Gallup.Com Year in Review

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Gallup.Com reviews the most defining findings of 2009.

January

• George W. Bush ends his presidency with an average approval rating of 49%, earning a 34% approval rating in his last official measure. Americans see gains on AIDS, race relations, and little else during his time in office.
• The 111th Congress is sworn in at a time when 20% of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job. A majority of Americans favor Congress' passing an economic stimulus package to help the struggling economy recover.
• Barack Obama takes office after earning an 83% approval rating for his presidential transition. Nearly three-quarters of Americans think the U.S. will be better off in four years. Americans say it is most important that Obama keep his promises on healthcare and alternative energy.
• Consumers become more upbeat about the U.S. economy but spending and hiring remain low. A majority of Americans support Congress' passing an economic stimulus package.
• Gallup's State of the States series and Foreign Policy Opinion Briefings reveal benchmarks for the year ahead.

February

• Americans are largely supportive of Barack Obama's first acts as president. However, few perceive enhanced civility between Republicans and Democrats in Washington.
• Obama signs a $787 billion stimulus bill into law with 59% of Americans in favor. Americans' views on government aid vary, largely depending on the program. Americans oppose giving more money to struggling U.S. automakers.
• Passage of the economic stimulus bill has no immediate effect on Americans' economic outlook. Pessimism about the U.S. job market hits a new high, with 90% of Americans saying it is a bad time to find a quality job.
• Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) support Obama's decision to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

March

• The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals that the residents of Utah and Hawaii have the highest wellbeing in the nation.
• Americans' approval of the U.S Congress jumps to 39%, a four-year high.
• A record-high 41% of Americans say the seriousness of global warming is exaggerated. For the first time, Americans give priority to the economy over the environment.
• Economic optimism reaches a 20-month high but consumer spending and hiring continue to lag.

April

• Americans are about as concerned about threats from Iran, North Korea, and Mexico as they are about the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and international terrorism in general.
• Obama's job approval rating remains stable and above 60% as Americans' satisfaction with the way things are going in the country improves steadily.
• In his first 100 days in office, Obama meets or exceeds Americans' expectations. Two-thirds see him as making a sincere effort to work with Republicans.
• As swine flu begins to spread from Mexico, 22% of Americans report being worried about getting it but few change their behaviors.

May

• After Supreme Court Justice David Souter announces plans to retire, Americans say it doesn't matter to them whether Obama fills his spot with a woman or a minority. Americans later react favorably to Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.
• Fewer Americans, but still more than two-thirds, say the economy is the most important problem facing the county.
• More Americans are "thriving" than "struggling" for the first time since February 2008.
• For the first time, more Americans call themselves pro-life on the issue of abortion than call themselves pro-choice.
• Republicans see losses in party affiliation across nearly all demographic subgroups.

June

• Approval of U.S. leadership improves in some Arab countries, compared to approval during the Bush administration.
• As healthcare reform discussions begin in Washington, Americans express more trust in physicians than politicians to recommend the right thing to do.
• Americans rate Obama highest as a person and lowest on the federal deficit and spending. His approval rating falls to 58% for the first time.
• Republicans and Democrats differ significantly in their level of worry about the economic issues facing the country.
• Gallup polling conducted shortly before a coup in Honduras found many Hondurans believing that the political situation in that country was not stable.

July

• Obama's job approval rating remains above 55%, suggesting he is still in a honeymoon period.
• Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal, 39% to 18%.
• As Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin, a majority of Americans say they would like to see the U.S. Senate confirm her as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice.
• As congressional leaders debate healthcare reform, more Americans disapprove than approve of Obama on healthcare. Most in the U.S. want reform but vary on the urgency. Gallup-Healthways data reveal that one in six U.S. adults is without health insurance.
• Unemployment remains a pressing issue for Americans. They give lukewarm reviews to the economic stimulus package's effect on the economy thus far but are more hopeful when taking a longer-term view. One-third of Americans continue to say they will spend less as their new, normal pattern.

August

• Gallup's State of the States Midyear 2009 provides political, economic, and wellbeing report cards for U.S. states based on data collected during the first half of the year.
• Despite an intense national debate over healthcare reform, Obama's approval rating on healthcare remains steady. Congress' job approval rating grows more polarized while Obama's overall approval rating falls to a new low of 52%.
• Gallup global surveys reveal that in OECD countries, universal healthcare gets high marks.
• The U.S. automobile and banking industries see the biggest slides out of all industries in Gallup's annual business and industry ratings question.
• Americans grow more likely to think they or a member of their families will get swine flu.

September

• Democrats' advantage over Republicans in party affiliation shrinks to five percentage points. The Republican Party's image improves but still trails the Democrats'.
• Americans remain sharply divided on healthcare reform. Many Americans doubt its costs and benefits.
• One year after the global economic collapse, Gallup's economic measures reveal a long way to go to return to early September 2008 levels. Americans are cautiously optimistic about the economy in the year ahead.

October

• Gallup global surveys reveal that wellbeing improves along with many other factors beyond GDP.
• Congress' job approval rating falls to 21%. Gallup's generic ballot question finds the parties nearly tied for Congress in 2010.
• Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize with a 53% approval rating on foreign affairs. His job approval rating gets a slight boost, to 56%. Ultimately, his quarterly approval rating slips to 53%.
• Many Americans say their views on a final healthcare bill will depend on the details. Nearly half worry that their personal healthcare costs will worsen.
• U.S. cold and flu season begins with no abnormal uptick in self-reported cold and flu cases.
• The U.S. diabetes rate climbs above 11%.

November

• Gallup global surveys find that 700 million people worldwide would permanently move to another country if they could.
• Obama's approval rating slips below 50% -- to 49% -- for the first time of his presidency, 10 months after taking office.
• Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and Sarah Palin lead the field of potential Republican contenders in 2012.
• Hamid Karzai begins a new term as Afghanistan's president with 81% in his country perceiving corruption to be widespread.
• For the first time, more Americans say it is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage than say it is.
• Consumer spending on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving trails 2008 spending on the same days by 8.6%.

December

• Obama addresses the nation on Afghanistan at a time when his approval rating on that issue trails his approval on six other issues. After the speech, his decision to send 30,000 more troops to the country and set a timetable for withdrawal finds bipartisan support.
• The U.S. Congress works on the final details of healthcare reform with Americans still divided about whether they would advise their representative to vote for or against it.
• As world leaders meet in Copenhagen to discuss climate change, Gallup global surveys reveal that awareness of climate change and threat varies by region.
• Americans increase their Christmas spending projections, providing hope for struggling retailers.

Stay with Gallup.Com for more news and reactions to the news in 2010.

Sign up for Gallup e-mail alerts or RSS feeds

Get Gallup news on Facebook and Twitter

Survey Methods

Gallup surveys 1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older, every day and also conducts additional surveys. In most cases, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2 to ±4 percentage points. For detailed survey methods on any results reported here, please visit the original story.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.