Poll Watch: CBS News/New York Times 2012 Presidential Survey

CBS News/New York Times 2012 Presidential Survey

Any Potential Candidate You Feel Enthusiastic About?

Among Republicans

• No one 56%
• Mitt Romney 9%
• Mike Huckabee 8%
• Donald Trump 7%
• Newt Gingrich 5%
• Sarah Palin 4%

Favorable / Unfavorable {Net}

• Mike Huckabee 32% / 25% {+7%}
• Mitt Romney 28% / 24% {+4%}
• Tim Pawlenty 12% / 8% {+4%}
• Jon Huntsman 6% / 5% {+1%}
• Michele Bachmann 12% / 13% {-1%}
• Haley Barbour 6% / 7% {-1%}
• Mitch Daniels 5% / 6% {-1%}
• Rick Santorum 10% / 12% {-2%}
• Newt Gingrich 23% / 37% {-14%}
• Donald Trump 25% / 46% {-21%}
• Sarah Palin 26% / 55% {-29%}

Among Republicans

• Mike Huckabee 54% / 11% {+43%}
• Mitt Romney 42% / 15% {+27%}
• Sarah Palin 51% / 26% {+25%}
• Newt Gingrich 42% / 20% {+22%}
• Tim Pawlenty 20% / 3% {+17%}
• Michele Bachmann 21% / 5% {+16%}
• Rick Santorum 19% / 5% {+14%}
• Haley Barbour 12% / 3% {+9%}
• Mitch Daniels 9% / 3% {+6%}
• Jon Huntsman 5% / 1% {+4%}
• Donald Trump 35% / 32% {+3%}

Haven't Heard Enough About Candidate to Form an Opinion/Undecided

• Jon Huntsman 89%
• Mitch Daniels 88%
• Haley Barbour 86%
• Tim Pawlenty 79%
• Rick Santorum 78%
• Michele Bachmann 75%
• Mitt Romney 47%
• Mike Huckabee 42%
• Newt Gingrich 41%
• Donald Trump 28%
• Sarah Palin 18%

Among Republicans

• Jon Huntsman 93%
• Mitch Daniels 88%
• Haley Barbour 85%
• Tim Pawlenty 77%
• Rick Santorum 76%
• Michele Bachmann 75%
• Mitt Romney 43%
• Newt Gingrich 37%
• Mike Huckabee 35%
• Donald Trump 33%
• Sarah Palin 23%

According to the Constitution, American Presidents must be "natural born citizens." Some people say Barack Obama was NOT born in the United States, but was born in another country. Do YOU think Barack Obama was born in the United States, or was he born in another country?

• Born in US 57%
• Another country 25%
• Don't know 18%

Among Republicans

• Born in US 33%
• Another country 45%
• Don't know 22%

Among Tea Party Supporters

• Born in US 34%
• Another country 45%
• Don't know 21%

Do you think of Donald Trump as a serious presidential candidate?

• Yes 23%
• No 72%

Among Democrats

• Yes 8%
• No 88%

Among Republicans

• Yes 37%
• No 57%

Among Independents

• Yes 27%
• No 68%

Among Tea Party Supporters

• Yes 38%
• No 55%

Which one of the following television networks do you watch most for information about politics and current events -- ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, MSNBC, or don't you watch television news?

• ABC/CBS/NBC 31%
• FOX News 21%
• CNN 18%
• MSNBC 5%
• Don't watch TV news 12%
• Other 3%
• Combination (vol.) 8%

Among Republicans

• FOX News 45%
• ABC/CBS/NBC 26%
• CNN 8%
• MSNBC 2%
• Don't watch TV news 10%
• Other 1%
• Combination (vol.) 7%

Survey of 1,116 registered voters, including 524 registered Republicans, was conducted April 15-20, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points for all voters; +/- 4 percentage points for Republican voters.

Inside the numbers:

When Republicans were asked whom they were most enthusiastic about -- without mentioning any names -- none of the contenders garnered more than 9 percent. That high of 9 percent went to Mitt Romney, with 8 percent saying they felt the same about Mike Huckabee, followed by 7 percent for Donald Trump, then Newt Gingrich with 5 percent, and Sarah Palin with 4 percent. Fifty-seven percent (57%) could not name anyone. 

Favorable ratings for some of these possible candidates are slightly higher among those who support the Tea Party movement (54 percent of whom identify as Republicans and 36 percent of whom are independents). Huckabee and Palin's favorable ratings are higher, as are Bachmann's. Bachmann does especially well among those Tea Party supporters who are Republicans, compared to those who call themselves independents. 

A plurality of Republican voters, 47 percent, said they believed Mr. Obama, who was born in Hawaii, was born in another country; 22 percent said they did not know where he was born, and 32 percent said they believed he was born in the United States. 

Most registered voters nationwide (72 percent) do not think Trump is a serious presidential candidate, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents. Even though 37 percent of Republicans (and 38 percent of Tea Party supporters) think Trump is a serious candidate, more than half of each of these groups does not.