Political Issues in the United States

Wave I: 912 adults who said they are registered or plan to register to vote interviewed online January 4 to 25, 2016.

Wave II: 845 adults who said they plan to vote interviewed online June 8 to July 5, 2016.

^{** Indicates a question was not asked or an option was not offered in Wave I}

Wave I    Wave II

1. Overall, do you think the country is headed in the right direction or the wrong direction?

1. Right Direction	42	40
2. Wrong Direction	58	60

2. When you think about U.S. Government policy, how satisfied are you?
a. Overall Policy

1. Extremely satisfied	7	10
2. Very satisfied	11	12
3. Somewhat satisfied	34	31
4. Hardly satisfied at all	31	26
5. Not at all satisfied	17	21

b. Domestic Policy

1. Extremely satisfied	5	6
2. Very satisfied	13	16
3. Somewhat satisfied	32	31
4. Hardly satisfied at all	32	25
5. Not at all satisfied	18	22

c. Foreign Policy

1. Extremely satisfied	4	6
2. Very satisfied	10	11
3. Somewhat satisfied	31	30
4. Hardly satisfied at all	33	27
5. Not at all satisfied	22	26

3. How satisfied are you with the current process of electing a president in the United States?

1. Extremely satisfied	10	10
2. Very satisfied	22	19
3. Somewhat satisfied	37	33
4. Hardly satisfied at all	18	22
5. Not at all satisfied	13	16

9. If the Presidential election were conducted today, who would you consider voting for? (Select all that apply)

Joe Biden	9	13
Hillary Clinton	39	43
Mitt Romney	10	10
Paul Ryan	6	11
Bernie Sanders	24	30
Donald Trump	29	34
Elizabeth Warren	–	8

10. Who would be your first choice?

Joe Biden	3	5
Hillary Clinton	29	33
Mitt Romney	4	6
Paul Ryan	1	6
Bernie Sanders	15	19
Donald Trump	21	28
Elizabeth Warren	**	2

10a. Think back to January, before the primary, who was your first choice then?

Joe Biden	**	4
Jeb Bush	**	4
Ben Carson	**	4
Hillary Clinton	**	30
Ted Cruz	**	8
Carly Fiorina	**	1
John Kasich	**	5
Rand Paul	**	1
Mitt Romney	**	1
Marco Rubio	**	3
Paul Ryan	**	1
Bernie Sanders	**	16
Donald Trump	**	20
Elizabeth Warren	**	2

11. Who do you think is going to win?

Joe Biden	1	1
Hillary Clinton	42	55
Mitt Romney	2	–
Paul Ryan	0	1
Bernie Sanders	9	6
Donald Trump	28	36
Elizabeth Warren	**	–

12. How important are each of these to your ultimate selection of a candidate?
a. Content of the candidate’s advertising

1. Extremely	13	16
2. Very	19	20
3. Somewhat	27	25
4. Slightly	16	17
5. Hardly at all	13	12
6. Not at all	11	11

b. Source of campaign financing

1. Extremely	18	17
2. Very	21	26
3. Somewhat	30	24
4. Slightly	14	18
5. Hardly at all	9	7
6. Not at all	8	8

c. Extent of media coverage

1. Extremely	13	14
2. Very	20	22
3. Somewhat	30	28
4. Slightly	16	17
5. Hardly at all	12	8
6. Not at all	9	9

d. Candidates personal qualities

1. Extremely	38	39
2. Very	35	34
3. Somewhat	17	16
4. Slightly	7	7
5. Hardly at all	2	2
6. Not at all	1	2

e. The party debates

1. Extremely	17	21
2. Very	27	28
3. Somewhat	34	28
4. Slightly	11	12
5. Hardly at all	7	7
6. Not at all	5	5

f. The presidential debates

1. Extremely	24	28
2. Very	31	31
3. Somewhat	26	24
4. Slightly	9	9
5. Hardly at all	6	4
6. Not at all	3	4

g. The primary outcomes

1. Extremely	21	22
2. Very	28	27
3. Somewhat	27	25
4. Slightly	11	12
5. Hardly at all	7	8
6. Not at all	5	6

h. Candidates’ stand on the issues

1. Extremely	56	56
2. Very	25	25
3. Somewhat	12	12
4. Slightly	4	5
5. Hardly at all	1	1
6. Not at all	1	1

13. When do you really begin to decide who to vote for?

Before campaigning really starts	16	25
After the party debates	19	21
After the primaries	19	18
After the conventions	11	8
After the presidential debates	18	15
A few days before the election	13	10
In the voting booth	3	3

14. How would you rate each candidate in terms of being qualified to be President of the United States?
a. Joe Biden

1. Extremely well qualified	17	18
2. Very well qualified	16	21
3. Quite well qualified	20	19
4. Somewhat well qualified	21	19
5. Not very well qualified	12	13
6. Not at all qualified	14	10

b. Hillary Clinton

1. Extremely well qualified	24	25
2. Very well qualified	20	19
3. Quite well qualified	11	11
4. Somewhat well qualified	14	11
5. Not very well qualified	9	11
6. Not at all qualified	23	23

c. Mitt Romney

1. Extremely well qualified	9	6
2. Very well qualified	16	15
3. Quite well qualified	19	20
4. Somewhat well qualified	24	27
5. Not very well qualified	18	18
6. Not at all qualified	14	14

d. Paul Ryan

1. Extremely well qualified	6	6
2. Very well qualified	12	12
3. Quite well qualified	20	21
4. Somewhat well qualified	28	25
5. Not very well qualified	19	20
6. Not at all qualified	15	15

e. Bernie Sanders

1. Extremely well qualified	15	14
2. Very well qualified	16	22
3. Quite well qualified	18	18
4. Somewhat well qualified	24	19
5. Not very well qualified	12	13
6. Not at all qualified	15	15

f. Donald Trump

1. Extremely well qualified	14	13
2. Very well qualified	12	13
3. Quite well qualified	13	11
4. Somewhat well qualified	11	12
5. Not very well qualified	11	13
6. Not at all qualified	39	39

g. Elizabeth Warren

1. Extremely well qualified	**	7
2. Very well qualified	**	11
3. Quite well qualified	**	14
4. Somewhat well qualified	**	26
5. Not very well qualified	**	17
6. Not at all qualified	**	25

15. How would you rate each candidate on their likeability?
a. Joe Biden

1. Extremely likeable	21	22
2. Very likeable	16	21
3. Quite likeable	21	20
4. Somewhat likeable	22	19
5. Not very likeable	10	8
6. Not at all likeable	10	11

b. Hillary Clinton

1. Extremely likeable	18	18
2. Very likeable	16	14
3. Quite likeable	14	14
4. Somewhat likeable	17	13
5. Not very likeable	11	14
6. Not at all likeable	24	27

c. Mitt Romney

1. Extremely likeable	8	5
2. Very likeable	19	12
3. Quite likeable	19	18
4. Somewhat likeable	25	31
5. Not very likeable	16	17
6. Not at all likeable	13	16

d. Paul Ryan

1. Extremely likeable	7	6
2. Very likeable	13	13
3. Quite likeable	20	20
4. Somewhat likeable	30	29
5. Not very likeable	16	18
6. Not at all likeable	15	15

e. Bernie Sanders

1. Extremely likeable	16	18
2. Very likeable	16	23
3. Quite likeable	20	20
4. Somewhat likeable	25	19
5. Not very likeable	11	9
6. Not at all likeable	13	11

f. Donald Trump

1. Extremely likeable	13	12
2. Very likeable	10	13
3. Quite likeable	14	9
4. Somewhat likeable	13	12
5. Not very likeable	13	14
6. Not at all likeable	36	40

g. Elizabeth Warren

1. Extremely likeable	**	8
2. Very likeable	**	13
3. Quite likeable	**	16
4. Somewhat likeable	**	28
5. Not very likeable	**	14
6. Not at all likeable	**	21

16. How would you rate each candidate on his or her honesty and integrity?
a. Joe Biden

1. Extremely honest	14	16
2. Very honest	19	20
3. Quite honest	20	23
4. Somewhat honest	24	20
5. Not very honest	9	11
6. Not at all honest	13	10

b. Hillary Clinton

1. Extremely honest	14	12
2. Very honest	12	14
3. Quite honest	15	12
4. Somewhat honest	15	15
5. Not very honest	13	13
6. Not at all honest	31	34

c. Mitt Romney

1. Extremely honest	9	5
2. Very honest	17	13
3. Quite honest	19	23
4. Somewhat honest	25	28
5. Not very honest	15	18
6. Not at all honest	15	14

d. Paul Ryan

1. Extremely honest	7	5
2. Very honest	12	15
3. Quite honest	22	25
4. Somewhat honest	30	26
5. Not very honest	14	15
6. Not at all honest	15	14

e. Bernie Sanders

1. Extremely honest	16	15
2. Very honest	15	23
3. Quite honest	20	23
4. Somewhat honest	24	22
5. Not very honest	14	8
6. Not at all honest	10	8

f. Donald Trump

1. Extremely honest	15	13
2. Very honest	14	14
3. Quite honest	13	10
4. Somewhat honest	12	14
5. Not very honest	13	11
6. Not at all honest	34	38

g. Elizabeth Warren

1. Extremely honest	**	8
2. Very honest	**	14
3. Quite honest	**	20
4. Somewhat honest	**	26
5. Not very honest	**	14
6. Not at all honest	**	18

17. How would you rate each of these candidates on their ability to handle domestic policy? (e.g. economy, health care, immigration etc.)
a. Joe Biden

1. Excellent	16	17
2. Very good	22	24
3. Good	25	25
4. Fair	19	18
5. Poor	17	15

b. Hillary Clinton

1. Excellent	22	21
2. Very good	21	20
3. Good	18	16
4. Fair	14	14
5. Poor	26	29

c. Mitt Romney

1. Excellent	10	6
2. Very good	22	18
3. Good	25	27
4. Fair	25	29
5. Poor	18	20

d. Paul Ryan

1. Excellent	7	5
2. Very good	16	17
3. Good	30	31
4. Fair	28	27
5. Poor	19	19

e. Bernie Sanders

1. Excellent	14	15
2. Very good	20	25
3. Good	26	25
4. Fair	23	19
5. Poor	16	17

f. Donald Trump

1. Excellent	14	14
2. Very good	16	16
3. Good	18	13
4. Fair	14	15
5. Poor	39	42

g. Elizabeth Warren

1. Excellent	**	8
2. Very good	**	16
3. Good	**	27
4. Fair	**	26
5. Poor	**	23

18. How would you rate each of these candidates on their ability to handle foreign policy? (e.g. foreign relations, trade, terrorism)
a. Joe Biden

1. Excellent	16	18
2. Very good	22	23
3. Good	24	25
4. Fair	18	17
5. Poor	20	17

b. Hillary Clinton

1. Excellent	22	23
2. Very good	16	19
3. Good	16	14
4. Fair	16	14
5. Poor	30	30

c. Mitt Romney

1. Excellent	8	6
2. Very good	20	16
3. Good	28	28
4. Fair	25	28
5. Poor	20	22

d. Paul Ryan

1. Excellent	5	5
2. Very good	18	16
3. Good	28	29
4. Fair	27	29
5. Poor	21	21

e. Bernie Sanders

1. Excellent	11	12
2. Very good	21	22
3. Good	26	27
4. Fair	24	20
5. Poor	18	19

f. Donald Trump

1. Excellent	14	13
2. Very good	14	14
3. Good	14	14
4. Fair	15	12
5. Poor	42	46

g. Elizabeth Warren

1. Excellent	**	6
2. Very good	**	16
3. Good	**	24
4. Fair	**	29
5. Poor	**	25

19. How important is each of the following issues to your choice for President?
a. Domestic policy

1. Extremely important	54	49
2. Very important	33	34
3. Somewhat important	9	11
4. Slightly important	3	4
5. Hardly at all important	–	1
6. Not at all important	–	1

b. Foreign policy

1. Extremely important	45	43
2. Very important	37	34
3. Somewhat important	11	17
4. Slightly important	5	4
5. Hardly at all important	1	1
6. Not at all important	1	1

20. How much have you seen or heard about candidates’ positions on:

a. Foreign policy

1. Extremely/ a lot	15	18
2. Quite a bit	27	29
3. A fair amount	28	27
4. Some	20	17
5. Not so much	7	7
6. Not at all	3	2

b. Domestic policy

1. Extremely/ a lot	15	20
2. Quite a bit	28	29
3. A fair amount	28	26
4. Some	19	15
5. Not so much	7	7
6. Not at all	3	1

21. How much do you feel you know about candidates’ positions on:

a. Ddomestic policy

1. Extremely/ a lot	13	17
2. Quite a bit	23	28
3. A fair amount	31	27
4. Some	22	19
5. Not so much	7	8
6. Not at all	3	2

b. Foreign policy

1. Extremely/ a lot	12	15
2. Quite a bit	23	28
3. A fair amount	31	25
4. Some	23	21
5. Not so much	8	10
6. Not at all	3	2

22. Do you support or oppose each of the following as a way to limit the impact of special interest money on the political process?
a. Public financing of elections

1. Strongly support	23
2. Support	42
3. Oppose	25
4. Strongly oppose	10

b. Lower limits on the amount individuals can donate to candidates

1. Strongly support	35
2. Support	46
3. Oppose	15
4. Strongly oppose	3

c. Better disclosure requirements for all political contributions

1. Strongly support	50
2. Support	41
3. Oppose	8
4. Strongly oppose	1

23. Do you support or oppose allowing groups not affiliated with a campaign to spend as much money as they want to elect or defeat political candidates?

1. Strongly support	11
2. Support	28
3. Oppose	35
4. Strongly oppose	26

24. In 2014, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Citizens United case that allowed organizations outside of the campaigns themselves to spend unlimited money on election campaigns. In view of the Supreme Court’s ruling, would you support or oppose an effort by Congress to reinstate limits on Corporate or union spending on election campaigns?

1. Strongly support	29
2. Support	42
3. Oppose	22
4. Strongly oppose	7

25. Do you support or oppose laws that require voters to show photographic identification before casting ballots?

1. Support – These laws help combat voter irregularities and fraud	77
2. Oppose – These laws reduce turnout and disenfranchise youth as well as ethnic and racial minority voters	23

26. Do you support or oppose same-day registration laws that allow people to register to vote on Election Day and cast a ballot in that same day’s election?

1. Support – These laws help increase participation in our elections	64
2. Oppose – These laws increase the likelihood of voting irregularities and fraud	36