CBS News/New York Times Monthly Poll, January 2009

This special topic poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. In this poll, fielded January 11-15, 2009, respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush handled his job as president, the situation with Iraq, the campaign against terrorism, and the economy during his eight years in office. Respondents were asked their opinions about Barack Obama, their predictions about what kind of president he was going to be, how confident respondents were in his abilities to make the right decisions about the economy and things relating to the war in Iraq, and whether respondents thought Obama was going to create new jobs, cut taxes, and improve the economy during his term as president. Several questions addressed Obama's Cabinet selections and whether his administration would make progress in providing affordable health care, ending the war in Iraq, and fixing the nation's economy. Respondents were also asked their opinions of Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, and Dick Cheney. Information about respondents' personal financial situation was also collected including the biggest financial concern facing them, how respondents rated their own financial state, how concerned they were about paying their housing costs, how much the decline in home values had affected them, whether their household income was enough to meet their bills and obligations, whether they felt secure about their household's financial future, whether they would be able to make payments on a large purchase, whether they have had to postpone making a major purchase due to the economy, and whether any long term plans have changed for them and their families as a result of the economy. Respondents were also polled on whether the country was going in the right direction, whether the condition of the economy was good, what they thought was the most important problem facing the country, and how they viewed the country compared to five years previously and five years into the future. Additional topics addressed stock market investments, job security, whether homosexuals should serve in the military, the economics stimulus package, the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay, whether the United States should increase the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the legalization of marijuana, whether American or foreign automakers produced better quality vehicles, whether the federal government should provide national health insurance, whether there were more advantages to being a man or a woman in society, and whether respondents approved of premarital sex and homosexual relations. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, employment status, perceived social class, whether there were children under the age of 18 living with the respondent, whether respondents owned their home, religious preference, and whether respondents considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.