ABC News/Washington Post Poll, February 1986

This poll, conducted February 6-12, 1986, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Views were sought on the way Ronald Reagan was handling the presidency and issues such as foreign affairs, the condition of the national economy, the role of the federal government, proposals for reducing the federal budget deficit, including cutting specific government programs and increasing taxes, and whether the United States should help try to overthrow pro-communist governments. Respondents were asked whether they had seen or heard President Reagan's State of the Union speech, for whom they would vote in the 1988 presidential primary or caucus in their state, and whether they would vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate in their district in the congressional elections in November. Opinions were sought on the women's movement, including whether women would be better off staying at home raising families or having careers, whether women with children were less reliable workers, and whether it was realistic for women to expect to have a successful career, a good marriage, and a stable home life at the same time. A series of questions addressed respondents' knowledge of the Soviet Union and their impressions of Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet people, and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Additional topics included abortion, forced school busing for racial integration, pornography, censorship, daycare arrangements, the space program, and whether the space shuttle program should continue following the recent space shuttle Challenger disaster. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, marital status, education level, household income, political philosophy, political party affiliation, voter registration status and participation history, religion in which respondents were raised, perceived social class, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), employment status of respondents and their spouses, the number of people living in the household, and whether anyone in the household was a veteran, a member of a labor union, or employed by the government.