Gallup: Democratic Support Dips Below Majority Level in 2009; Had been above 50% in last three years

[highplainsdem]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/124955/Democratic-Support-Dips-Below-Majority-Level-2009.aspx

This was published on the 6th. Apologies if it was posted here before, but I don't recall seeing it and a quick search of some of the headline keywords didn't turn it up.

The good news is that we still have an 8-point yearly-average advantage over the Republicans.

The bad news is that the quarterly averages from last year show a 4.5 point decline from the 1st to the 4th quarter in those who identify themselves as Democratic or Democratic-leaning independents, and a 3.5 increase in those identifying themselves as Republican or Republican-leaning independents.

And this is all the more reason for the administration to stop acting as if it doesn't need progressive/liberal support.

January 6, 2010

Democratic Support Dips Below Majority Level in 2009
Had been above 50% in last three years

by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- The year 2009 marked the end of a three-year run of majority Democratic support among U.S. adults. Last year, an average of 49.0% of Americans identified as Democrats or said they leaned Democratic, the party's first yearly average below 50% since 2005. Still, Democrats maintained an average eight-point advantage in support over Republicans last year, as 40.7% of Americans identified as Republicans or leaned Republican.

The 2009 results are based on aggregated data from all Gallup and USA Today/Gallup polls conducted last year, encompassing interviews with more than 21,000 Americans. In each poll, Gallup asks Americans whether they consider themselves Republicans, Democrats, or independents. Independents are subsequently asked if they lean to the Republican or Democratic Party.

The 2009 yearly averages do not tell the whole story of changes in party support last year, as they to some degree obscure the sharp decline in the Democrats' advantage over the course of the year. In the first quarter of 2009, coincident with the beginning of the Obama administration, Democrats enjoyed one of the largest advantages for either party since 1991, 13 percentage points (51.7% of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, versus 38.7% who identified as or leaned Republican). In each subsequent quarter, the percentage of Democratic supporters declined, and by the fourth quarter, the Democratic advantage had shrunk to 5 points (47.2% to 42.2%).

The five-point party gap in the fourth quarter of 2009 represents the smallest Democratic advantage since the second quarter of 2005. Thus, the gains the Democratic Party made in public support during the last several years of the George W. Bush administration have disappeared.

-snip-

[Go2Peace]

1. I am suspicious of the polls that claim 85% favorables for the President amongs dems

as well. I think there is a higher degree of dissappointment and it will be more apparent over time. I believe there is a far larger loss of confidence in the Dems and the President than those polls show. If anyone can find the actual wording of the favorability polls I would love to see it. I could not despite searching extensively on the gallop site.

[highplainsdem]

3. I wonder about them, too, but we'll just have to see what happens.

I am concerned to see this much of a drop in people identifying themselves as Democratic or Democratic-leaning. We need those numbers going up.

I'll see if I can find the exact wording of those favorability-poll questions later.

[highplainsdem]

4. This is the exact wording of the question Gallup asks:

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


http://www.gallup.com/poll/116479/Barack-Obama-Presidential-Job-Approval.aspx

[Go2Peace]

5. Well, that's a pretty straight-forward question

[FrenchieCat]

2. oK!

:scared: or :mad:


or


:spank: or
:grr: :argh:

or

:nopity: :cry:

or

:hurts:


or :shrug:

or :boring: