CBS News/New York Times National Poll, October #1, 2011

This poll, fielded October 2011, and the first of three, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Opinions were sought about how well Barack Obama was handling the presidency, foreign policy, the economy, the situation in Iraq, and job creation. Further questions were asked about the state of the national economy, various tax cuts and regulations, job creation, the Affordable Care Act, and the most important problem facing the nation. Respondents were asked whether the country was headed in the right direction, whether Congress was performing their job well, how Republicans and Democrats were handling job creation, whether Obama or the Republicans favored a certain social class, whether respondents trusted the government, and whether respondents supported the Tea Party movement and/or Occupy Wall Street movement. Respondents were also queried about how much attention they were paying to the 2012 campaign, whether they planned to vote in a 2012 primary or caucus, and for their opinions of various Republican candidates, such as Mitt Romney. Additional topics included unemployment and unemployment benefits, job searches, and problems resulting from being unemployed. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, personal finances, perceived social class, employment status, religious preference, whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status, voting behavior, military service, number of phones, and household composition.