Politics http://www.gallup.com/ http://backend.userland.com/rss Gallup WebTeam A new Gallup Poll of Indonesia suggests that Wednesday’s presidential election is the incumbent’s to lose. Ninety-two percent of Indonesians approve of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s job performance. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121388/Indonesians-Approve-Incumbent-Ahead-Election.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT Barack Obama’s recent job approval ratings have hovered around 60%. Since they remain above the historical average of 55% approval, he is arguably still in the honeymoon phase of his presidency. Recent presidents have averaged just seven months above this benchmark, much less than those from 1945-1974. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121391/Obama-Honeymoon-Continues-Months-Recent-Average.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT A majority of Americans (58%) expect security in Iraq to worsen now that U.S. forces are leaving major cities and towns there and turning security over to the Iraqis. However, only 27% say security will get a lot worse. Most doubt the U.S. will fully withdraw, as agreed upon, by the end of 2011. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121376/Americans-Expect-Security-Iraq-Worsen-Pullout.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT Amid debate about the Obama administration’s reaction to Iran’s election dispute, Gallup polling reveals past skepticism among Iranians about the United States’ willingness to allow people in their region to fashion their own political future as they see fit. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121370/Iranians-Doubted-Commitment-Democracy.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT Currently, 46% of Americans say the Democratic Party is “too liberal,” up from 39% last year and slightly more than the 43% who say the Republican Party is “too conservative.” Still, more Americans say the Democrats’ views are “about right” (42%) than say this about the Republicans (34%). http://www.gallup.com/poll/121307/More-Americans-See-Democratic-Party-Too-Liberal.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:45:00 GMT There are sharp differences in the way Democrats and Republicans view economic issues facing the country today; Republicans are much more likely to worry about taxes and federal control of business, while Democrats worry more about health insurance and unemployment. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121262/Sharp-Differences-Partisan-Views-Economic-Problems.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT A recent Gallup Poll finds 92% of Americans agreeing that having an extramarital affair, such as the ones South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Nevada Sen. John Ensign have confessed to, is morally wrong -- making it the most objectionable of any issue tested. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121253/Extramarital-Affairs-Sanford-Morally-Taboo.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT At 82%, public confidence in the U.S. military is up 11 points from a year ago, and is the highest since the start of the Iraq war in 2003. Confidence in the presidency is up even more sharply -- reflecting public support for President Obama. Confidence in banks is down sharply. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121214/Americans-Confidence-Military-Banks-Down.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Americans’ approval of the job Congress is doing has slipped to 33% this month, down from the recent high of 39% in March, but still significantly higher than job approval ratings of Congress over the last several years. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121208/Congress-Approval-Rating-Drops-33.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:15:00 GMT As the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2008-2009 term draws to a close, 59% of Americans approve of the job it is doing, up significantly from the prior two years. Democrats’ and Republicans’ views of the court have switched since last fall -- Democrats now view the court much more positively and Republicans much less so. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121196/Rating-Supreme-Court-Improves-Partisans-Switch-Sides.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:15:00 GMT More Americans disapprove (52%) than approve (46%) of the new law expanding the federal government’s power to regulate tobacco products. Also, only a small minority of Americans (17%) support a total ban on smoking. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121079/Majority-Disapproves-New-Law-Regulating-Tobacco.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Fifty-two percent of Americans disapprove of the new law that gives the federal government power to regulate the manufacturing and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products, while 46% approve. http://www.gallup.com/video/121097/Majority-Disapprove-Tobacco-Regulation-Legislation.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT President Barack Obama’s job approval rating fell to 58% in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking -- a new low for Obama, although not dissimilar to the 59% rating he has received previously. Democrats’ approval remains very high, while Republican and independent support is down. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121028/Obama-Job-Approval-Slips-58-First-Time.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:45:00 GMT A Gallup Poll conducted in Nepal before the collapse of its first post-royal government last month showed residents were largely mixed on whether their coalition government would be able to work together, but they were still more hopeful than pessimistic. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120989/Nepalese-Set-High-Bar-Government-Crisis.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00:00 GMT A new Gallup Poll finds 73% of Americans confident in doctors’ recommendations for healthcare reform. That exceeds the 58% who are confident in President Barack Obama on the issue, and the 35% confident in health insurance companies. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120890/Healthcare-Americans-Trust-Physicians-Politicians.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT A Gallup Poll conducted in Iran in 2008 found Iranians divided on the honesty of their elections before last week’s disputed presidential election, with 50% saying they were confident and 40% saying they were not. Rural Iranians (66%) were nearly twice as likely as urban Iranians (36%) to express trust. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120878/Even-Dispute-Iranians-Split-Honesty-Elections.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT Four in 10 Americans in Gallup’s 2009 polling say their political views are conservative, while 35% call themselves moderate. Both groups outnumber liberals (21%). The percentage of liberals is up from 17% in the early 1990s, while conservatives' numbers are slightly higher and moderates' lower. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/Conservatives-Single-Largest-Ideological-Group.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Women in America today are significantly more likely than men to identify as Democrats, and less likely to identify as independents; this “gender gap” exists across all ages from 18 to 85, and across racial, ethnic, and marital-status groups. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120839/Women-Likely-Democrats-Regardless-Age.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Women (41%) are more likely than men (32%) to identify as Democrats, a pattern that holds across all age groups. http://www.gallup.com/video/120833/Women-Ages-Lean-Democratic.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Fifty-five percent of Americans disapprove of the U.S. government's actions that will lead to its ownership of 60% of General Motors when the company emerges from bankruptcy. http://www.gallup.com/video/120836/Majority-Disapprove-Government-Actions-Bankruptcy.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT When asked about the actions that resulted in majority government ownership of General Motors, 55% of Americans disapprove. While only one in five Americans say they are likely to buy a new car in the next year, about half say they would be less likely to buy from a bankrupt automaker. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120842/Disapprove-Majority-Government-Ownership.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:45:00 GMT Long before women’s rights emerged as one of many salient issues in Iran’s presidential election Friday, Gallup Polls found majorities of Iranians in favor of the government guaranteeing women certain rights. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120821/Iran-Election-Brings-Desire-Women-Rights-Focus.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Almost 4 out of 10 (38%) Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of their party, while just 7% of Democrats have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party; overall, just 34% of Americans view the GOP favorably. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120815/Republicans-Down-Own-Party.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT When asked to identify the individual they think of as the main person who speaks for the Republican Party today, Americans are most likely to say Rush Limbaugh (13%), followed by Dick Cheney (10%), John McCain (6%), and Newt Gingrich (6%). http://www.gallup.com/video/120809/Americans-Perceive-No-Clear-Leader-GOP.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT Republicans are most likely to name Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, and Dick Cheney as the “main person who speaks for the Republican Party today,” but almost half cannot name anyone in response to the question. Democrats overwhelmingly say Barack Obama is the main person who speaks for their party. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120806/Limbaugh-Gingrich-Cheney-Seen-Speaking-GOP.aspx?CSTS=tagrss Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT