63% Favor Death Penalty, 47% Say It Deters Crime
Support for the death penalty remains high, and adults are a bit more confident that capital punishment helps deter crime than they were a year ago.
Politics
Most Recent Releases
June 29, 2011
June 28, 2011
Generic Republican Candidate 46%, Obama 42%
A generic Republican candidate now holds a four-point lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 election matchup. It's the fifth week in a row that the GOP candidate has been ahead and the widest gap between the candidates to date.
June 28, 2011
66% Say U.S. Society Fair and Decent
Most voters continue to believe U.S. society is generally fair and decent, but they aren’t quite as convinced that President Obama shares their views.
June 28, 2011
42% View Retiring Defense Secretary Gates Favorably
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the only holdover from the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, is stepping down from his post this week with his favorables largely the same as they were when President Obama decided to keep him two-and-a-half years ago.
June 28, 2011
30% Favor Tax Hikes To Keep Social Security, Medicare Solvent
Voters are closely divided over whether increasing taxes or raising the eligibility age is the best way to keep the government’s retirement programs financially afloat.
June 28, 2011
47% See U.S. Justice System As Fair To Most Americans, 34% Don't
Less than half of adults nationwide believe the U.S. system of justice is fair to most Americans. But far more think the problem with the system is not that the innocent are treated unfairly but that the guilty go free.
June 27, 2011
73% Say Woman President Likely in Next 10 Years
Voters are more willing than ever to elect a woman president, and most think there’s a good chance a woman will win the White House in the next 10 years.
June 27, 2011
65% Say Current Taxes Not Enough to Fund Medicare, Social Security Promises
Most voters consider it essential for taxes to fund all promised Social Security and Medicare benefits and understand that the current level of taxation is not enough to keep those promises. But they're not overly sure they need to pay more taxes to keep those programs going.
June 26, 2011
48% Say Al Qaeda Weaker Now Than Before 9/11
Nearly one-half (48%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the al Qaeda terrorist organization is weaker today than it was before the September 11, 2001 attacks on America.
June 25, 2011
46% Say Obama Doing Poor Job on the Economy
Nearly half of U.S. voters give President Obama poor marks for his handling of the economy, but he continues to earn higher respect for his performance in the area of national security.
June 25, 2011
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending June 25, 2011
Americans appear more pessimistic about the economy than they have been in months and also express little confidence that their elected leaders will do anything about it.
June 24, 2011
29% Say Legal System Puts Individual Rights Over National Security
Voters appear less concerned these days with protecting individual rights when it comes to national security and public safety.
June 24, 2011
51% Want All U.S. Troops Out of Afghanistan Within A Year
President Obama this week announced that the United States will withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan this year and will bring another 23,000 home by the end of next summer. But most voters don't think the president has gone far enough.
June 24, 2011
One-in-Three Voters View Social Security, Medicare Unfavorably
Medicare and Social Security are big helps to most retired Americans, but one-third of voters don’t care much for either of the long-standing government programs.
June 23, 2011
61% Are Still Angry At The Media
Most voters are still angry at the media, but they’re less convinced that the majority of reporters are biased in favor of President Obama.
June 22, 2011
46% Say Average Reporter Is More Liberal Than They Are
Voters still think most reporters are politically biased and tend to view them as more liberal than they are.
June 22, 2011
25% Favor Abolishing EPA, 61% Oppose
Though voters nationwide place more importance on jobs than environmental protection, just one in four thinks the Environmental Protection Agency should be abolished.
June 22, 2011
Most Favor Immigration Police Checks, Tough Sanctions on Those Who Hire or Rent to Illegal Immigrants
Alabama this month became the latest state to authorize routine police checks of immigration status and to require employers to verify that those they hire are in this country legally. Voters continue to strongly support tougher enforcement in both areas.
June 21, 2011
44% Give Obama Positive Marks On Leadership
Voter perceptions of President Obama’s leadership skills remain relatively stable.
June 21, 2011
Most Americans Put Deficit Reduction Ahead of Increasing Food Safety Inspections
Just a few days after the House of Representatives passed a bill that slashes spending on food safety and nutrition programs, most Americans say reducing the deficit is more important than increasing food safety inspections. Either way, Americans are mostly confident their food is safe.
