Poll Watch: Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Political Survey

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Political Survey

Do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president?

• Approve 43%
• Disapprove 52%

If the election for Congress were held today, would you vote for the Democratic candidate in your district or the Republican candidate in your district?

• Republican candidate 48%
• Democratic candidate 39%

Some people say Barack Obama’s agenda will help the country and the economy in the long run and should be supported, while others say Obama’s agenda will damage the country and should be stopped -- which comes closer to your view?

• Obama's agenda should be supported 44%
• Obama's agenda should be stopped 49%

If you were voting in the midterm election today, would you be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports President Obama on key issues, opposes President Obama on key issues, or would President Obama not be a major factor in your vote for Congress this year?

• Supports Obama 31%
• Opposes Obama 38%
• Obama not a factor 30%

Do you think the world would be a better place if the United States had more power and influence in the world or if the United States had less power and influence?

• More power and influence 47%
• Less power and influence 29%

I’m going to describe two hypothetical candidates. The first candidate agrees with you on economic issues such as taxes and government spending, but you disagree on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. For the second candidate, the reverse is true -- you AGREE on social issues, but DISAGREE on economic issues. If you had to choose, would you vote for the candidate who agrees with you on economic issues or the candidate who agrees with you on social issues?

• The candidate who agrees with you on economic issues 60%
• The candidate who agrees with you on social issues 32%

Which of the following do you think should be the highest priority for Congress next year -- cutting taxes, reducing the federal budget deficit by cutting spending on programs, or increasing spending on programs to create jobs?

• Spending to create jobs 36%
• Reducing the budget deficit 34%
• Cutting taxes 17%

Which one of the following comes closest to what you would like to see lawmakers do with the new health care law -- would you like lawmakers to repeal the law entirely, repeal parts of the law, expand the law, or leave it as is?

• Repeal entirely 34%
• Repeal parts of the law 25%
• Expand it 21%
• Leave it as is 14%

Who do you think is more to blame for economic problems in the country today - - President Obama and the Democrats or previous Republican policies?

• Previous Republican policies 45%
• Obama and the Democrats 28%

In the long run, do you think Barack Obama’s economic policies will help the country’s economy or hurt the country’s economy?

• Help 43%
• Hurt 48%

Have you personally been helped or hurt by Barack Obama’s economic program?

• Helped 19%
• Hurt 32%

Do you think the nation’s economy would be in better shape today if President Obama: 1. Had done more on the economy early in his term, instead of focusing on health care and other issues, or if he 2. Had done less on the economy and not passed the stimulus plan and government bailouts and let the economy recover on its own.

• Done more, earlier 35%
• Done less, let economy recover on its own 41%

In general, which do you think better describes government programs that give money to the unemployed -- are these programs a safety net or a paid vacation?

• Safety net 52%
• Paid vacation 31%

Survey of 687 likely voters was conducted October 11-13, 2010. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points. Party ID breakdown: 40% Democrat; 39% Republican; 15% Independent.