Opinion Today
December 8, 2021
Voters Pessimistic About Economy, Biden’s Leadership
Aaron Zitner, Wall Street Journal [via opiniontoday.com]
Voters are heading into the midterm election year in a sour mood, pessimistic about the economy and short on confidence in the leadership of President Biden and his party on the issues that concern them most, a new Wall Street Journal poll finds. The survey reveals a set of danger signs for the Democratic Party as it prepares to defend narrow majorities in the House and Senate. Voters by a large margin see economic and fiscal issues, including inflation, as the top priorities for Washington, and they view the GOP as better able to handle them.
U.S. Economic Optimism Bounces From Covid-Era Low
Jed Graham, Investor’s Business Daily
Optimism about the U.S. economy registered its biggest bounce in more than a year in December, after sinking to Covid-era lows a month earlier, the new IBD/TIPP Poll finds.
Most Americans have heard of the Omicron variant, few are very familiar
Ipsos
New Axios-Ipsos poll finds that two in three support mask requirements and travel bans to limit the spread of the new variant
Republicans Less Trusting of Doctor's Advice Than in the Past
Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup
Republicans are less likely now than they were in the past to say they are confident in the accuracy of important medical advice their doctor gives them. Currently, 60% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are confident, down from 73% in 2010 and 70% in 2002. Meanwhile, more Democrats and Democratic leaners are confident now (71%) than were in the past, especially compared with the 62% measured in 2002.
As Supreme Court Weighs the Future of Abortion, 2 in 5 Voters Say They Expect Roe v. Wade Will Be Overturned
Gaby Galvin, Morning Consult
Voters are much more likely today than in 2019 to say the future is grim for Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1973 that established the constitutional right to an abortion, according to new Morning Consult/Politico data.
Most voters back abortion rights but are not swayed by threat to Roe
Alice Ollstein, Politico
Far more voters say they want the Supreme Court to leave Roe v. Wade in place than not, but the issue isn't a key motivator heading into the midterm elections, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.
Majority of Americans Support Taking Stand Against Beijing Olympics
Alex Silverman, Morning Consult
Republicans were more likely than Democrats, independents to support barring U.S. athletes from participating in Beijing Games
Younger U.S. adults less likely to see big differences between the parties or to feel well represented by them
Vianney Gómez & Andrew Daniller, Pew Research Center
Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults (59%) see a great deal of difference between the two major political parties, up from 55% just two years ago and substantially higher than in prior decades. Yet as in past years, there are wide age differences in these views.
Gen Z and the Toll of the Pandemic
AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
After nearly two years of pandemic life, Gen Z points to COVID-19 as a significant source of stress that is getting in the way of them pursing their social, educational, and career goals.
What teens think about White privilege, discrimination and how their generation will treat people when they grow up
William Bishop & Emily Guskin, Washington Post
White, Hispanic, Black and Asian teenagers have sharply different expectations for whether their race or ethnicity will help or hurt their ability to get ahead in life, as well as the existence of White privilege, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll conducted earlier this year.
Global Public Opinion in an Era of Democratic Anxiety
Richard Wike & Janell Fetterolf, Pew Research Center
As democratic nations have wrestled with economic, social and geopolitical upheaval in recent years, the future of liberal democracy has come into question. In countries across the globe, democratic norms and civil liberties have deteriorated, while populists have enjoyed surprising success at the ballot box. Our international surveys reveal four key insights into how citizens think about democratic governance.
New York: Hochul Continues Early Lead in Growing Democratic Primary Field
Siena College Research Institute
New York Democrats continue to favor Governor Kathy Hochul in the gubernatorial primary, with 36 percent supporting Hochul, 18 percent backing Attorney General Letitia James, 10 percent supporting New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and six percent each for Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; 24 percent are undecided or back another candidate.
Texas could test one of Biden's core political bets
Ronald Brownstein, CNN
No state may benefit more than Texas from the social programs included in President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda, an array of recent analyses show -- despite the fierce opposition to the bill from the state's Republican leadership. The gusher of federal assistance that the Build Back Better legislation would channel toward Texas -- assuming the bill eventually clears the Senate and these provisions survive there -- will test a central component of Biden's political strategy: the belief that delivering material benefits to economically strained families will win back voters drawn to conservative Republican messages on cultural and racial issues.
Why Republican Support For Peaceful Racial Justice Protests Was Short-Lived
Michael Tesler (UC Irvine), FiveThirtyEight
The backlash against critical race theory, Republicans’ growing support for deporting immigrants, and Trump voters’ mounting disapproval of BLM and nonviolent protests for racial justice are all part and parcel of a broader trend of Republican rising conservatism on race in the Biden era.
Why We Can’t 'Bounce Back' From COVID-19
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
The emergence of yet another COVID variant (Omicron) means we aren’t going to see an “independence” from the virus for quite some time. Like the sword of Damocles, COVID hangs over Biden, constantly threatening to unleash more chaos and confusion into our already upended world. Yet, as we focus on the present mutation, we still haven’t fully reckoned with the impact the pre-vaccine era experience has had — and will continue to have — on our lives. Here are just some of the “long-tail” effects of life in the pandemic.
Joe Biden and the Political Limits of Competence
Astead W. Herndon, New York Times
Amid sinking poll numbers and a stalled agenda, the president has made a subtle shift in his political strategy.
UK MPs earn up to £350 an hour for taking surveys
Jennifer Scott, BBC News
MPs are earning up to £350 an hour to take surveys for polling companies, according to BBC research. Firms such as YouGov and Ipsos Mori regularly question MPs on behalf of businesses and charities to find out the opinions of policy makers.
Tweet of Note
Rufus @Rufus_GB
@PollsAndVotes I question the value of issue polling, in general, because the results can vary so wildly based on the wording of the question. On Roe, it's that issue plus the fact that I don't believe many (most?) Americans understand what Roe actually does/doesn't do. Thoughts?
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