ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, June 2009

This poll, fielded June 18-21, 2009, 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. A national sample of 1,001 adults was surveyed. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way Barack Obama was handling the presidency and the economy. Respondents were queried on whether or not they thought the country was headed in the right direction, whether they had a favorable impression of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and whether they approved of the way Nancy Pelosi was handling her job as Speaker of the House. Information was collected on respondents opinions of having a smaller government with fewer services or having a larger government with more services. Respondents were asked whether they thought the United States Senate should or should not confirm judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court as well as a number of other questions dealing with her. Information was collected on whether respondents had health insurance or health care coverage, how satisfied they were with the overall health care system in the country as well as their own health care, and how concerned they were about their family's health care costs in the future. Respondents were asked a number of questions about health care reform, whether they were concerned about reform, whether they thought the government should require everyone to have health insurance, and whether the government should create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans. Information was collected on respondents opinions of the economic stimulus plan, whether they thought the plan has helped or hurt the national economy, and whether they were concerned with the size of the federal budget deficit. Respondents were asked whether they thought Obama's policies were making the United States safer from terrorism and whether they approved or disapproved of closing the United States military prison in Guantanamo Bay. Finally respondents were queried on whether or not the federal government should regulate the release of greenhouse gases to reduce global warming, whether they supported cap and trade, and whether abortion should be legal or illegal. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household income, education level, political party affiliation, political philosophy, religious preference, whether respondent is a born-again Christian, employment, and union membership.