One-In-Three Americans Don’t Know Who Glenn Beck Is

Glenn Beck’s Fox News program averages roughly two million viewers a night, but new polling finds that one-in-three Americans don’t know who he is.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of Adults have at least a Somewhat Favorable impression of Beck, with 16% who view him Very Favorably.  Thirty-five percent (35%) have an unfavorable opinion of the Fox News host, including 24% with a Very Unfavorable view. However, 33% don’t know enough about the former CNN personality to offer an opinion of him.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

By comparison, 47% have a favorable opinion of Katie Couric, the anchor of the CBS Evening News who like Beck is stepping down.  Thirty-eight percent (38%) view her unfavorably.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of Americans are aware that Beck is the TV host leaving the Fox News channel. Nine percent (9%) think the departing host is Bill O’Reilly whose show is first in the cable ratings, while two percent (2%) say it's Greta Van Susteren.  One percent (1%) think Sean Hannity is leaving Fox News.  But 34% aren't sure.

Beck’s 5 pm EST program began airing in 2009 and has been one of the top cable news programs ever since.  He also hosts a nationally syndicated radio program that ranks fourth among long-form talk shows, averaging nine million weekly listeners.  The Connecticut native also has penned six New York Times-best selling books.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 8-9, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.