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Frequently asked Pew Research survey questions and data.
National Satisfaction: 23%
Less than a quarter of Americans (23%) are satisfied with the state of the nation. Fully 71% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today. The public has been unhappy with the state of the nation for an extended period of time, with roughly a third or fewer expressing satisfaction since the start of 2005. As a result, many have become disenchanted with Congress. Nearly a third say they do not want their own representative reelected (31%) -- well above the average in 29 previous surveys (23%) -- and a majority (53%) do not want most representatives reelected to Congress. Just a third (32%) would like to see most members of Congress reelected next fall. Voting intentions for the midterm elections also remain closely divided (45% would vote for a Democratic candidate while 42% would choose the Republican), roughly the same split that existed last summer.
Last Updated: 12 Feb 10
Presidential Approval: 49%
While few Americans are satisfied with the state of the nation, President Barack Obama’s approval rating has changed little over the last six months. Currently, 49% of Americans approve of the job the president has done. Nearly four-in-ten (39%) disapprove of Obama’s job. The president remains very popular among Democrats (79% approve), while just 17% of Republicans view Obama’s job performance positively. Currently, 46% of independents approve of Obama’s performance, up slightly from 39% last month. Still, disapproval of the country and the economy, and Obama’s handling of it, are expressed by Americans. As many say Obama’s economic policies have made economic conditions worse (27%) as say those policies have made things better (24%) and 50% say Obama could be doing more to improve the economy.
Last Updated: 12 Feb 10
Democratic Party Favorability: 48%
The Democratic Party’s favorability advantage over the GOP, which stood at 22 points in January 2009, has all but disappeared. Currently, fewer than half the public has a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, down from 62% in January 2009, but little changed from August 2009. Since January 2009, the party’s image has fallen among both Republicans (from 30% favorable to 18%) and independents (from 58% favorable to 40%). As a result of the drop among independents, the perception of the GOP (42% favorable, 49% unfavorable) and the Democratic Party (40% favorable, 50% unfavorable) is virtually identical. However, the Democratic Party is still better regarded in many respects than is the GOP and far more people continue to blame the Republicans than the Democrats for the current state of the economy.
Last Updated: 12 Feb 10
Republican Party Favorability: 46%
As many Americans now have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party as have an unfavorable view of the GOP (46% each) for the first time in roughly four years. With the exception of a brief spike in GOP favorability following the 2008 Republican Convention, about 40% of Americans held a favorable view of the Republican Party over those years. With 48% of Americans having a favorable view of the Democratic Party, the 22-point favorability gap that existed between the two parties in January 2009 has all but disappeared. In that time, the GOP has gained little among independent voters (42% now view the Republican Party favorable, up from 38% in January 2009), but Republicans are happier with their party. A year ago, just 74% of Republicans gave their own party a favorable rating; 82% do so today. Still, the party lags far behind where it stood in 1994. In a July Pew Research survey that year, fully 63% of Americans had a favorable impression of the GOP.
Last Updated: 12 Feb 10
Home Broadband Adoption: 63%
Fully 63% of adult Americans now have broadband internet connections at home, up from 55% who had high-speed access in May 2008. Broadband adoption had stalled between December 2007 and December 2008 -- remaining in a narrow range between 54% and 57% -- but has since risen with strong growth among seniors, low-income Americans and rural residents. African Americans, however, experienced their second consecutive year of below average broadband adoption growth. Groups who already had above-average rates of high-speed internet -- upper-income Americans and college graduates -- also saw only modest growth in the past year. Only 7% of Americans are dial-up internet users at home, a figure that is half the level it had been two years ago. A plurality of dial-up users said cost was the reason they've yet to make the change to broadband.
Last Updated: 1 May 09
Iraq War Wrong Decision: 49%
Since the beginning of 2007, positive views of the situation in Iraq have risen dramatically; however, the number of Americans who believe invading Iraq was the wrong decision (49%) is almost exactly what it was two years ago. The number of Americans saying invading Iraq was the right decision has hovered around 40% for those two years, and is currently at 43%. In contrast, while opinion about the situation in Afghanistan is less positive, nearly two-thirds (64%) believe the decision to use military force in that country was the right decision.
Last Updated: 16 Jan 09
Internet Penetration: 75%
Three quarters of Americans (75%) are internet users, over 60 points more than were online in 1995 when only 14% of the country used the internet. The Web remains a place dominated by younger Americans; fully 87% of adults ages 18 to 29 go online and more than half of the adult internet population is between 18 and 44 years old. Older Americans, however, have seen considerable growth in online penetration. While only 26% of adults ages 70 to 75 were online in 2005, close to half (45%) now use the internet. Among all adults ages 65 and older, 41% go online. Income and education are strongly related to internet penetration. Nearly all high-income (94%) and college-educated Americans (95%) are online, while only 57% of Americans earning less than $30,000 and roughly a third of those with less than a high school education use the internet.
Last Updated: 1 Dec 08
