Americas http://www.gallup.com/ http://backend.userland.com/rss Gallup WebTeam Americans view Secretary of Defense Robert Gates positively to the extent they are familiar with him. Forty-nine percent have a favorable opinion of Gates, with 19% unfavorable and 33% unsure. Though Gates is a Republican, Democrats view him more favorably than Republicans. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124175/Americans-Mostly-Favorable-Defense-Secretary-Gates.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124175/Americans-Mostly-Favorable-Defense-Secretary-Gates.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:15:00 GMT Flu cases in the U.S. continue to tick higher, with an average of 2.7% of adults in October reporting that they were “sick with the flu yesterday,” compared to 1.9% in September and 2.0% in October 2008. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124118/Self-Reported-Flu-Cases-U.S.-Up-Slightly-October.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124118/Self-Reported-Flu-Cases-U.S.-Up-Slightly-October.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT Job-market conditions improved in October, driven by improvements in the South and the East, with hiring up and layoffs down in both regions. Still, the job situation is unchanged in the Midwest and West. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124109/Gallup-Economic-Monthly-October-Jobs-Best-South-East.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124109/Gallup-Economic-Monthly-October-Jobs-Best-South-East.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:15:00 GMT Republicans give Mike Huckabee (71%) an edge over Mitt Romney (65%) and Sarah Palin (65%) when asked if they would seriously consider voting for each as president. Huckabee and Romney have greater appeal to the broader public, though only 4 in 10 Americans say they would consider voting for either. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124097/Huckabee-Romney-Palin-See-Most-Republican-Support-12.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124097/Huckabee-Romney-Palin-See-Most-Republican-Support-12.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT More Americans now say President Barack Obama is governing from the left (54%) than expected him to do so just after the election (43%). Less than half (48%) currently think he is keeping his promises -- down from two-thirds (65%) in April. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124094/Majority-Say-Obama-Policies-Mostly-Liberal.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124094/Majority-Say-Obama-Policies-Mostly-Liberal.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:00 GMT The U.S. political climate heading into 2010 is not as favorable to the Democratic Party as it was in 2006 and 2008. Though Democrats continue to have an edge in party affiliation and President Obama retains majority approval, congressional approval and satisfaction with the U.S. are low. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124076/Political-Climate-2010-Not-Favorable-Democrats.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124076/Political-Climate-2010-Not-Favorable-Democrats.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT Americans are much less sure than they were a year ago at the time of his election that President Barack Obama will be able to accomplish a number of challenges facing his administration. In particular, far fewer Americans believe he will be able to heal political divisions and control federal spending. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124085/One-Year-Election-Americans-Less-Sure-Obama.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124085/One-Year-Election-Americans-Less-Sure-Obama.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:30:00 GMT Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data from 2009 document the extent to which people who exercise more frequently have higher well-being. Exercise relates not only to lower rates of obesity, but also to higher life evaluation and emotional health scores and lower rates of reported depression. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124073/Exercise-Little-Goes-Long.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124073/Exercise-Little-Goes-Long.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:45:00 GMT Halloween may have buoyed consumer spirits as Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index, Job Creation Index, and Consumer Spending measure all rebounded from prior- week declines -- returning to or nearing their best levels of the past several weeks and reflecting the variability of today’s consumer economic perceptions. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124064/Gallup-Economic-Weekly-Halloween-Raises-Spirits.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124064/Gallup-Economic-Weekly-Halloween-Raises-Spirits.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT Close to half of black adults nationwide, 47%, say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., up from 10% in mid-2008. There has been a much smaller increase among whites -- now 22%, up from 15%. Even among Democrats, blacks show a greater increase than whites in satisfaction. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124037/Blacks-Far-More-Satisfied-U.S.-Obama.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124037/Blacks-Far-More-Satisfied-U.S.-Obama.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:30:00 GMT The Democrats’ 46% to 44% advantage on the generic ballot suggests a solid Republican showing if the midterm elections were held today, assuming a typical GOP advantage in turnout. Even far in advance of the elections, the generic ballot has proven to yield reasonable insight into the U.S. House vote. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124010/Generic-Ballot-Provides-Clues-2010-Vote.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124010/Generic-Ballot-Provides-Clues-2010-Vote.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:00:00 GMT Utah and South Dakota residents are the most likely to express trust in their neighbors, in terms of saying they would expect a neighbor to return a lost wallet or purse, according to an aggregate of Gallup data from the first six months of 2009. Nevada and Mississippi residents express the least trust. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123986/Utah-South-Dakota-Best-Places-Lose-Wallet.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123986/Utah-South-Dakota-Best-Places-Lose-Wallet.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:30:00 GMT As the White House claims 640,000 jobs have been saved or created by the economic stimulus package, Gallup finds American workers reporting slightly more hiring at their companies since July, but no increase in the percentage who say it is a good time to find a quality job. http://www.gallup.com/poll/124004/Despite-Positive-Signs-Americans-Negative-Job-Market.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/124004/Despite-Positive-Signs-Americans-Negative-Job-Market.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:15:00 GMT Honduran leaders, who Friday announced a power-sharing deal, have their work cut out for them as they attempt to end the country’s political crisis. Gallup polled in Honduras in July and found 71% of Hondurans saying the political situation in the country was not stable at all. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123992/Honduras-Instability-Fear-Civil-War-Preceded-Deal.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123992/Honduras-Instability-Fear-Civil-War-Preceded-Deal.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:30:00 GMT Americans are closely divided on healthcare reform, meaning that public opinion offers no real political advantage to either champions or opponents of the idea. That said, a review of Gallup polls conducted throughout the debate reveals five realities crucial to understanding public opinion on this issue. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123989/Americans-Healthcare-Reform-Five-Key-Realities.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123989/Americans-Healthcare-Reform-Five-Key-Realities.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT Investors remain slightly optimistic overall in October, but the Gallup Index of Investor Optimism -- a broad measure of investor perceptions -- shows investor optimism retreating slightly from September and falling back to its August level. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123938/Investor-Optimism-Down-Slightly-October.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123938/Investor-Optimism-Down-Slightly-October.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 GMT One year after Barack Obama’s election, Americans’ views on race relations and job discrimination against blacks are not significantly improved over what Gallup has measured in the past. Blacks remain substantially more negative than whites on both measures. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123944/Little-Obama-Effect-Views-Race-Relations.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123944/Little-Obama-Effect-Views-Race-Relations.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT A majority of Americans, 55%, have at least a fair amount of trust in President Barack Obama on healthcare reform, compared with 48% expressing trust in the Democrats in Congress and 37% trusting the Republicans in Congress. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123917/On-Healthcare-Americans-Trust-Obama-More-Than-Congress.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123917/On-Healthcare-Americans-Trust-Obama-More-Than-Congress.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:15:00 GMT More Americans choose the economy (41%) than any other issue as the top priority for Barack Obama, but that is down sharply from last November (64%). By contrast, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the federal budget deficit, and healthcare have grown in perceived importance over the past year. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123899/Americans-Priorities-Vying-Obama-Attention.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123899/Americans-Priorities-Vying-Obama-Attention.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT The percentage of American adults reporting that they have been diagnosed with diabetes continues to climb, with 11.3% of Americans in the third quarter of 2009 saying so, compared to 10.4% in the first quarter of 2008. Obese adults are three times more likely than non-obese adults to say they have been diagnosed with diabetes. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123887/U.S.-Diabetes-Rate-Climbs-Above-11-Could-Hit-15-2015.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123887/U.S.-Diabetes-Rate-Climbs-Above-11-Could-Hit-15-2015.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:15:00 GMT Economic confidence fell slightly last week from the prior week and now stands well below where it was a month ago. The job situation deteriorated from its 2009 high of the prior week, while consumer spending fell back to its 2009 trend line from its paycheck- and Halloween-inspired high. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123863/Gallup-Economic-Weekly-Declines-Around.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123863/Gallup-Economic-Weekly-Declines-Around.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT After peaking at 59% last November, Vice President Joe Biden’s favorable rating continues to decline and now stands at 42%. That barely exceeds his 40% unfavorable rating, and continues to trail President Obama’s favorable rating. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123860/Vice-President-Biden-Favorable-Rating-Continues-Decline.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123860/Vice-President-Biden-Favorable-Rating-Continues-Decline.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:45:00 GMT Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates in the American populace in 2009, 40% to 36%, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Liberals rank third at 20%. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when conservatives were tied with moderates as the most prevalent group. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123854/Conservatives-Maintain-Edge-Top-Ideological-Group.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123854/Conservatives-Maintain-Edge-Top-Ideological-Group.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT The majority of Americans (61%) say President Obama did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, but as many Americans say they are “glad” he received it (46%) as say they are not glad (47%). Attitudes are predictably divided by partisanship. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123851/Americans-Views-Obama-Nobel-Peace-Prize.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123851/Americans-Views-Obama-Nobel-Peace-Prize.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:30:00 GMT Americans spend the most on Saturdays, followed closely by Fridays; accordingly, weekend spending far exceeds weekday spending. More importantly, intensifying spending swings on payday weeks imply there may be a new “cash-based” spending pattern developing. http://www.gallup.com/poll/123839/Consumers-Spend-More-Weekends-Payday-Weeks.aspx?CSTS=tagrss http://www.gallup.com/poll/123839/Consumers-Spend-More-Weekends-Payday-Weeks.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT