Poll Watch: AP/GfK Political Survey

AP/GfK Political Survey

Overall, please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president.

• Approve 45%
• Disapprove 54%

Please tell me if you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling each of the following issues. How about…
The economy

• Approve 42%
• Disapprove 58%

Unemployment

• Approve 41%
• Disapprove 58%

Taxes

• Approve 43%
• Disapprove 56%

Federal budget deficit

• Approve 38%
• Disapprove 61%

Health care

• Approve 46%
• Disapprove 54%

Education

• Approve 55%
• Disapprove 43%

Immigration

• Approve 43%
• Disapprove 55%

Terrorism

• Approve 54%
• Disapprove 46%

The situation in Afghanistan

• Approve 53%
• Disapprove 46%

The situation in Iraq

• Approve 53%
• Disapprove 46%

Relationships with other countries

• Approve 55%
• Disapprove 44%

The environment

• Approve 55%
• Disapprove 43%

Energy

• Approve 50%
• Disapprove 49%

Gas prices

• Approve 46%
• Disapprove 51%

If the election for U.S. House of Representatives were held today, would you vote for the Democratic or Republican candidate in your congressional district?

• Republican candidate 50% (53%)
• Democratic candidate 43% (43%)

No matter how you will vote in November, if the election for Congress were held today, would you want to see the Republicans or the Democrats win control of Congress?

• Republicans 51%
• Democrats 43%

No matter how you will vote in November, which party do you think will win more seats and have control of Congress after the election, the Republicans or the Democrats?

• Republicans 61%
• Democrats 33%

Would you like to see your own member of Congress get re-elected in November, or would you like to see someone else win the election?

• Own member 49%
• Someone else 43%

If they win control of one or both houses of Congress, how confident are you that Republicans in Congress will be successful in bringing about the changes needed to improve the economy?

• Very confident 10%
• Somewhat confident 44%
• Not very confident 20%
• Not at all confident 26%

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of...
Barack Obama

• Very favorable 31%
• Somewhat favorable 21%
• Somewhat unfavorable 11%
• Very unfavorable 37%

Sarah Palin

• Very favorable 20%
• Somewhat favorable 29%
• Somewhat unfavorable 12%
• Very unfavorable 38%

Michelle Obama

• Very favorable 37%
• Somewhat favorable 28%
• Somewhat unfavorable 15%
• Very unfavorable 16%

Hillary Clinton

• Very favorable 32%
• Somewhat favorable 33%
• Somewhat unfavorable 19%
• Very unfavorable 15%

George W. Bush

• Very favorable 18%
• Somewhat favorable 31%
• Somewhat unfavorable 15%
• Very unfavorable 36%

Nancy Pelosi

• Very favorable 13%
• Somewhat favorable 22%
• Somewhat unfavorable 13%
• Very unfavorable 50%

John Boehner

• Very favorable 7%
• Somewhat favorable 27%
• Somewhat unfavorable 18%
• Very unfavorable 14%

Mitch McConnell

• Very favorable 5%
• Somewhat favorable 28%
• Somewhat unfavorable 21%
• Very unfavorable 12%

Harry Reid

• Very favorable 5%
• Somewhat favorable 24%
• Somewhat unfavorable 15%
• Very unfavorable 38%

The Democratic Party

• Very favorable 19%
• Somewhat favorable 25%
• Somewhat unfavorable 19%
• Very unfavorable 37%

The Republican Party

• Very favorable 12%
• Somewhat favorable 40%
• Somewhat unfavorable 21%
• Very unfavorable 26%

Who do you trust to do a better job of...
Handling the economy

• Republicans 51%
• Democrats 41%

Protecting the country

• Republicans 56%
• Democrats 36%

Handling health care

• Republicans 47%
• Democrats 46%

Managing the federal budget deficit

• Republicans 52%
• Democrats 39%

Handling taxes

• Republicans 52%
• Democrats 41%

Creating jobs

• Republicans 52%
• Democrats 40%

Managing the federal government

• Republicans 49%
• Democrats 40%

Handling Social Security

• Republicans 49%
• Democrats 46%

Handling immigration

• Republicans 50%
• Democrats 39%

Thinking about the stimulus package that was approved by Congress in February to help improve the economy, do you think that the stimulus package …

• Has helped bring about improvements to the economy 33%
• Did even more damage to the economy than would have happened otherwise 29%
• Had no real effect on the condition of the economy 36%

In general, do you support or oppose the health care reforms that were passed by Congress in March?

• Strongly support 19%
• Somewhat support 22%
• Somewhat oppose 10%
• Strongly oppose 41%

What would you prefer Congress do with the new health care law:

• Leave it as is 15%
• Change it so that it does more to change the health care system 36%
• Change it so that it does less to change the health care system 10%
• Repeal it completely 37%

As you may know, it is estimated that the federal budget deficit now exceeds one trillion dollars. If you had to choose, what do you think should be the higher priority?

• Increasing government spending on education, health care reform, and the development of alternative energy sources, even if that means the federal budget deficit will increase even more. 38%
• Reducing the federal budget deficit by cutting spending, even if that means the government could not enact new programs on education, health care reform, and the development of alternative energy sources. 58%

Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party movement?

• Very favorable 21%
• Somewhat favorable 21%
• Somewhat unfavorable 14%
• Very unfavorable 23%

From what you know about the Tea Party movement, would you say you generally agree or disagree on the Tea Party movement’s positions on political issues?

• Strongly agree 20%
• Somewhat agree 25%
• Somewhat disagree 12%
• Strongly disagree 21%

Do you consider yourself a supporter of the Tea Party movement, or are you not a supporter of the Tea Party movement?

• Supporter 36%
• Not a supporter 60%

Survey of 846 likely voters was conducted October 13-18, 2010.  The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points.  Party ID breakdown: 48% Republican; 42% Democrat.  Political ideology: 31% Moderate; 18% Somewhat conservative; 29% Strongly conservative; 11% Somewhat liberal; 10% Strongly liberal.  Results from the poll conducted September 8-13, 2010 are in parentheses.