Poll Watch: Washington Post/ABC News 2012 Presidential Survey

Washington Post/ABC News 2012 Presidential Survey

REPUBLICAN NOMINATION

• Rick Perry 29% (8%) {3%}
• Mitt Romney 23% (26%) {21%} [16%]
• Sarah Palin 14% (16%) {17%} [5%]
• Ron Paul 8% (7%) {6%} [2%]
• Michele Bachmann 6% (13%) {3%} [1%]
• Newt Gingrich 4% (4%) {6%} [2%]
• Herman Cain 3% (7%) {4%}
• Rick Santorum 2% (2%) {1%} [0%]
• Jon Huntsman 1% (3%) {1%} [0%]
• Other 1% (1%) {3%} [5%]
• No one/None of them 4% (1%) {5%} [12%]
• Would not vote 1%
• No opinion 4% (8%) {14%} [33%]

If Sarah Palin doesn't run

• Rick Perry 30% (8%)
• Mitt Romney 25% (30%)
• Ron Paul 10% (10%) 
• Michele Bachmann 9% (17%) 
• Newt Gingrich 5% (6%) 
• Herman Cain 5% (7%)
• Rick Santorum 3% (3%)
• Jon Huntsman 1% (3%)
• Other 2% (1%) 
• No one/None of them 4% (2%) 
• Would not vote 1%
• No opinion 5% (9%)

Do you support ________________ strongly, or somewhat?

Among Mitt Romney supporters

• Strongly 15% (29%)
• Somewhat 84% (71%)

Among Rick Perry supporters

• Strongly 37%
• Somewhat 63%

Regardless of who you may support, which of the Republican candidates do you think best understands the problems of people like you?

• Sarah Palin 19% (21%)
• Rick Perry 17% (5%)
• Mitt Romney 13% (18%)
• Michele Bachmann 9% (12%)
• Ron Paul 8% (8%)
• Newt Gingrich 6% (3%)
• Herman Cain 3% (5%)
• Rick Santorum 2% (3%)
• Jon Huntsman 1% (3%)

Regardless of who you may support, which of the Republican candidates do you think is the closest to you on the issues?

• Rick Perry 21% (5%)
• Mitt Romney 15% (20%)
• Sarah Palin 14% (17%)
• Michele Bachmann 10% (12%)
• Ron Paul 10% (9%)
• Newt Gingrich 6% (5%)
• Herman Cain 3% (6%)
• Rick Santorum 3% (3%)
• Jon Huntsman 1% (3%)

Regardless of who you may support, which of the Republican candidates do you think best reflects the core values of the Republican Party?

• Rick Perry 19% (7%)
• Mitt Romney 18% (18%)
• Sarah Palin 12% (19%)
• Michele Bachmann 10% (13%)
• Newt Gingrich 6% (9%)
• Ron Paul 6% (7%)
• Rick Santorum 4% (3%)
• Herman Cain 3% (4%)
• Jon Huntsman 1% (1%)

Regardless of who you may support, which of the Republican candidates do you think would do the best job handling the economy?

• Rick Perry 22%
• Mitt Romney 22%
• Sarah Palin 11% 
• Ron Paul 8%
• Newt Gingrich 7%
• Michele Bachmann 5% 
• Herman Cain 4%
• Rick Santorum 2%
• Jon Huntsman 0%

Thinking ahead to November 2012: Which Republican presidential candidate do you think has the best chance to defeat Barack Obama in the general election?

• Rick Perry 30% (7%)
• Mitt Romney 20% (32%)
• Sarah Palin 8% (12%)
• Newt Gingrich 5% (5%)
• Michele Bachmann 4% (8%)
• Ron Paul 4% (3%)
• Jon Huntsman 1% (3%)
• Herman Cain 1% (2%)
• Rick Santorum 1% (2%)

Do you think the Republican nominee for president should take only conservative positions on issues or do you think it is OK to have the Republican nominee for president take moderate positions on some issues? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?

• Strongly feel GOP nominee only take conservative positions 17%
• Somewhat feel GOP nominee only take conservative positions 9%
• Somewhat feel OK if GOP nominee takes moderate positions on some issues 35%
• Strongly feel OK if GOP nominee takes moderate positions on some issues 32%

GENERAL ELECTION

• Mitt Romney 49% (47%) {49%} [45%]
• Barack Obama 45% (49%) {46%} [49%]

• Rick Perry 47% (40%)
• Barack Obama 46% (53%)

• Barack Obama 47% {50%}
• Jon Huntsman 42% {40%}

• Barack Obama 50% (55%) {51%} [52%]
• Michele Bachmann 44% (40%) {40%} [38%]

• Barack Obama 53% {55%} [56%] (53%)
• Sarah Palin 41% {40%} [37%] (40%)

Do you think a political leader should or should not rely on his or her religious beliefs in making policy decisions?

• Should 29%
• Should not 66%

Regardless of whether or not you'd vote for her, do you think Palin is or is not qualified to serve as president?

• Is qualified 32% {33%}
• Is not qualified 63% {63%}

What is your view of the Tea Party political movement – would you say you support it strongly, support it somewhat, oppose it somewhat or oppose it strongly?

• Strongly support 13% (13%) {13%} [16%]
• Somewhat support 35% (31%) {33%} [26%]
• Somewhat oppose 18% (23%) {21%} [21%]
• Strongly oppose 27% (24%) {24%} [27%]

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?

• Strongly approve 21% (25%) {27%} [27%]
• Somewhat approve 22% (22%) {20%} [21%]
• Somewhat disapprove 16% (14%) {13%} [12%]
• Strongly disapprove 38% (35%) {37%} [37%]

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling ___________? Do you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?

The economy

• Strongly approve15% (18%) {20%} [23%]
• Somewhat approve 21% (22%) {20%} [19%]
• Somewhat disapprove 15% (15%) {10%} [11%]
• Strongly disapprove 47% (43%) {49%} [46%]

Creating jobs

• Strongly approve 15% (16%) 
• Somewhat approve 21% (25%) 
• Somewhat disapprove 18% (13%)
• Strongly disapprove 45% (39%) 

The federal budget deficit

• Strongly approve18% (22%) {16%} [21%]
• Somewhat approve 18% (16%) {17%} [18%]
• Somewhat disapprove 14% (14%) {12%} [11%]
• Strongly disapprove 46% (45%) {49%} [47%]

The threat of terrorism

• Strongly approve 33% {35%}
• Somewhat approve 29% {25%} 
• Somewhat disapprove 12% {13%}
• Strongly disapprove 21% {21%} 

Who do you trust to do a better job ________________ - Obama or the Republicans in Congress?

Handling the economy

• Obama 42% {42%}
• Republicans 39% {45%}

Creating jobs

• Obama 40% {43%}
• Republicans 40% {42%}

Handling the federal budget deficit

• Republicans 42% {47%}
• Obama 39% {39%}

Do you think Obama's economic program is making the economy better, making it worse or having no real effect?

• Better 17%
• Worse 34%
• No real effect 47%

Would you say you, yourself are better off financially than you were in when Obama became president, not as well off, or in about the same shape as then financially?

• Better off 15%
• Not as well off 35%
• About the same 50%

Survey of registered voters was conducted August 29 - September 1, 2011.  Party ID breakdown: 33% (32%) {31%} [32%] Democrat; 24% (26%) {25%} [22%] Republican; 36% (34%) {39%} [41%] Independent. Political ideology: 39% (40%) {36%} [39%] Moderate; 37% (35%) {40%} [36%] Conservative; 20% (23%) {22%} [21%] Liberal. Results from the poll conducted July 14-17, 2011 are in parentheses.  Results from the poll conducted June 2-5, 2011 are in curly brackets. Results from the poll conducted April 14-17, 2011 are in square brackets.