CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL

For release: September 15, 2010

6:30 PM EDT

PRESIDENT OBAMA
September 10-14, 2010

• President Obama’s job approval rating is mixed: 45% approve, and 47% disapprove. But
disapproval does not mean disappointment, and most Americans say that his performance in
office is what they expected.

• However, the President receives wider criticism on what Americans perceive as the top problem
facing the country – the economy. Most Americans think he has not made progress fixing it,
and a majority thinks he does not have a clear plan for creating jobs.

• Still, President Obama receives little of the blame for current economic conditions – that goes to
President George W. Bush and Wall Street.

• And despite the public’s criticisms of President Obama, Americans are harsher on the
Republicans in Congress. Most do not think they have a clear plan for solving the nation’s
problems.

Although they are unhappy with the direction of the country and the economy, the latest CBS
News/New York Times Poll finds most Americans see the President’s performance in office as about
what they expected. While just over one in four (including 17% of Democrats) says that his
performance has been worse than they expected, far more – 63% -- feel he has been about what they
expected. Still, few Americans – even among Democrats -- say he has exceeded their expectations.

Has Pres. Obama So Far Been…?

All Reps Dems Inds
Better than you expected 7% 4% 10% 7%
Worse than expected 28 44 17 28
About as you expected 63 51 73 62

Among those who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, 67% think his performance in office has been as
they expected. 19% say it has been worse, but 12% say it has been better.

And only 39% think the President has a clear plan for solving the country’s problems – more, 57%,
think he does not. But these ratings are far better than those accorded to Republicans in Congress;
72% of Americans say they don’t have a plan.

Does… Have a Clear Plan for Solving Nation’s Problems?

Does Does not
President Obama 39% 57
Republicans in Congress 18% 72
The President’s overall job approval rating remains mixed, but slightly more disapprove than approve.
45% approve, while 47% disapprove. President Obama’s approval rating hovered in the mid- to high-
40s over the summer.

President Obama’s Overall Job Rating

Now 8/2010 7/2010 6/2010 4/2010
Approve 45% 48% 44% 47% 51%
Disapprove 47 44 44 43 39

Barack Obama remains popular with this base – 76% of Democrats approve. More independents
disapprove than approve of the job he is doing.

President Obama’s Overall Job Rating

Approve Disapprove
Democrats 76% 15
Republicans 7% 86
Independents 42% 49

The Economy

The economy and jobs remain foremost in the minds of Americans and voters alike – 60% of
Americans volunteer it as the most important problem facing the country today. Eight in 10 think
the economy is at least somewhat bad, and just one in five thinks the economy is getting better.
More than six in 10 voters are at least somewhat concerned that someone in their household
will lose their job in the next twelve months.

President Obama’s approval rating on the economy – the issue that stands to be most important in the
midterms – is at just 41%. 51% of Americans disapprove.

President Obama’s Job Approval Handling the Economy…

Approve 41%
Disapprove 51

Just a third of Americans – most of them Democrats – think President Obama has made progress fixing
the economy… but 60% think he has not.

Has Pres. Obama Made Progress Fixing Economy?

Has 35%
Has not 60

Views of the President on this measure are highly partisan, with 87% of Republicans saying he has not,
and 54% of Democrats saying he has.

Nor do Americans believe the President has a plan for creating jobs: 53% say he does not.

Does Pres. Obama have Clear Plan for Creating Jobs?

Yes 38%
No 53

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However, nearly twice as many Americans see the President as doing more to improve the
economy than Republicans in Congress.

Who is Doing More to Improve the Economy?

Total Reps Dems inds
Barack Obama 49% 15% 81% 43%
Republicans in Congress 27 54 7 28
Neither (vol.) 15 21 7 17

And, most do not pin the blame for the tough economic climate on the Obama administration.
When asked who is most to blame for the state of the economy, 37% blame the previous Bush
administration, followed by Wall Street (21%), and Congress (11%). Just 5% said the Obama
administration is most to blame.

Most to Blame for the Condition of the Economy

Bush administration 37%
Wall Street 21
Congress 11
Someone else 8
Obama administration 5
Combination (vol.) 11

The 2009 economic stimulus package was passed under President Obama’s watch, and there
is little consensus about the effect it has had on the economy. 30% think it has made the
economy better, while fewer, 20%, think it has made the economy worse. Even more, 46%,
think it hasn’t had an impact.

Has the Stimulus Package Made the Economy…?

Better 30%
Worse 20
No impact 46

And while 34% think the stimulus package was too large, 27% think it was not large enough.
Another 28% think the size of the stimulus package was about right.

Health Care, Taxes

More Americans disapprove than approve of the second piece of legislation most strongly
associated with the President – health care reform. 37% approve of the law, but 49%
disapprove. Most Democrats approve, while most Republicans and independents disapprove.

Do You Approve of the 2010 Health Care Law?

Approve 37%
Disapprove 49

Of those who disapprove, 82% say they want the current health care law repealed, though this
number drops to just 48% if it means that insurance companies are no longer required to cover
people with existing medical conditions or prior illnesses.

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The public thinks the Obama administration’s plan to let the 2001 tax cuts passed during the
Bush administration expire for those earning over $250,000 a year is a good idea – 53% think
so, while 38% do not. Two of three Democrats think it is a good idea, and most independents
agree. Most Republicans think it is a bad idea.

Is Letting the 2001 Tax Cuts Expire

for Households Earning OVER $250K…?
Total Reps Dems inds
A good idea 53% 33% 65% 55%
A bad idea 38 57 26 37

One third of Americans believe the Obama Administration has raised taxes for most Americans. The
largest number, 50%, thinks taxes have stayed the same, but only 8% thinks taxes have gone down.

Direction of the Country

As they have for many months now, Americans continue to say the country is headed in the
wrong direction, rather than on the right track.

Country is Headed in the…

Right direction 33%
Wrong track 60

Afghanistan and Iraq

One policy area where there is agreement along party lines is over how the war in Afghanistan
is going. Most Americans – 55% - think it is going badly, including majorities of Republicans,
Democrats, and independents.

How is the War in Afghanistan Going?

Total Reps Dems inds
Well 38% 41% 35% 40%
Badly 55 52 59 52

But though most Republicans think things are going badly in Afghanistan, 51% also think the
U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war there. Most Democrats and independents think
the U.S. should not be involved.

Is the U.S. Doing the Right Thing in Afghanistan?

Total Reps Dems inds
Right thing 38% 51% 30% 36%
Not involved 54 38 62 57

Belief that the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting in Afghanistan has been slowly slipping
over the past year, now just 38% think so, down from a slight majority of 51% last October.

When assessing the president in this area, 48% of Americans approve of the way Barack
Obama is handling the situation in Afghanistan – 34% disapprove.

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But just 23% of Americans think the war in Iraq was worth the loss of American life and other
costs of attacking Iraq, even after most U.S. combat troops have been removed from the
country. 71% of Americans do not think the war with Iraq was worth it. Democrats and
independents overwhelmingly say the war was not worth it, while Republicans are divided.

Was Iraq Worth It?

Total Reps Dems inds
Yes 23% 46% 13% 17%
No 71 46 82 76

________________________________________________________________________

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 990 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone
September 10-14, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard
land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus
or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

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CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL
President Obama
September 10-14, 2010

q1 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind Aug10b
% % % % %
Approve 45 7 76 42 48
Disapprove 47 86 15 49 44
DK/NA 8 7 9 9 8

q2 Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do
you feel things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?

Sep10a
Right direction 33 8 59 26 26
Wrong track 60 88 34 66 66
DK/NA 7 4 7 8 8

q3 What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?

Aug10b
Economy/Jobs 60 55 63 59 58
Health Care 3 1 5 2 5
Budget Deficit/National Debt 3 4 2 3 4
Miscellaneous Social Issues 3 1 3 6 1
War/Iraq/Afghanistan 3 2 4 2 6
Illegal Immigration 2 3 1 2 2
Defense/Military 2 4 2 1 0
Education 2 1 1 2 2
Moral Values/Family Values 2 3 0 0 0
The President/Leadership 2 3 1 3 2
Other 14 20 14 16 17
DK/NA 4 3 4 4 3

q4 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy?

Aug10b
Approve 41 9 69 37 44
Disapprove 51 85 24 53 48
DK/NA 8 6 7 10 8

q5 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the situation with
Afghanistan?

Approve 48 24 68 47 43
Disapprove 34 51 21 34 39
DK/NA 18 25 11 19 18

q6-8 RELEASED SEPARATELY

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q9 How would you rate the condition of the national economy these days? Is it very good,
fairly good, fairly bad, or very bad?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind Aug10b
% % % % %
Very good 0 0 1 0 2
Fairly good 17 8 26 14 15
Fairly bad 47 42 45 51 42
Very bad 34 48 27 33 41
DK/NA 2 2 1 2 0

q10 Do you think the economy is getting better, getting worse, or staying about the same?

Better 22 8 35 18 20
Worse 30 42 22 28 34
Same 48 48 42 53 44
DK/NA 0 2 1 1 2

q11-30 RELEASED SEPARATELY

q31 So far, has Barack Obama’s performance in office been better than you expected, worse
than you expected, or about what you expected?

Better than expected 7 4 10 7

Worse than expected 28 44 17 28
About what expected 63 51 73 62
DK/NA 2 1 0 3

q32 Do you think Barack Obama has a clear plan for solving the nation’s problems, or
doesn’t he?

Does 39 13 64 33
Does not 57 84 34 59
DK/NA 4 3 2 8

q33 Do you think the Republicans in Congress have a clear plan for solving the nation’s
problems, or don’t they?

Does 18 32 11 15
Does not 72 50 84 76
DK/NA 10 18 5 10

q34 BLANK

q35 Do you think of Barack Obama as more of a liberal, a moderate, or a conservative?

IF LIBERAL, ASK: Would you say he is very liberal or only somewhat liberal?
IF CONSERVATIVE, ASK: Would you say he is only somewhat conservative or very
conservative?

Apr10a
%
Very liberal 29 60 11 26 31
Somewhat liberal 22 17 29 20 18
Moderate 28 11 38 30 28
Somewhat conservative 6 3 10 4 6
Very conservative 3 2 4 2 4
DK/NA 12 7 8 18 13
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q36 Since he took office, has Barack Obama made real progress in fixing the economy or
hasn’t he made real progress in fixing the economy?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind
% % % %
Made real progress 35 11 54 34
Hasn't made real progress 60 87 39 62
DK/NA 5 2 7 4

q37 In trying to solve the economic problems facing the country, do you think Barack
Obama has expanded the role of government too much, not enough, or about the right
amount?

Apr10a
%
Too much 37 66 17 36 37
Not enough 22 17 21 25 18
About right 34 10 57 31 36
DK/NA 7 7 5 8 9

q38-39 BLANK

q40 So far, do you think the Obama Administration has increased taxes for most Americans,
decreased taxes for most Americans, or have they kept taxes the same for most Americans?

Increased 33 55 19 31 34
Decreased 8 3 13 7 10
Kept the same 50 32 60 52 48
DK/NA 9 10 8 10 8

q41 Do you think Barack Obama does or does not have a clear plan for creating jobs?

Jun10b
Does 38 17 63 30 34
Does not 53 79 28 57 54
DK/NA 9 4 9 13 12

q44-56 RELEASED SEPARATELY

q57 Who do you think is mostly to blame for the current state of the nation's economy —
1. the Bush administration, 2. the Obama administration, 3. Wall Street and financial
institutions, 4. Congress, or 5. someone else?

Apr10a
Bush administration 37 11 62 33 32
Obama administration 5 14 2 2 4
Wall Street and financial 21 23 21 19 22
Congress 11 20 3 11 10
Someone else 8 8 4 13 7
All of the above (vol.) 4 8 2 4 9
Combination (vol.) 11 10 7 16 13
DK/NA 3 6 0 2 3

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q58 So far, do you think the government's stimulus package has made the economy better,
made the economy worse, or has it had no impact on the economy so far?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind Jul10b
% % % % %
Better 30 10 46 28 23
Worse 20 37 9 18 18
No impact 46 51 39 49 56
DK/NA 4 2 6 5 3

q59 Do you think the government’s stimulus package was too large, was not large enough,
or was it about right?

Too large 34 61 16 33
Not large enough 27 12 34 30
About right 28 14 40 25
DK/NA 11 13 10 12

q60-62 BLANK

q63 The Obama administration has proposed letting the tax cuts passed in 2001 expire for
households earning about $250,000 a year or more. This would increase federal income
taxes for those people. Do you think this proposal is a good idea or a bad idea?

Feb10a
Good idea 53 33 65 55 62
Bad idea 38 57 26 37 31
DK/NA 9 10 9 8 7

q64 What about those households earning less than $250,000 a year? Allowing the tax cuts
to expire for those people would also increase their federal income tax. Do you think
it’s a good idea or a bad idea to allow the tax cut on households earning less than
$250,000 to expire?

Good idea 19 10 22 23
Bad idea 74 86 70 69
DK/NA 7 4 8 8

q65 From what you've heard or read, do you approve or disapprove of the health care law
that was enacted last March? IF APPROVE, ASK: Do you strongly approve or somewhat
approve? IF DISAPPROVE, ASK: Do you somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove?

Jul10b
Strongly approve 15 4 29 10 17
Somewhat approve 22 8 31 21 19
Somewhat disapprove 15 15 14 17 16
Strongly disapprove 34 66 13 32 33
DK/NA 14 7 13 20 15

q66 Do you think Congress should repeal the health care law that was passed in March, or
should they let it stand?

** THOSE WHO DISAPPROVE IN q65 **

Repeal law 82 92 64 80
Let stand 14 5 32 15
DK/NA 4 3 4 5

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q67 What if repealing the law meant that insurance companies were no longer required to
cover people with existing medical conditions or prior illnesses, then do you think the
law should be repealed, or not?

* THOSE WHO ANSWER “REPEAL” IN q66 *

*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind
% % % %
Should be repealed 48 59 21 45
Should not 40 28 54 50
DK/NA 12 13 25 5

q68-80 RELEASED SEPARATELY

q74 Regardless of how you usually vote, who do you think is doing more to improve the
nation's economy -- Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind
% % % %
Barack Obama 49 15 81 43
Republicans in Congress 27 54 7 28
Both Vol.) 1 1 1 2
Neither (Vol.) 15 21 7 17
DK/NA 8 9 4 10

q75-q80 RELEASED SEPARATELY

q81 Do you think the result of the war with Iraq was worth the loss of American lives and
other costs of attacking Iraq, or not?

Aug10b
Worth it 23 46 13 17 20
Not worth it 71 46 82 76 72
DK/NA 6 8 5 7 8

q82 Do you think the U.S. is doing the right thing by fighting the war in Afghanistan
now, or should the U.S. not be involved in Afghanistan now?

Right thing 38 51 30 36 43
Not involved 54 38 62 57 48
DK/NA 8 11 8 7 9

q83 What is your impression of how the war in Afghanistan is going for the United States
right now — very well, somewhat well, somewhat badly, or very badly?

Very well 2 1 2 3 2
Somewhat well 36 40 33 37 35
Somewhat badly 34 35 37 30 38
Very badly 21 17 22 22 14
Don't know/No answer 7 7 6 8 11

q84-91 RELEASED SEPARATELY

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q92 Compared to two years ago, is your family's financial situation better today, worse
today, or about the same?

** TOTAL RESPONDENTS **
*** Party ID ***
Total Rep Dem Ind Aug03a
% % % % %
Better today 17 13 21 16 19
Worse today 39 44 34 40 34
About the same 43 42 44 44 46
DK/NA 1 1 1 0 1

q93 How concerned are you that in the next 12 months you or someone else in your
household might be out of work and looking for a job -- very concerned, somewhat
concerned, or not at all concerned?

Aug10b
Very concerned 40 35 38 44 40
Somewhat concerned 22 17 24 24 30
Not at all concerned 37 47 36 32 29
DK/NA 1 1 2 0 1

UNWEIGHTED WEIGHTED
Total Respondents 990

Total Republicans 261 248 (25%)

Total Democrats 346 345 (35%)
Total Independents 383 397 (33%)

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