Gallup Poll News Service back issues from December 2008:
Healthcare Access, Cost Are Top Health Concerns; Majority mention either access to or cost of healthcare as most urgent health problem.(Survey)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: A majority of Americans cite either access to healthcare (30%) or the cost of care (25%) as the most urgent health problem facing the country. This marks the sixth successive year that these two concerns have outweighed concerns about a ...
Obama National Security Picks Get High Marks; Sixty-nine percent approve of Obama choosing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.(Barack Obama)(Survey)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Sixty-nine percent of Americans favor Barack Obamaas choice of Hillary Clinton for secretary of state and 80% approve of his decision to keep Robert Gates on as secretary of defense. More generally, 78% approve of the way Obama is handling his ...
Blacks as Conservative as Republicans on Some Moral Issues; One explanation: Black Democrats are much more religious than nonblack Democrats.(Survey)
Dec 03, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Only 31% of black Democrats say homosexual relations are morally acceptable, much more conservative than the position of Democrats in general, despite the fact that the vast majority of blacks identify themselves as Democrats or lean toward the ...
Lame-Duck Presidents Usually See Approval Ratings Rise; George W. Busha[euro][TM]s approval rating has increased 4 points since the election.(Survey)
Dec 03, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Historically, lame-duck presidents have received higher approval ratings in their last weeks in office than prior to the elections that chose their successors. George H.W. Bush (+22 points) and Ronald Reagan (+12) had the largest increases ....
Ahead of Election, Ghanaians Prioritize Economic Issues; Poverty, new jobs, unemployment top to-do list for new government.(Survey)
Dec 04, 2008; ... Byline: Bob Tortora, Chief Methodologist Synopsis: Ghanaians, nearly half of whom (48%) in April said they had already given quite a lot of thought to this weekendas presidential election, clearly want their new government to prioritize economic issues, namely poverty, new jobs, ...
Cabinet Picks Not Affecting Overall Confidence in Obama; Throughout transition, two-thirds of Americans consistently confident.(Barack Obama)(Survey)
Dec 05, 2008; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: Americansa positive reactions to Barack Obamaas cabinet appointments this week have provided no further boost to their already-high confidence in him. Two-thirds of Americans (65%) remain confident in his ability to be a good president and ...
Three in 10 Households Still Deferring Medical Care; Rate of deferring medical treatment has been stable for past four years.(Survey)
Dec 05, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Three in 10 Americans (29%) tell Gallup that they or someone in their family put off medical treatment in the past year because of the cost. While this is true for 61% of the uninsured, 29% of those with private insurance and 18% of those with ...
Consumer Spending Remains Higher Since Thanksgiving; Daily spending $124 over the eight days from Black Friday though Dec. 5.(Survey)
Dec 08, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: American consumer spending has picked up since Thanksgiving Day, with average daily spending from Friday, Nov. 28 through Friday, Dec. 5 at $124, well above the average for November prior to Thanksgiving, and also above the average spending for ...
Americans Don't See Economic Turnaround Anytime Soon; Two-thirds expect it will be two years or more before recovery begins.(Survey)
Dec 08, 2008; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: The news that the United States is already a year into recession hasn't dramatically altered Americans' views of how much longer the downturn will last. Two-thirds of Americans continue to say it will be two years or more before the economy ...
Before Attacks, Intercommunal Tensions Rising in India; Citizens growing more likely to expect conflict between Muslims, Hindus.(Survey)
Dec 08, 2008; ... Byline: Julie Ray and Rajesh Srinivasan Synopsis: Gallup Polls in India find 22% of residents anticipating more conflict between Muslims and Hindus in that country, nearly double the percentage who did so in 2006, but still less than the 40% anticipating less conflict. ...
Americans Still Not Buying In to Auto Bailout; No ringing endorsement of federal assistance.(Survey)
Dec 09, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: A slight majority of 51% of Americans oppose the federal government's giving major financial assistance to the Big Three U.S. automotive companies, while 43% support it. However, if it is stressed that one of the Big Three were certain to fail ...
Americans Blame Car Company Execs for U.S. Auto Crisis; Almost two-thirds say auto execs deserve a great deal of blame.(Survey)
Dec 09, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Two-thirds of Americans (65%) say car company executives deserve a "great deal of blame" for the problems of the U.S. auto industry -- a much higher percentage than say the same about labor unions, the current economic recession, government ...
New Surge in Weekly Jobless Claims Likely; Gallup's hiring measure projects jobless claims will exceed 525,000 consensus estimate.(Survey)
Dec 09, 2008; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's hiring measure suggests that new weekly jobless claims may surge past the 525,000 consensus estimate when they are reported this Thursday, and could exceed the weekly high for the year of 543,000. PRINCETON, ...
Initial Bailout Falling Out of Favor With Americans; More likely now than in October to see it as a "bad thing".(Survey)
Dec 09, 2008; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: Slightly more Americans now say the initial $700 billion bailout for U.S. financial institutions was a bad thing than say it was a good thing, 47% to 46%, marking a reversal from right after the package was passed, when more said it was a good ...
Personal Satisfaction Ratings Decline to Lowest Since 1992; Now less than half of Americans say they are very satisfied with their personal lives.(Survey)
Dec 10, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans' reported satisfaction with their personal lives remains high at 80%, though it has declined slightly over the past year to its lowest level since 1992. Only 47% of Americans say they are "very satisfied," the first time this ...
Kenyans Put National Identity Before Ethnicity; But steep decline in perceptions of tolerance toward ethnic groups.(Survey)
Dec 10, 2008; ... Byline: Magali Rheault and Bob Tortora Synopsis: Although the post-election violence that overwhelmed Kenya earlier this year appeared in many ways to be an ethnic conflict, Gallup Poll findings reveal that 85% of Kenyans define themselves in terms of national identity and not ...
Conservative Republicans Still Widely Support Bush; Averaging just 29% job approval overall thus far in December.(Survey)
Dec 11, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: At a time when an average of just 29% of Americans approve of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, more than 7 in 10 conservative Republicans continue to back him. Nearly every other demographic group shows support for Bush below 40%. ...
Blagojevich Scandal Feeds Into Public Skepticism; Even before his arrest, few Americans thought state governors had high ethics.(Rod Blagojevich)(Survey)
Dec 12, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: As the political world reels over corruption charges against the Illinois governor, Gallup finds that most recently, only 22% of Americans rate state governors highly on ethics, and that a majority already thought quite a few government officials ...
Opinion Briefing: North American Free Trade Agreement; Half of Americans say NAFTA has mainly negative effect on the economy.(Survey)
Dec 12, 2008; ... Byline: Cynthia English Synopsis: With U.S. President-elect Barack Obama having stated his desire to renegotiate NAFTA, Gallup examines public opinion within the three countries involved. Americans are more negative about the economic benefits of NAFTA for their country, while ...
Cable, Internet News Sources Growing in Popularity; Local television news remains preferred daily source.(Survey)
Dec 15, 2008; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: Among daily news sources, only cable and Internet news have shown significant gains in popularity since 2006, while all other media are stable or declining. Local television news remains most popular, with more than half of Americans (51%) saying ...
News Sources.(Survey)
Dec 15, 2008 ... Synopsis: News Sources ...
One in Four See Obama Staff Illegally Tied to Blagojevich; Still, confidence in Obama near highest level since his election.(Barack Obama's staff involvement on Rod Blagojevich corruption case)(Survey)
Dec 15, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: About one out of four Americans (26%), including half of Republicans, believe that members of President-elect Barack Obama's staff engaged in illegal activity relating to the charges that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sought a profit in naming ...
Republicans in Congress Less Popular Than Bush; Only one in four approve of the Republicans, their worst rating since 1999.(George W. Bush)(Survey)
Dec 16, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: The Republicans in Congress (25%) rank below George W. Bush (29%) in terms of their job approval ratings. The Democrats in Congress are rated slightly better (37%). Meanwhile, Barack Obama continues to get high marks for how he is handling his ...
Thursday Jobless Claims Likely to Justify Fed Rate Cut; Gallup's hiring measure projects Thursday's four-week jobless claims will hit new high for year.(Survey)
Dec 16, 2008; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's hiring measure suggests that Thursday's report of new weekly jobless claims may add to the justification for the Fed rate cut. The seasonally adjusted four-week rolling average of new unemployment claims is likely to hit ...
In Egypt, Souring Attitudes Toward United States; Stance on Israeli-Palestinian conflict likely outweighing foreign aid.(Survey)
Dec 16, 2008; ... Byline: Ian T. Brown and Ahmed Younis Synopsis: Despite the United States giving Egypt roughly $2 billion in development assistance annually, Egyptians' confidence in the sincerity of U.S. efforts to establish democracy in the region has only declined over the past three years. ...
No Evidence Bad Times Are Boosting Church Attendance; An average of 42% have attended regularly all year.(Survey)
Dec 17, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Despite some news reports to the contrary, Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows no evidence that church attendance in America has been increasing as a result of bad economic times; the 42% of Americans who report having attended church regularly over ...
Jobless, Bailout News Trigger Unhappiest Day So Far in 2008; The five least happy days of 2008 in U.S. coincide with negative economic news.(Survey)
Dec 17, 2008; ... Byline: Elizabeth Mendes Synopsis: Americans' collective level of happiness or enjoyment without a lot of stress or worry fell to a new low of 35% on Thursday, Dec. 11, the same day the U.S. Labor Department announced a 26-year high in new jobless claims and the auto bailout ...
Pakistanis Support Tougher Stance on Terrorism; Nearly half of citizens (49%) say their government isn't doing enough.(Survey)
Dec 17, 2008; ... Byline: Julie Ray Synopsis: A Gallup Poll of Pakistanis in October found a solid majority (60%) saying the Pakistani government should take a tougher approach to rid their country of terrorist activities. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A recent Gallup Poll of Pakistanis suggests ...
Automaker Woes Not a Major Factor in Car-Buying Decisions; Broader economic concerns more consequential.(Survey)
Dec 18, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans who have recently decided not to buy a car cite the recession or job insecurity more than automakers' uncertain futures. Only 7% of those who would buy a domestic car say the Big Three's plight makes them much less willing to do so, ...
Holiday Season Not Lifting U.S. Consumer Confidence; Last week, upper-income consumers' economic outlook deteriorated further.(Survey)
Dec 18, 2008; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: A last-minute, pre-Christmas consumer buying spree does not appear likely, as upper-income Americans became more pessimistic last week, with only 9% saying the economy is getting better while 88% say it is getting worse. ...
Despite Economy, Charitable Donors, Volunteers Keep Giving; Most Americans gave financial support to a charity in past year.(Survey)
Dec 19, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Eighty-four percent of Americans say they donated money to a charitable organization in the past 12 months, and 64% volunteered their time to one. Given the current economic troubles, these figures are remarkably stable compared with 2005. ...
About 40% of Americans Worrying About Money; Percentage is higher than the average for the first eight months of 2008.(Survey)
Dec 19, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: About 40% of Americans say they are currently worrying about money, sustaining a slight but significant increase in worry compared to readings before September of this year. PRINCETON, NJ -- About 40% of Americans on average are ...
Sierra Leoneans, Liberians Want Charles Taylor Convicted; One-third of Liberians support acquittal.(Survey)
Dec 19, 2008; ... Byline: Bob Tortora, Chief Methodologist Synopsis: Most Sierra Leoneans and Liberians say it is a good thing former Liberian President Charles Taylor is currently on trial for war crimes and most in both countries want to see him convicted. But, while Sierra Leoneans almost ...
Idea of Economic Depression Becoming Less Far-Fetched; One-quarter now rule it out, vs. 40% in March.(Survey)
Dec 22, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Since March, the percentage of Americans largely ruling out the possibility of an economic depression in the next two years has shrunk from 40% to 25%, while the percentage saying it is "very likely" has grown from 23% to 35%. PRINCETON, ...
U.S. Investors Optimistic About Longer Term; Slightly optimistic about personal portfolios; highly pessimistic about economy.(Survey)
Dec 22, 2008; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: In a new Gallup Index of Investor Optimism poll conducted Dec. 16-18, investors, by a margin of 57% to 28%, say they are optimistic as opposed to pessimistic about their ability to achieve their investment goals over the next five ...
Americans Believe Religion is Losing Clout; Percentage saying influence of religion is slipping at 14-year high.(Survey)
Dec 23, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Fewer Americans than any time in the past few decades believe religion is gaining influence in America (27%), while 67% think it is losing influence. Further, an all-time Gallup low of 53% think religion provides the answers to all or most of today's ...
In the U.S., Christmas Not Just for Christians; While 81% identify themselves as Christians, 93% celebrate Christmas.(Survey)
Dec 24, 2008; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: While 81% of Americans identify with a Christian faith, 93% of Americans interviewed in a recent Gallup Poll say they celebrate Christmas. Despite the economic recession, slightly more Americans expect this Christmas to be happier than usual than ...
The Complex Relationship Between Religion and Purpose; Worldwide data show religious conviction isn't necessary, but it helps.(Survey)
Dec 24, 2008; ... Byline: Steve Crabtree and Brett Pelham Synopsis: Pastor Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life notwithstanding, more than 80% of respondents across 84 countries say their lives have an important meaning or purpose. However, religious orientation does significantly affect the odds ...
Obama, Hillary Clinton Share "Most Admired" Billing; Palin makes impressive showing as second most admired woman.(Survey)
Dec 26, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Barack Obama is Americans' Most Admired Man in 2008, a rare distinction for presidents-elect. Hillary Clinton repeats her performance as Most Admired Woman for the seventh straight year, while Sarah Palin makes a strong second place showing. ...
Football Remains Runaway Leader as Favorite Sport; Basketball's popularity declining.(Survey)
Dec 29, 2008; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans' affinity for football remains strong, as 41% name it as their favorite sport to watch, more than three times the percentage naming any other. Baseball and basketball tie for second, but basketball's standing has faded in recent ...
Opinion Briefing: U.S.-Pakistan Policy; Nearly half (48%) of Pakistanis see U.S. missile strikes as ineffective.(Survey)
Dec 29, 2008; ... Byline: Julie Ray Synopsis: A recent Gallup Poll in Pakistan reveals nearly half of Pakistanis (48%) believe U.S. missile strikes are not an effective way to rid their country of the Taliban, and majorities (54%) now view U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and Asia as a ...
Restaurant Dining Mostly Holding Up Despite Recession; Gallup finds little change in Americans' frequency of dining out.(Survey)
Dec 30, 2008; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: The percentage of Americans saying they ate dinner out at least once in the prior week has hardly changed in recent years, now 60% versus 64% in December 2005. Frequent dining out -- going three or more times a week -- has not dropped at all. ...
Despite Cheaper Gas, New Driving Habits Sticking; Lower-income, younger Americans most likely to be among 12% reverting.(Survey)
Dec 30, 2008; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: While 64% of Americans say they significantly changed their driving habits earlier this year as gas prices soared, only 12% now say they have reverted to their old habits as pump prices have plunged in recent months. ...
A Gallup.Com Year in Review; Revisiting some of the most defining findings of 2008.(Brief article)
Dec 31, 2008; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: Gallup.Com reviews some of the most defining findings of the year that was 2008. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- From our unique vantage point, Gallup.Com reviews some of the most defining findings of the year that was 2008. January ...
Gaza Conflict Could Afford U.S. Opportunity in Region; Many in Mideast say U.S. pressure on Israel would improve views of U.S.(Survey)
Dec 31, 2008; ... Byline: Dalia Mogahed Synopsis: Majorities in seven Arab nations say their opinion of the United States would significantly improve if it put pressure on Israel to comply with international law in its treatment of Palestinians -- generally more than say the same about closing ...