CBS News/New York Times Monthly Poll, December 2007

This poll, fielded December 5-9, 2007, 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. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way George W. Bush was handling the presidency and other issues such as foreign policy. They were also asked to rate the condition of the national economy, what they thought was the most important problem facing the country, and whether they approved of the way Congress was handling its job. Opinions were solicited on the Republican and Democratic parties, the 2008 presidential candidate nominees, how much attention respondents had been paying to the 2008 presidential campaign, which candidate they would vote for if the 2008 presidential election were being held that day, and how enthusiastic they were about voting in the 2008 presidential election. Several questions asked about the presidential primaries, including whether respondents were likely to vote in the Democratic or Republican primaries, which nominee they would like to see as the Democratic and Republican party presidential candidate in 2008, whether their choice was affected by Oprah Winfrey's involvement in Barack Obama's campaign or Bill Clinton's involvement in Hillary Clinton's campaign, the importance of a presidential candidate's personal attributes or beliefs, and which candidate they thought would win the general election in November 2008. Respondents were also asked about their personal finances and credit card use, payments, and debt, other types of personal debt, the national debt, the United States' debt to China, and the quality of manufactured goods produced in China. Additional topics included abortion, global warming, illegal immigration, whether Iran is a threat to the United States, terrorism, the war in Iraq, international trade, democracy, and feelings about the federal government. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, education level, household income, marital status, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, and the presence of children in the household under 18.