Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Top One-Word Reaction to Cain is a Number: 9-9-9

More Negative Than Positive Words for Perry, Even Among Republicans

October 18, 2011

When Americans are asked to describe Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain in a single word, they most frequently offer a series of numbers: "9-9-9." Cain's tax proposal is mentioned more often than his background as a businessman.

The latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and The Washington Post, conducted Oct. 13-16 among 1,007 adults, finds that many Americans are unable to come up with words to describe the three GOP candidates who led the Republican field in a poll conducted Sept. 22-24 by the Pew Research Center. Nearly half (46%) did not offer a one-word description of Cain, 44% did not offer a word to describe Perry and 37% did not have a one-word description of Romney.

See the report for a full list of the one-word descriptions that were used about the candidates and an analysis of how they fared in the ratio of positive to negative words.