ABC News/Washington Post Poll #1, September 2008

This poll, fielded September 5-7, 2008, 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 1,133 adults was surveyed, including an oversample of African Americans. Respondents were asked how closely they were following the 2008 presidential race, the probability that they would vote in the presidential election, their opinions of the candidates and their running mates, for whom they would vote if the election was held that day, the most important issue in their choice for president, and who they supported and trusted more to handle various social issues, education issues, international affairs, and the federal budget deficit. Respondents were also asked how enthusiastic they were about the candidates for president, whether they thought McCain would continue George W. Bush's direction of the country, whether a candidate's choice for running mate made them more confident in that candidate's decision-making, whether McCain's age made respondents uncomfortable, and whether they thought their federal taxes would increase based on who was elected as president. Additional topics focused on respondents' personal finances, abortion, gun control, the war with Iraq, and the United States campaign against terrorism. Demographic information includes voter registration status and participation history, sex, age, race, income, marital status, religious preference, whether the respondent considered themselves to be a born-again evangelical Christian, education level, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political philosophy, political party affiliation, how long the respondent had been a resident in their community, and whether there was children under the age of 18 present in the home.