CBS News/Vanity Fair Monthly Poll, October 2009

This poll, fielded October 5-7, 2009, is a 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. Respondents were asked whether they approved of the way United States President Barack Obama was handling the presidency and issues such as the economy, foreign policy, health care, and the situations with Afghanistan and Iran. Opinions were solicited about the most important problem facing the country, the condition of the economy, and the way United States Congress was handling its job. Respondent's views about health care were sought and included their opinions about whether they believed the nation's health care system worked well, whether they approved of the way Democrats and Republicans in Congress were handling health care reform, their opinions of the tone of the health care debate, whether they thought health care reform would help or hurt them personally, and the likelihood Congress would pass and Obama would sign the health care reform bill into law by the end of 2009. Respondents were also asked several other questions about health care, including whether they favored the government offering everyone a government administered health insurance plan, whether they thought Democrats and Republicans were serious about reforming the health care system, and who the Democrats and Republicans were trying to help more in their health care reform proposals. Information was collected on the financial situation of the respondent's household, whether they had health insurance coverage, and the source of their insurance coverage. Additional topics addressed abortion, the war in Afghanistan, Iran's threat to the United States, opinions of cellular phones usage while driving, the swine flu, job security, assisted suicide, steroid use in professional sports, marijuana and prostitution legalization, the social networking Internet site Facebook, and the most useful technological advances of the past. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income, employment status, perceived social class, political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration status and participation history, religious preference, the presence of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 in the household, whether respondents had children under the age of 18 years, and whether they considered themselves to be a born-again Christian.