[poochee]

President Barack Obama’s favorable rating is down 22 points since January, to 56%. Meanwhile, his chief rival for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination (and current Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton has a favorable rating of 62%, little changed over the same time span.

The Gallup Poll

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John Edwards’ favorable rating is 21%, a new low for him, after a steep 27-point slide from Gallup’s prior measurement in January 2008. Another former vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has her lowest favorable rating (40%) since she became a well-known political figure last fall.

The Gallup Poll

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More than 4 in 10 Americans -- 44% -- believe the use of marijuana should be legalized, while barely half say it should not be. Support for legalization is up from 36% in 2005 and now far exceeds the 31% found at the start of the decade. Politically, most of the increase is seen among Democrats.

The Galllup Poll

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Underscoring a possible explanation for recent reports of increased gun and ammunition sales, Gallup finds 55% of gun owners and 41% of Americans overall believing that President Obama will attempt to ban the sale of guns in the U.S. while he is president.

The Gallup Poll

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While the majority of Americans appear to have made up their minds on healthcare reform, 39% say their support for the final bill will depend on the details. Exactly half (50%) say they favor a public insurance option, but most (61%) would oppose reducing payments to Medicare providers.

The Gallup Poll

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Barack Obama averaged 52.9% approval in his third quarter in office, down sharply from a 62% average in his second. That is the largest drop between those quarters for an elected president since 1953, and one of the largest quarter-to-quarter drops for any first-year president.

The Gallup Poll

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Nearly half of Americans, 49%, expect the costs they pay for healthcare to get worse if a healthcare bill passes, up from 42% last month. More Americans now also believe their coverage and quality will get worse than did so in September.

The Gallup Poll

AND

A Gallup survey of South Africa reaffirms the extent to which the issue of rape plagues South Africa -- with 97% of residents saying it is a major problem in their country. Roughly 6 in 10 (61%) say offenders should be punished with a jail sentence, but more than one in four say the crime merits the death penalty.

The Gallup Poll

[poochee]

The majority of Americans (61%) say President Obama did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, but as many Americans say they are “glad” he received it (46%) as say they are not glad (47%). Attitudes are predictably divided by partisanship.

The Gallup Poll

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Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates in the American populace in 2009, 40% to 36%, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Liberals rank third at 20%. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when conservatives were tied with moderates as the most prevalent group.

The Gallup Poll

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After peaking at 59% last November, Vice President Joe Biden’s favorable rating continues to decline and now stands at 42%. That barely exceeds his 40% unfavorable rating, and continues to trail President Obama’s favorable rating.

The Gallup Poll

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More Americans choose the economy (41%) than any other issue as the top priority for Barack Obama, but that is down sharply from last November (64%). By contrast, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the federal budget deficit, and healthcare have grown in perceived importance over the past year.

The Gallup Poll

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A majority of Americans, 55%, have at least a fair amount of trust in President Barack Obama on healthcare reform, compared with 48% expressing trust in the Democrats in Congress and 37% trusting the Republicans in Congress.

The Gallup Poll

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One year after Barack Obama’s election, Americans’ views on race relations and job discrimination against blacks are not significantly improved over what Gallup has measured in the past. Blacks remain substantially more negative than whites on both measures.

The Gallup Poll

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Americans are closely divided on healthcare reform, meaning that public opinion offers no real political advantage to either champions or opponents of the idea. That said, a review of Gallup polls conducted throughout the debate reveals five realities crucial to understanding public opinion on this issue.

The Gallup Poll

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The Democrats’ 46% to 44% advantage on the generic ballot suggests a solid Republican showing if the midterm elections were held today, assuming a typical GOP advantage in turnout. Even far in advance of the elections, the generic ballot has proven to yield reasonable insight into the U.S. House vote.

The Gallup Poll