April National Issues 2010

WPR/ST. NORBERT COLLEGE

THE WISCONSIN SURVEY – Spring 2010

National Issues

Survey Information:

Random Selection, Landline Telephone Survey

Number of Adult Wisconsin Resident Respondents: 400

Interview Period: 3/23/10 – 3/31/10

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.

What Should Congress Handle Next?

After the health care debate, what do you think Congress’s number one issue should be? (Please probe for specifics). (open-ended)

1. Economy and Jobs ........................................................... 49%

2. Health Care ........................................................... 15%

3. Foreign Policy/National Security....................................... 9%

4. Budget/Deficit/Debt/Taxes................................................ 6%

5. The Need to Work Together/Bipartisanship................... 4%

6. Immigration ........................................................... 2%

7. Education ........................................................... 1%

8. Poverty ........................................................... 1%

· Other Domestic Issues (each less than 1% of total responses) 3%

· Don’t Know/Not Sure.......................................................... 6%

· None ........................................................... <1%

· Refused ........................................................... 3%

Direction of the Country

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

Right Direction............................................................. 38%

Wrong Direction.......................................................... 55%

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

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

Country is Going in the 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%
Fall '09	38%
Sp '10	38%

President and Congress Approval Ratings

Do you approve or disapprove of how Barack Obama is handling his job as President?

Approve...................................................................... 44%

Disapprove ................................................................. 50%

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

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

Approval Rating for President Obama

Sp '09	60%
Fall '09	50%
Sp '10	44%

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	50%	38%	12%	1%
b. The situation with Iraq	53%	35%	12%	1%
c. issues important to people like you	43%	52%	4%	<1%
d. The Economy	37%	59%	5%	0%
e. Health care	40%	54%	5%	1%
f. Corporate Reform	29%	52%	18%	1%
g. Energy Security	42%	36%	21%	1%

Presidential Approval Ratings by Issue

	Economy	Health Care	Afghanistan	Iraq
Spring 2003	33%	31%		48%
Fall 2003	38%	26%		40%
Spring 2004	32%	24%		35%
Spring 2009	49%	36%		64%
Fall 2009	42%	38%	47%	N/A
Spring 2010	37%	40%	50%	53%

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?

Approve...................................................................... 14%

Disapprove.................................................................. 76%

Not Sure..................................................................... 9%

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

Approval Rating for Congress

Spring '07	37%
Fall '07	26%
Spring '08	27%
Fall '08	16%
Spring '09	39%
Spring '10	14%

For the following issues, please tell me which party in Congress, Democrats or Republicans, would do a better job handling the issues. ROTATE

	Democrats	Republicans	Both – No Difference (vol)	Neither (vol.)	Not Sure	Refused/NA
a. The Economy	30%	48%	4%	11%	8%	<1%
b. Health care	43%	41%	2%	8%	6%	1%
c. Corporate Reform	33%	38%	2%	11%	14%	2%
d. Issues important to people like you	36%	42%	3%	12%	7%	<1%

The Economy

Compared to a year ago, do you think the national economy has gotten better, stayed the same, or gotten worse?

Better ........................................................... 42%

Same ........................................................... 23%

Worse ........................................................... 34%

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

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

	Better	Same	Worse
Fall '04	32%	28%	40%
Fall '06	27%	32%	38%
Fall '08	1%	5%	93%
Sp '10	42%	23%	34%

Would you say that the economic stimulus bills passed by Congress helped the economy, had no effect on the economy, or hurt the economy?

Helped.......................................................... 29%

No Effect...................................................... 34%

Hurt ........................................................... 34%

Not Sure....................................................... 4%

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

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 ........................................................... 12%

Somewhat Concerned ........................................................... 20%

Not Too Concerned ........................................................... 21%

Not At All Concerned ........................................................... 25%

Retired – not in workforce....................................................... 17%

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

Refused ........................................................... 4%

Compared to a year ago, do you feel that you are financially better off now, or worse off now than a year ago?

Better off now............................................................. 28%

Worse off now............................................................ 47%

Same (volunteered)...................................................... 23%

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

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%
Fall '09	21%	25%	53%
Sp '10	28%	23%	47%
Median	37%	25%	34%

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

Better off than now...................................................... 49%

Worse off than now..................................................... 27%

Same (volunteered)...................................................... 15%

Not Sure..................................................................... 9%

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%
Fall '09	53%	12%	25%
Sp '10	49%	15%	27%
Median	53%	19%	22%

The Health Care Bill

Now familiar do you feel you are with the contents of the health care reform legislation that was just signed into to law by President Obama?

Very Familiar................................................. 10%

Somewhat Familiar........................................ 50%

Not Too Familiar........................................... 27%

Not At All Familiar........................................ 13%

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

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

Based on what you have read or heard about this health care legislation, do you generally favor or oppose it?

Favor ........................................................... 41%

Oppose......................................................... 53%

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

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

OF THOSE WHO OPPOSE, do you oppose the health care legislation because you think its approach to health care goes too far in changing the system, or because you think it does not go far enough in reforming health care?

Goes Too Far ............................................... 70%

Does Not Go Far Enough.............................. 14%

Other (Specify)VOLUNTEERED.................. 9% (see detail below)

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

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

OF OTHER…above:

It is too much government interference........................ 26%

Doesn’t address the right aspects of health care.......... 18%

No way to pay for it/too expensive............................. 18%

Both – too far in some places, not far enough in others 13%

Process was wrong/not transparent............................ 13%

It won’t work ........................................................... 9%

Don’t agree with it..................................................... 1%

If your member of Congress voted to pass the health care legislation, what effect will it have on your vote for their reelection in November? Will it make you more likely to vote for them, less likely, or have no effect on whether you will vote for them or not? (all respondents)

More likely to vote for them........................... 23%

Less likely to vote for them ........................... 43%

Will have no effect on their vote .................... 31%

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

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

If your member of Congress voted AGAINST the health care legislation, what effect will it have on your vote for their reelection in November? Will it make you more likely to vote for them, less likely, or have no effect on whether you will vote for them or not? (all respondents)

More likely to vote for them........................... 41%

Less likely to vote for them ........................... 26%

Will have no effect on their vote .................... 31%

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

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