45 14 31 0 5=100
February, 1999 (RVs) 48 6 42 49 14 35 0 3=100
March, 1998 (RVs) 45 7 38 53 17 36 * 2=100
October, 1997 (RVs) 50 6 44 48 14 34 * 2=100
NO QUESTION 13-14
Q.15 How would you rate economic conditions in this country today as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?
Only Don't know/
Excellent Good Fair Poor Refused
December, 2004 3 33 43 20 1=100
Early November, 2004 (RVs) 5 31 37 26 1=100
Mid-September, 2004 4 34 40 20 2=100
August, 2004 3 30 45 21 1=100
Late April, 2004 4 34 38 22 2=100
Late February, 2004 2 29 42 26 1=100
February 9-12, 2004 (Gallup) 2 31 46 21 0=100
January 12-15, 2004 (Gallup) 3 34 42 21 0=100
January 2-5, 2004 (Gallup) 3 40 41 16 *=100
December 11-14, 2003 (Gallup) 3 34 44 19 *=100
November 3-5, 2003 (Gallup) 2 28 49 21 *=100
October 24-26, 2003 (Gallup) 2 24 44 30 *=100
October 6-8, 2003 (Gallup) 2 20 50 27 1=100
September 8-10, 2003 (Gallup) 1 20 49 30 *=100
August 4-6, 2003 (Gallup) 1 24 52 23 *=100
August 5-8, 2002 (Gallup) 1 27 52 19 1=100
August 16-19, 2001 (Gallup) 2 34 49 14 1=100
August 18-19, 2000 (Gallup) 25 49 21 4 1=100
August 24-26, 1999 (Gallup) 14 50 28 7 1=100
September 1, 1998 (Gallup) 11 54 25 9 1=100
August 22-25, 1997 (Gallup) 8 41 38 13 *=100
October 26-29, 1996 (Gallup) 5 42 39 13 1=100
November 6-8, 1995 (Gallup) 2 28 47 22 1=100
Q.15 CONTINUED...
Only Don't know/
Excellent Good Fair Poor Refused
July 15-17, 1994 (Gallup) 1 26 52 21 *=100
June 29-30, 1993 (Gallup) 1 14 52 32 1=100
Aug. 31-Sept., 1992 (Gallup) (RVs) 1 9 37 53 *=100
NO QUESTION 16
On another subject...
Q.17 How have you been getting most of your news about national and international issues? From television,
from newspapers, from radio, from magazines, or from the Internet? [ACCEPT TWO ANSWERS: IF
ONLY ONE RESPONSE IS GIVEN, PROBE FOR ADDITIONAL RESPONSE]
Other Don't Know/
Television Newspapers Radio Magazines Internet (VOL) Refused
December, 2004 74 46 21 4 24 2 3
October, 2003 80 50 18 4 20 2 1
August, 2003 79 46 15 3 18 2 1
Early July, 2003 79 45 16 5 19 1 *
March, 2003* 89 24 19 * 11 2 *
February, 2003 83 42 19 4 15 3 *
January, 2003 81 44 22 4 17 2 1
January, 2002 82 42 21 3 14 2 *
Mid-September, 2001 90 11 14 * 5 1 1
Early September, 2001 74 45 18 6 13 1 *
February, 2001 76 40 16 4 10 2 1
October, 1999 80 48 19 5 11 2 *
January, 1999 82 42 18 4 6 2 *
January, 1996 88 61 25 8 -- 2 *
September, 1995 82 63 20 10 -- 1 1
January, 1994 83 51 15 10 -- 5 1
September, 1993 83 60 17 9 -- 3 *
January, 1993 83 52 17 5 -- 1 1
Early January, 1991 82 40 15 4 -- 1 *
* In March 2003, the question was worded “news about the war in Iraq.” In Mid-September 2001, the question was
worded “news about the terrorist attacks.” In September 1995, question wording did not include “international.”
In Early January 1991 the question asked about “the latest developments in the Persian Gulf.”
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- Questionnaire (December 2004, Part 1)