April National Issues 2009

THE WISCONSIN SURVEY

Spring 2009

National Issues

April 16^th 2009

Survey Information:

Random Selection, Telephone Survey

Number of Adult Wisconsin Resident Respondents: 400

Interview Period: 4/1/09 – 4/9/09

Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level.

Contact:

Wendy Scattergood

Assistant Professor of Political Science, St. Norbert College Survey Center

DePere, WI 54115

(920) 403-3491

wendy.scattergood@snc.edu

· NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.

After the economy and jobs, what do you think is the next priority the President and Congress should address?

1. Health Care................................................... 27%

2. War on Terrorism.......................................... 9%

3. Education...................................................... 7%

4. Iraq ........................................................... 5%

Taxes and Spending Priorities.................................... 4%

Government Ethics/Integrity/...................................... 4%

Immigration ........................................................... 4%

Public Morality.......................................................... 4%

Other Foreign Policy ................................................. 4%

Environment/Climate Change..................................... 3%

Energy and Gas Prices............................................... 3%

Crime/drugs ........................................................... 3%

Poverty/issues of the poor.......................................... 3%

Budget & Deficit........................................................ 2%

Afghanistan ........................................................... 2%

Racism/Diversity........................................................ 1%

Social Security........................................................... 1%

Border/Homeland Security......................................... 1%

Other ........................................................... 6%

None ........................................................... 2%

Don’t Know/Not Sure............................................... 7%

Refused ........................................................... 0%

Generally speaking, would you say that things in the country are going in the right direction, or are they going in the wrong direction?

Right Direction........................................................... 41%

Wrong Direction........................................................ 44%

Not Sure ........................................................... 14%

Refused ........................................................... 1%

	Right Direction
Fall '02	47%
Sp '03	36%
Fall '03	41%
Sp '04	32%
Sp '05	40%
Fall '05	29%
Sp '06	24%
Fall '06	30%
Sp '07	21%
Fall '07	22%
Sp '08	18%
Fall '08	8%
Sp '09	41%

How satisfied are you with the way President Obama is doing his job overall. Would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?

Very Satisfied.............................................................27%

Somewhat Satisfied................................................... 33%

Somewhat Dissatisfied............................................... 17%

Very Dissatisfied........................................................ 18%

Not Sure ........................................................... 5%

Refused ........................................................... 1%

Fall '01	93%
Sp '03	54%
Fall '03	48%
Sp '04	45%
Sp '05	51%
Fall '05	40%
Sp '06	37%
Fall '06	40%
Sp '07	34%
Fall '07	36%
Sp '08	31%
Fall '08	29%
Sp '09	60%

How satisfied are you with the way Congress is doing its job overall. Would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?

Very Satisfied.............................................................. 2%

Somewhat Satisfied..................................................... 37%

Somewhat Dissatisfied................................................. 26%

Very Dissatisfied.......................................................... 33%

Not Sure..................................................................... 2%

Refused....................................................................... 0%

	Spring '07	Fall '07	Spring '08	Fall '08	Spring '09
Very Satisfied	4%	1%	1%	2%	2%
Somewhat Satisfied	33%	25%	26%	14%	37%
Somewhat Dissatisfied	36%	35%	39%	36%	26%
Very Dissatisfied	21%	35%	30%	46%	33%
Not Sure	6%	3%	4%	2%	2%
Refused	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%

Please tell me whether you approve or disapprove of the way President Obama is handling each of the following aspects of his job. Do you approve or disapprove of the way he is handling….

	Approve	Disapprove	Not Sure	Refused/NA
a. The Situation in Afghanistan	68%	17%	14%	1%
b. The situation with Iraq	64%	24%	11%	1%
c. The situation with North Korea	41%	25%	32%	2%
d. The Economy	49%	42%	9%	1%
e. Health care	36%	44%	18%	1%
f. Corporate Reform	38%	44%	17%	1 %
g. Taxes	47%	39%	13%	1 %
h. Education	52%	28%	19%	1%
i. The closure of the detainee camp at Guantanamo, Cuba	47%	42%	10%	1%
j. Stem Cell Research	58%	31%	10%	2%
k. Energy Security	53%	24%	21%	2%
l. protecting our borders	54%	29%	16%	2%
m. Assisting Mexico in the war against the drug cartels	59%	19%	20%	2%

Some say the Congressional bill to buy mortgage-related assets from banks and investment companies was merely a bailout for Wall Street and wouldn’t sufficiently help the economy, others say it was necessary to help the overall economy. Which is closer to your own view, that….

It was a bailout of Wall Street not helpful to the overall economy 52%

It was necessary to help the entire economy............... 37%

Both (VOL.) ........................................................... 1%

Neither (VOL.)......................................................... 2%

Not Sure ........................................................... 7%

Refused ........................................................... 1%

For the following aspects of the stimulus and economic recovery policies enacted by Congress and the President, please tell me whether you think the federal government has done TOO MUCH, done ENOUGH, or done TOO LITTLE.

	Too Much	Enough	Too Little	Not Sure	Refused
a. Helping homeowners at risk of foreclosure	28%	34%	34%	4%	1%
b. Helping to get credit flowing again	13%	42%	39%	6%	<1%
c. Holding CEOs of financial institutions accountable for their actions	12%	20%	64%	3%	1%
d. Helping US automakers stay afloat	42%	36%	19%	4%	0%
e. Developing new jobs in the US	6%	19%	67%	8%	0%
f. Supporting the development of alternative energy sources	8%	30%	51%	11%	<1%
g. Oversight over taxpayer money already allocated	12%	24%	46%	17%	2%

How confident are you that the stimulus bills passed by Congress will begin to turn around the economy in the next twelve months?

Very Confident.......................................................... 5%

Somewhat Confident................................................. 37%

Not Too Confident.................................................... 30%

Not At All Confident................................................. 24%

Not Sure ........................................................... 3%

Refused ........................................................... 1%

How about over the next 2 to 4 years?

Very Confident.......................................................... 19%

Somewhat Confident................................................. 47%

Not Too Confident.................................................... 14%

Not At All Confident................................................. 15%

Not Sure ........................................................... 5%

Refused ........................................................... 1%

How concerned are you that in the next year you will become unemployed? Are you very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned or not at all concerned?

Very Concerned.............................................. 16%

Somewhat Concerned..................................... 15%

Not Too Concerned........................................ 22%

Not At All Concerned..................................... 39%

Not Sure......................................................... 1%

Refused........................................................... 8%

	Very Concerned	Somewhat Concerned	Not Too Concerned	Not at All Concerned
Sp '03	14%	14%	16%	50%
Fall '03	12%	14%	20%	50%
Sp '04	13%	14%	15%	53%
Sp '09	16%	15%	22%	39%

Would you say that you are financially better off now than you were a year ago, or financially worse off now?

Better off now................................................. 20%

Worse off now................................................ 63%

Same (volunteered).......................................... 16%

Not Sure......................................................... 1%

Refused / NA.................................................. <1%

	Better	Same	Worse
Fall '94	38%	34%	28%
Fall '95	36%	31%	32%
Fall '96	47%	26%	25%
Fall '97	47%	28%	25%
Fall '98	45%	30%	25%
Fall '99	55%	23%	21%
Fall '00	57%	23%	19%
Sp '02	35%	28%	36%
Fall '02	31%	18%	50%
Sp '03	36%	20%	43%
Fall '03	37%	24%	38%
Sp '04	41%	26%	32%
Sp '05
Fall '05
Sp '06
Fall '06
Sp '07
Fall '07
Sp '08
Fall '08	20%	20%	60%
Sp '09	20%	16%	63%
Median	38%	25%	32%

Do you expect that at this time NEXT year you will be financially better off than now, or worse off than now?

Better off......................................................... 47%

Worse off........................................................ 33%

Same (volunteered).......................................... 14%

Not Sure......................................................... 6%

Refused / NA.................................................. 1%

	Better	Same	Worse
Fall '94	50%	31%	15%
Fall '95	46%	21%	26%
Fall '96	56%	19%	15%
Fall '97	54%	25%	14%
Fall '98	56%	21%	17%
Fall '99	63%	15%	20%
Fall '00	64%	20%	9%
Sp '02	54%	22%	15%
Fall '02	56%	13%	22%
Sp '03	53%	17%	26%
Fall '03	57%	14%	22%
Sp '04	57%	19%	16%
Sp '05	42%	25%	29%
Fall '05	40%	18%	38%
Sp '06	45%	24%	25%
Fall '06	56%	25%	16%
Sp '07	44%	27%	25%
Fall '07	44%	21%	28%
Sp '08	47%	17%	30%
Fall '08	51%	17%	20%
Sp '09	47%	14%	33%
Median	53%	20%	22%