USConstitution.net 2009 Survey Results
This site has conducted an unscientific survey on various issues since July of 1998. The results, while interesting in most cases, are to be taken with a grain of salt - the results can easily be skewed by an individual or group of individuals; the sample is, by nature, not representative (because it consists only of Web users who visit my site and bother to view the survey page and submit an opinion).
This page includes results from 2009. For results from other years, please go to the Main Results Page.
Question 136, December 2009 President Barack Obama's new plan for Afghanistan calls for an additional 30,000 troops in-country. His plan also calls for the first withdrawals of troops to happen in July, 2011. What are your thoughts on Obama's timetable?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 18 months is too long; we should begin pulling out now | 152 | 18.86 |
| We should be able to be at a point where we can begin withdrawing in 18 months | 50 | 6.20 |
| An 18 month timetable is fine, but we never should have announced that to the world | 102 | 12.66 |
| The setting of any timetable is bad military strategy; we should scrap the timetable | 502 | 62.28 |
| Total | 806 | 100.00 |
Question 135, November 2009 The presidential election was held one year ago — would you have voted the same then if you knew what you know now?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| I voted for Obama and would again | 395 | 26.56 |
| I voted for Obama and would have voted for someone else | 124 | 8.34 |
| I voted for McCain and would again | 642 | 43.17 |
| I voted for McCain and would have voted for someone else | 175 | 11.77 |
| I voted for someone other than Obama or McCain and would vote the same again | 115 | 7.73 |
| I voted for someone other than Obama or McCain and would have voted for someone else | 36 | 2.42 |
| Total | 1487 | 100.00 |
Combined percentages
| Category | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Voted for Obama | 519 | 34.90 |
| Voted for McCain | 817 | 54.94 |
| Voted for Someone else | 151 | 10.15 |
| Would vote the same | 1152 | 77.47 |
| Would vote differently | 335 | 22.53 |
Question 134, October 2009 President Barack Obama has been in office for only eight months, but much has happened in that time. What is your opinion of his job performance so far?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly Approve | 502 | 13.25 |
| Approve | 293 | 7.73 |
| Neutral | 140 | 3.69 |
| Disapprove | 358 | 9.45 |
| Strongly Disapprove | 2496 | 65.87 |
| Total | 3789 | 100.00 |
Question 133, September 2009 The United States has had troops in Afghanistan since October, 2001. Though the United States and its allies were able to quickly remove the Taliban from power, the Taliban continues to wage an insurgency that keeps U.S. troops in danger and puts the lives of Afghan civilians, government officials, police, and soldiers at risk. What is your opinion of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| We need to persevere and finish the job of driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan. | 864 | 56.21 |
| We need to put a time limit on our involvement in Afghanistan. | 205 | 13.34 |
| The U.S. needs to pull out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. | 468 | 30.45 |
| Total | 1537 | 100.00 |
Question 132, August 2009 The so-called "public option" in the current health care debate refers to a government-run health care benefit that would allow anyone to buy into something akin to Medicare, the health care option available for American seniors. Liberals see it as a way to ensure that all Americans have access to health care; conservatives see it as an unfair alternative to for-profit insurance. Do you support the public option?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, I support the public option. | 721 | 28.53 |
| No, I absolutely oppose the public option. | 1668 | 66.01 |
| I need to learn more about the public option before I can decide. | 138 | 5.46 |
| Total | 2527 | 100.00 |
Question 131 (July 2009) Each July, this survey will be offered, allowing us to track, over time, the political persuasion of our visitors. Questions are asked about party affiliation as well as economic and social ranking on a scale of 1 to 9 (1 being very conservative and 9 being very liberal).
| Response | Count | Percentage | Avg Econ | Avg Soc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Parties | 14 | 0.10 | — | — |
| Communist Party | 3 | 0.26 | 1.86 | 7.67 |
| Constitution Party | 76 | 6.52 | 1.86 | 2.11 |
| Democratic Party | 152 | 13.05 | 6.38 | 7.56 |
| Green Party | 14 | 1.20 | 6.64 | 7.50 |
| Independent | 330 | 28.33 | 3.04 | 3.48 |
| Libertarian | 165 | 14.16 | 2.33 | 4.72 |
| Liberty Union | 1 | 0.09 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Natural Law | 4 | 0.34 | 1.25 | 2.75 |
| Reform Party | 3 | 0.26 | 2.33 | 2.33 |
| Republican Party | 395 | 33.91 | 2.06 | 2.36 |
| Socialist Party | 7 | 0.60 | 8.29 | 8.43 |
| Total | 1165 | 100.00 | 3.02 | 3.78 |
Notable "Other" parties: Conservative, Nationalist, United
Economics ranking:
| Response | Count | Percentage | Grouped |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 = Very Conservative | 404 | 34.68 | 69.70 |
| 2 | 218 | 18.71 | |
| 3 | 190 | 16.31 | |
| 4 | 66 | 5.67 | 18.72 |
| 5 = Moderate | 114 | 9.79 | |
| 6 | 38 | 3.26 | |
| 7 | 64 | 5.49 | 11.58 |
| 8 | 35 | 3.00 | |
| 9 = Very Liberal | 36 | 3.09 |
Social ranking:
| Response | Count | Percentage | Grouped |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 = Very Conservative | 374 | 32.10 | 58.79 |
| 2 | 165 | 14.16 | |
| 3 | 146 | 12.53 | |
| 4 | 50 | 4.29 | 17.93 |
| 5 = Moderate | 131 | 11.24 | |
| 6 | 28 | 2.40 | |
| 7 | 69 | 5.92 | 23.26 |
| 8 | 67 | 5.75 | |
| 9 = Very Liberal | 135 | 11.59 |
Question 130, June 2009 Former Vice President Richard Cheney has said, and continues to say, that the United States is at greater risk from terrorist attack because of President Barack Obama's policies. What do you think?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Vice President Cheney is absolutely right, we are at greater risk. | 2001 | 74.03 |
| There is no more or less risk now, under President Obama, than under President Bush. | 267 | 9.88 |
| Cheney is exactly wrong - we are much safer under Obama than we were under Bush. | 435 | 16.09 |
| Total | 2703 | 100.00 |
Question 129, May 2009 Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his retirement from the bench after the end of the current term. Souter's seat will be the first seat President Barack Obama will fill. What is your guess for the number of other seats Obama will have a chance to fill in his term?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 71 | 11.56 |
| 1 | 122 | 19.87 |
| 2 | 230 | 37.46 |
| 3 or more | 191 | 31.11 |
| Total | 614 | 100.00 |
Question 128, April 2009 Since 1991, there has been no press coverage of the bodies of U.S. soldiers being repatriated for burial. That policy was reversed by President Barack Obama, who said that at the request of the deceased's loved ones, the press can cover the return. The first press coverage of one of our returning fallen took place on April 6, 2009. What are your thoughts?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| I support the lifting of the ban — the public has to be reminded of the human cost of our wars. | 145 | 32.22 |
| Coverage, or no coverage, should be left up to the family of the soldier. | 178 | 39.56 |
| I think that covering the return of a flag-draped coffin can only be for political purposes and should be banned. | 53 | 11.78 |
| I think it is disrespectful to show, and out of respect for our soldiers, the ban should continue. | 74 | 16.44 |
| Total | 450 | 100.00 |
Question 127, March 2009 Looking ahead, what are your prospects for your current job in 2009?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| I am confident that my current job is safe in 2009. | 158 | 25.61 |
| I think my job is safe in 2009. | 108 | 17.50 |
| I am unsure about my job in 2009. | 142 | 23.01 |
| I think I will lose my job in 2009. | 36 | 5.83 |
| I am confident I will lose my job in 2009. | 64 | 10.37 |
| I lost my job before 2009 even started. | 109 | 17.67 |
| Total | 617 | 100.00 |
Question 126, February 2009 Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that one of the main focuses of her department in the near future will be on employers who hire illegal workers, rather than on the illegal workers themselves. Has she got it right?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, she does - if the employers are too scared to hire the workers, the workers will eventually see no reason to come here. | 270 | 46.88 |
| No, we need to flush out the illegal immigrants so that they can be rounded up and deported. | 209 | 36.28 |
| No, we must accept that our nation is a destination for too many people, and nothing we do will stop that. Instead, we should figure out how to make it easier to come here. | 97 | 16.84 |
| Total | 576 | 100.00 |
Question 125, January 2009 Roland Burris, the nominee to take Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat, was appointed by embattled Governor Rob Blagojevich (D-Ill). Because of the cloud of controversy and scandal surrounding Blagojevich, the Senate has refused to seat Burris. Fair, or not?
| Response | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Despite Blagojevich's problems, Burris is the rightful nominee and should be seated. | 198 | 47.48 |
| No nominee of Blagojevich can be taken seriously, and the Senate is right to block Burris from taking his seat. | 138 | 33.09 |
| Although Blagojevich's nominee is suspect, and the Senate was right to symbolically block Burris, eventually they will have to seat him. | 81 | 19.42 |
| Total | 417 | 100.00 |
|Home| |Constitution| |FAQ| |Topics|
|Forums| |Documents| |Timeline| |Kids| |Vermont|
|Map| |Citation| |Survey| |Support|
