Poll Watch: Newsweek/Daily Beast 2012 Presidential Survey

Newsweek/Daily Beast 2012 Presidential Poll

• Barack Obama 47% {42%} [44%] (49%)
• Mitt Romney 44% {36%} [44%] (47%)
• Some other candidate 5%
• Not sure 4%

Favorable / Unfavorable {Net}

• Barack Obama 51% / 47% {+4%}
• Mitt Romney 49% / 49% {0%}

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

• Approve 45% {48%} [48%] (50%)
• Disapprove 54% {49%} [49%] (44%)

Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's handling of the economy?

• Approve 47%
• Disapprove 49%

Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's handling of foreign policy?

• Approve 48%
• Disapprove 47%

Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's handling of health care?

• Approve 37%
• Disapprove 58%

Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's handling of the federal budget deficit?

• Approve 44%
• Disapprove 54%

Do you approve or disapprove of President Obama's handling of creating jobs?

• Approve 46%
• Disapprove 52%

Do you think Barack Obama has done his job well enough to deserve reelection, or is it time to replace him with somebody else?

• Yes 42% {39%} [40%]
• No 48% {49%} [48%]

Here is a list of issues facing the country. For each, please indicate tell me who you think would do a better job of facing the issue – Republican Mitt Romney or Democrat Barack Obama.

The Economy

• Mitt Romney 52%
• Barack Obama 37%

Education

• Barack Obama 48%
• Mitt Romney 40%

Illegal Immigration

• Mitt Romney 41%
  
• Barack Obama 38%

Foreign Affairs

• Barack Obama 47%
  
• Mitt Romney 41%

Health Care

• Mitt Romney 48%
  
• Barack Obama 40%

Balancing the Budget

• Mitt Romney 48%
  
• Barack Obama 44%

Job Creation

• Barack Obama 40%
  
• Mitt Romney 39%

Reducing Government Spending

• Barack Obama 42%
  
• Mitt Romney 42%

Fighting Crime

• Mitt Romney 35%
  
• Barack Obama 33%

Holding the Line on Taxes

• Mitt Romney 45%
  
• Barack Obama 42%

Terrorism

• Barack Obama 45%
  
• Mitt Romney 36%

Regardless of how you might vote, do you consider Mitt Romney's experience with the investment firm Bain Capital a good thing or a bad thing in preparing him to be president, or does it not make much difference either way?

• Good thing 23%
• Bad thing 24%
• Doesn't make much difference 40%

Do you favor or oppose the Supreme Court decision that allows Arizona legal officials to verify the immigration status of those they stop that appear to be illegal immigrants, but takes away other provisions of the law that created new state crimes targeting illegal immigrants?

• Favor 44%
• Oppose 36%

President Obama recently announced that the U.S. would stop deporting illegal immigrants if they came here before age 16, have been in the country for five years, have no criminal record, are in school or have a high school diploma or have been honorably discharged from the military. Do you agree or disagree with this new policy?

• Agree 60%
• Disagree 31%

What do you think should happen to illegal immigrants working in the U.S.?

• They should be allowed to stay and apply for citizenship 34%
• They should be allowed to stay only as guest workers 19%
• They should have to leave the country 36%

Some say that President Obama is going to run his presidential campaign against an activist Supreme Court. They say he will attack the Court for its Citizen United decision that created Super PACS and for upholding the Arizona immigration law that enables police officers to check the identification of people on the streets that they suspect may be illegal immigrants. Do you approve or disapprove of this strategy?

• Approve 32%
• Disapprove 53%

Do you approve or disapprove of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold Obama's law entirely?

• Approve 45%
• Disapprove 50%

As part of the decision, the Court upheld the individual mandate requiring every citizen to purchase health care. Do you think the Supreme Court did the right thing upholding the individual mandate, or did they do the wrong thing, and should have invalidated the individual mandate?

• The Supreme Court did the right thing upholding the individual mandate 38%
• The Court did the wrong thing and should have invalidated the mandate 49%

Aside from this decision, do you favor or oppose the individual mandate, the government's requirement for Americans to purchase/get health insurance?

• Favor 37%
• Oppose 53%

Who do you think wins politically as a result of the Supreme Court decision? President Obama and the Democrats, or Mitt Romney and the Republicans?

• President Obama and the Democrats 58%
• Mitt Romney and the Republicans 19%

Do you think taxes will go up as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling?

• Yes 52%
• No 21%

Do you think your health care costs will go up as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling?

• Yes 56%
• No 21%

Survey of 600 likely voters was conducted by Douglas Schoen, June 28, 2012. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points. Party registration: 32% Democrat; 30% Republican; 38% Independent. Ideology: 46% Moderate; 30% Conservative; 24% Liberal.  Results from the poll conducted May 2-3, 2011 are in curly brackets.  Results from the poll conducted April 30 - May 1, 2011 are in square brackets. Results from the poll conducted February 12-15, 2011 are in parentheses.