Gallup Poll News Service back issues from March 2009:
Image Boost for Both Democrats, Republicans in Congress; Both parties in Congress show significant increases in job approval.(Survey)
Mar 02, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Republicans and Democrats in Congress are enjoying similarly improved job approval ratings compared to last December. Republicans' rating is now at 36%, while Democrats' rating is at 47%. PRINCETON, NJ -- Both the Republicans and ...
Initial Reaction to Obama Budget Tilts Positive; About a third of Americans have yet to form an opinion.(Survey)
Mar 02, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Americans' first reactions to President Barack Obama's new 10-year budget plan are more positive than negative, with 44% saying their reaction to the plan is positive and 26% saying it's negative, while the rest have no opinion. ...
Muslim Americans Exemplify Diversity, Potential; Key findings from a new report by the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.(Survey)
Mar 02, 2009; ... Byline: Mohamed Younis Synopsis: Muslim Americans are the most racially diverse religious group in the United States. Muslim American women are among the most educated in the country, and young Muslim Americans report among the lowest levels of being registered to vote. ...
As British P.M. Visits, Britain Reigns as Top U.S. Ally; British Prime Minister Gordon Brown unknown to most Americans.(Survey)
Mar 03, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans rate Great Britain (36%) just ahead of Canada (29%) when asked to choose which country is the most valuable U.S. ally. More generally, 89% have a favorable opinion of Great Britain, but Prime Minister Gordon Brown -- visiting the ...
Americans' Support for Israel Unchanged Since Gaza Conflict; Most Americans sympathize with Israel, view it favorably.(Survey)
Mar 03, 2009; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Israel and the West Bank this week, 63% of Americans view Israel favorably, contrasted with 73% who view the Palestinian Authority unfavorably. When choosing sides, 59% support Israel vis-a-vis the ...
Net New Hiring Suggests More Job Losses; Gallup's model suggests February's unemployment rate may hit or exceed 7.8%.(Survey)
Mar 04, 2009; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's employment model suggests that the U.S. unemployment rate worsened again last month, exceeding January's 7.6%, and will probably hit at least 7.8% when the government reports February unemployment numbers on Friday. ...
"Buy American" Feeling Grows as Automakers Struggle; U.S. cars most favored by older and lower-income Americans.(Survey)
Mar 04, 2009; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Thirty-seven percent of Americans say they would only consider buying a car from an American company when making a new-car purchase -- up slightly from 30% in December. Half would look at cars made by either American or foreign companies. ...
U.S. Satisfaction Improves Slightly but Steadily; Increase appears to be political in nature.(Survey)
Mar 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Over the past week, an average of 21% of Americans have been satisfied with the way things are going in the country. While still quite low, these ratings are an improvement from 14% in early February, and from 9% as recently as December. ...
In U.S., Majority Still See Stocks as a Good Long-Term Buy; But few stock owners plan to invest more over the next month.(Survey)
Mar 05, 2009; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: Despite this week's losses on Wall Street, a Gallup Poll conducted Wednesday night finds that 53% of Americans and 67% of stock owners still see stocks as a good long-term investment. But only 21% of stock owners plan to buy more stocks in the ...
Upper-Income Consumers Growing More Pessimistic; Mood among lower-income consumers unchanged in February.(Survey)
Mar 06, 2009; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Upper-income consumers became more pessimistic in February, while the mood of lower-income Americans remained unchanged, leaving those with higher incomes less confident about the economy than their lower-income counterparts. ...
Debt, Money Woes Are Top Family Financial Problems; Healthcare has faded in importance in the past year.(Survey)
Mar 06, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Immediate financial concerns such as a lack of money (16%) and too much debt (15%) are the most commonly mentioned responses when Americans are asked to name the most important financial problem facing their families. Just 8% mention ...
Religion Provides Emotional Boost to World's Poor; In low-income areas, religiosity linked to more enjoyment, less worry.(Survey)
Mar 06, 2009; ... Byline: Steve Crabtree and Brett Pelham Synopsis: Gallup Polls conducted in 2008 reveal that in countries where average annual incomes are $2,000 or less, religiosity makes a difference in residents' emotional health and their likelihood to report positive experiences and ...
Majority of Americans Likely Support Stem Cell Decision; Fifty-two percent support easing Bush-era restrictions or lifting restrictions entirely.(Survey)
Mar 09, 2009; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: A majority of Americans likely support President Barack Obama's executive order Monday allowing for more federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Gallup recently found 38% in favor of fewer restrictions and another 14% in favor of no ...
Layoffs' Second-Hand Effects on Those Still Working; Employees at companies laying off workers are much more worried.(Survey)
Mar 09, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: A new Gallup analysis finds that worry about money is far greater among U.S. workers whose companies are reducing the size of their workforces (50%) compared to those whose companies are either keeping their workforces steady (35%) or hiring ...
Well-Being Rankings Reveal State Strengths and Weaknesses; Utah, Hawaii, Wyoming take top three spots in national well-being rankings.(Survey)
Mar 10, 2009; ... Byline: Elizabeth Mendes Synopsis: Well-being is highest in Utah, Hawaii, and Wyoming and lowest in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Mississippi in state rankings released by AHIP and the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. WASHINGTON D.C. -- Utah, Hawaii, and Wyoming top ...
Stimulus Not Yet Improving Consumer Mood, Spending; Gallup's five attitudinal economic measures show little or no improvement.(Survey)
Mar 10, 2009; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Despite passage of the historic fiscal stimulus bill and new efforts to help troubled homeowners, Gallup's Consumer Mood Index worsened by 5 points to -116 last week, while consumers' self-reported daily spending was down 34% from ...
Religiosity and Perceived Intolerance of Gays and Lesbians; Link is strong but varies across religious traditions.(Survey)
Mar 10, 2009; ... Byline: Brett Pelham and Steve Crabtree Synopsis: People living in countries where more people say religion is important in their daily lives are much more likely than those living in countries where fewer people say religion is important to report that their communities are not ...
Approval of Congress Hits Four-Year High, Fueled by Dems.(Survey)
Mar 11, 2009 ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Congress' job approval rating increased again this month to 39% -- its highest in four years -- due largely to higher ratings from Democrats. PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' job approval rating of Congress is up an additional 8 points ...
Increased Number Think Global Warming Is "Exaggerated"; Most believe global warming is happening, but urgency has stalled.(Survey)
Mar 11, 2009; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: While a majority of Americans continue to believe the seriousness of global warming is either correctly portrayed in the news (29%) or underestimated (28%), a record-high 41% now say it is exaggerated. The increased skepticism is seen mainly among ...
On Economy, Republicans Trust Business; Dems Trust Gov't. Americans overall not increasingly worried about government power.(Survey)
Mar 12, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: While 72% of Democrats trust the government to solve the country's economic problems, 64% of Republicans trust businesses. Overall, Americans don't show increasing concern about the growth of government power. PRINCETON, NJ -- While ...
"Suffering" Increases as Nation Feels Pain of Recession; Increase from 3.3% in February 2008 to 4.7% in February 2009.(Survey)
Mar 12, 2009; ... Byline: Raksha Arora and James Harter Synopsis: Americans' well-being has declined as the current economic recession continues, with the number of those who are "suffering" increasing by 3 million since February of last year. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The number of ...
U.S. Faces Challenges With Communications Users Abroad; In some regions, link between home Internet access and U.S. disapproval.(Survey)
Mar 12, 2009; ... Byline: Ian T. Brown Synopsis: Gallup surveys conducted around the world last year suggest a link between the extent to which people in some regions are connected via electronic communications, including Internet access in the home, and their likelihood to disapprove of the job ...
Americans on Energy: Promote Both New Sources and Old; Solid majority want increased efforts to encourage alternative energy production.(Survey)
Mar 13, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans widely favor increased government funding for alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar (77%). At the same time, most also favor maintaining or ramping up federal support for energy production from traditional sources like ...
Americans Remain Critical of the United Nations; Nevertheless, most want the organization to have a meaningful function.(Survey)
Mar 13, 2009 ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: For the seventh straight year, most Americans -- now 65% -- believe the United Nations is doing a "poor job" of addressing the problems it has before it. Only 26% say it is doing a "good job." Despite this, most still want the organization to have a ...
Few Pakistanis Satisfied With How Their Democracy Works; Political situation ranks among top problems residents say they face.(Survey)
Mar 13, 2009; ... Byline: Julie Ray Synopsis: A Gallup Poll conducted before the current political crisis in Pakistan found that a Gallup-high 38% are dissatisfied with the way democracy works in their country. Further, after unemployment, Pakistanis were next most likely to name the political ...
Obama's Approval Equal To or Better Than Bush's, Clinton's; Biggest change since inauguration has been decline among Republicans.(Survey)
Mar 16, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Barack Obama's approval ratings have been very stable in the month of March so far, and his current 61% approval rating is more positive than the 58% rating for George W. Bush and the 53% rating for Bill Clinton in mid-March of the first years of ...
Self-Reported Consumer Spending Declines in Early March; Gallup's Consumer Spending Index shows upper-income Americans spending less.(Survey)
Mar 16, 2009 ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: While February's retail sales were down slightly less than expected, Gallup's self-reported Consumer Spending Index finds upper-income Americans in particular reporting spending less on average per day in early March than they did ...
Consumer Mood Index Hits Highest Mark Since September; Now stands at -90, up from -120 a week ago.(Survey)(Brief article)
Mar 16, 2009 ... Synopsis: Gallup's Consumer Mood Index rose sharply over the last week, to -90 for March 13-15. This is up from -120 a week ago and is the most positive the Index has been since mid-September 2008. The increase is commensurate with the four-day consecutive gains in the Dow Jones ...
Majority Receptive to Law Making Union Organizing Easier; But most Americans not closely following news about union bill in Congress.(Survey)
Mar 17, 2009 ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: A new Gallup Poll finds that only 12% of Americans are "very closely" following news about the proposed Employee Free Choice Act, but that 53% favor the general idea of a new law making it easier for labor unions to organize workers. ...
Weekly Economic Wrap: Consumer Mood Improves; Gallup economic indexes round-up for the week of March 9-15.(Survey)
Mar 17, 2009; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's Consumer Mood Index improved by 13 percentage points last week while its Consumer Spending Index decreased by $6. PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's Consumer Mood Index -- measured on a daily basis -- improved by 13 ...
Kosovans More Positive on Government, Economy; After independence, Kosovans express more optimism toward overall life.(Survey)
Mar 17, 2009; ... Byline: Zsolt Nyiri and Ian T. Brown Synopsis: Gallup Polls conducted in October 2008, just months after a newly independent Kosovo ratified its constitution, find respondents more positive about their own lives, their government, and their city and local economies than in ...
In U.S., More Optimism About Iraq, Less About Afghanistan; New high of 42% say war in Afghanistan a mistake.(Survey)
Mar 18, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans' views of the war in Afghanistan are now the most negative they have been, with 42% calling the war a "mistake." Six years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, 52% of Americans still call that war a mistake, but the public's optimism ...
Outraged Americans Want AIG Bonus Money Recovered; Views persist across party lines.(Survey)
Mar 18, 2009; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: A Gallup Poll conducted Tuesday night finds a majority of Americans (59%) saying they are "outraged" about the bonuses AIG paid its executives, and 76% thinking the government should take actions to block or recover the bonuses. These views ...
Americans: Economy Takes Precedence Over Environment; First time majority has supported economy in 25 years of asking question.(Survey)
Mar 19, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: For the first time in Gallup's 25-year history of asking Americans about the trade-off between environmental protection and economic growth, a majority of Americans (51%) say economic growth should be given the priority, even if the environment ...
Consumer Mood Surges, but Spending Doesn't; Consumer confidence at highest level since mid-September 2008.(Survey)
Mar 19, 2009 ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's Consumer Mood Index has improved by 31 points over the past 10 days, but its Consumer Spending Index has yet to respond significantly, even when compared to a year ago. PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's Consumer Mood ...
Support for Nuclear Energy Inches Up to New High; Majority believes nuclear power plants are safe.(Survey)
Mar 20, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Gallup's annual Environment poll finds 59% of Americans saying they favor the use of nuclear power as one of the ways to provide energy for the United States, surpassing the previous high of 56%. A majority of Americans believe that nuclear ...
Economic Optimism Reaches 20-Month High; Though still dismally low, 27% now say the economy is improving.(Survey)
Mar 20, 2009; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: The percentage of Americans saying the economy is getting better is now at 27%, the highest in Gallup polling since July 2007. Despite heightened perceptions that the economy is improving, a majority still call current conditions "poor," with little ...
test.(Survey)
Mar 23, 2009 ... ...
U.S. Investor Optimism Shows Sharp Improvement; March reading is up from all-time low.(Survey)
Mar 23, 2009; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's Index of Investor Optimism surged 41 points in March to -23 -- still pessimistic, but a sharp improvement from the -64 low of February. PRINCETON, NJ -- The Gallup Index of Investor Optimism, a broad measure ...
Despite Recession, No Uptick in Americans' Religiosity; Self-reported importance of religion and church attendance have remained steady.(Survey)
Mar 23, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Despite the economic recession, a review of more than 425,000 interviews Gallup has conducted since early 2008 shows no increase in either the average of 65% of Americans who say religion is important in their daily lives, or the 42% who report ...
AIG, Congress, Geithner Target of Bonus Backlash; No consensus on best way to recover bonus money.(Survey)
Mar 24, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Americans are dissatisfied with the way AIG management (80%), Congress (65%), and Treasury Secretary Geithner (54%) have handled the AIG bonus matter. There is no public consensus that taxing the bonuses is the best of several options for ...
Weekly Economic Wrap: Consumer Mood Up Last Week; Gallup economic indexes round-up for the week of March 16-22.(Survey)
Mar 24, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Last week, Gallup's Consumer Mood Index had its most positive showing since September. At the same time, there was no improvement in either consumer spending or net new hiring, suggesting that while economic attitudes are becoming more positive, ...
El Salvador's New Leadership Inherits Myriad Challenges; Many respondents report trouble affording basic necessities.(Survey)
Mar 24, 2009; ... Byline: Aaron Rice Synopsis: After 20 years with ARENA as the top political party, El Salvador looks to new leadership with FMLN. Gallup finds that El Salvador's new president inherits a public highly dissatisfied with government efforts to deal with the poor and a nation where ...
Water Pollution Americans' Top Green Concern; Worry about environmental problems has edged up since 2004.(Survey)
Mar 25, 2009; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Gallup's 2009 Environment survey finds contamination of water sparking more U.S. public concern than air pollution, extinction of species, the loss of rain forests, and global warming. Public worry about these issues generally fell between 2000 and ...
In U.S., Job-Market Perceptions Remain Bleak; Fewer than 1 in 10 say it is a good time to find a quality job.(Survey)
Mar 25, 2009 ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: Gallup's two key measures of the job market remain very negative -- only 9% of Americans say it is a good time to find a quality job, and more working Americans say their employers are laying off workers (26%) than hiring workers (22%). ...
Americans More Upbeat About U.S. Defense Readiness; Shift mainly due to confidence surge among Democrats.(Survey)
Mar 26, 2009; ... Byline: Lydia Saad Synopsis: Currently, 54% of Americans say the country's national defense is about right, up from 41% a year ago. The change is mainly the result of a surge in this perception among Democrats, from 37% to 64%. Democrats also feel more comfortable with the level ...
Amid Budget Battle, Americans' Views Hold Steady; Views are more positive than negative but diverge according to party lines.(Survey)
Mar 26, 2009; ... Byline: Lymari Morales Synopsis: Americans' views on President Barack Obama's proposed budget plan have hardly changed from when it was first outlined -- 39% now have a positive impression (vs. 44% last month), and 27% a negative impression (vs. 26%). WASHINGTON, ...
Unemployment Far More Worrisome for Blacks Than Whites; Blacks nearly twice as likely to cite it as the nation's most important problem.(Survey)
Mar 27, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: While blacks and whites overwhelmingly focus on economic issues as the most important problem facing the country, blacks are nearly twice as likely to mention unemployment specifically, 29% to 16%. PRINCETON, NJ -- While the vast ...
One in Four Americans Worry About Monthly Payments; Half of Americans plan to decrease their debt; nearly as many say it is a bad time to borrow.(Survey)
Mar 27, 2009 ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's Personal Credit Index survey, conducted March 23, shows that 23% of Americans are worried about making their monthly payments over the next six months -- the highest March reading since the Index's inception in March ...
Catholics Similar to Mainstream on Abortion, Stem Cells; Catholics actually more liberal on some issues.(Survey)
Mar 30, 2009 ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: American Catholics are no less likely than non-Catholics to find abortion and embryonic stem-cell research morally acceptable. While regular churchgoing Catholics are more conservative than other Catholics on these issues, they are no more ...
Americans Divided on Treasury Secretary Geithner; Democrats approve; Republicans disapprove.(Survey)
Mar 30, 2009; ... Byline: Frank Newport Synopsis: Americans split almost precisely down the middle when asked to assess the job Tim Geithner is doing as Treasury secretary: 42% approve, 40% disapprove, and 18% have no opinion. PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans are split essentially down the ...
Weekly Economic Wrap: Mood Improves Again; Surge in consumer mood could be affecting consumer spending.(Survey)
Mar 31, 2009; ... Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Gallup's Consumer Mood Index increased by 10 points last week, bringing its improvement to 35 points over the past three weeks. For the first time since consumers' mood began moving in a positive direction recently, average daily ...
Americans Continue to Oppose GM, Chrysler Loans; Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the loans the government has made.(Survey)
Mar 31, 2009; ... Byline: Jeffrey M. Jones Synopsis: With the government announcing its restructuring plans for embattled automakers General Motors and Chrysler on Monday, a new USA Today/Gallup poll finds a majority of Americans (59%) disapproving of the government loans made to the two ...
Among OECD Nations, U.S. Lags in Personal Health; Not feeling health benefits of high spending.(Survey)
Mar 31, 2009; ... Byline: Christopher Khoury and Ian T. Brown Synopsis: Despite spending the highest per capita on health, Americans' satisfaction with their personal health falls near the median among OECD countries. Among OECD members, Gallup finds no clear relationship between government ...