CBS News National Poll, December #1, 2011

This poll, fielded December of 2011 and the first of two, is a part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked how well Barack Obama was handling the presidency, foreign policy, the economy, terrorism, and job creation. Further questions were asked whether Obama was a strong leader, whether Obama had the same priorities for the country, whether Obama's presidency had brought different groups of Americans together, whether Obama had a clear idea for a second term, whether Obama fought hard for his policies, and whether Obama was down-to-earth. Additional topics included whether Congress was performing their job well, whether the country was moving in the right direction, whether the Republicans in Congress or Obama and the Democrats were to blame for the difficulties in passing legislation, and who was to blame for the state of the nation's economy. Respondents were also queried on whether they approved of the health care law and whether it affected them personally. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, household composition, education level, household income, employment status, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, voting behavior, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians.