FINAL RESULTS SHOW PROGRESSIVES OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA, SEE HEALTH CARE REFORM WITH A PUBLIC OPTION AS TOP PRIORITY
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, in conjunction with Democracy Corps and Campaign for America’s Future conducted a straw poll among registered participants at “America’s Future Now!”, an annual conference of progressive activists from around the country. The poll, measuring preferences on key issues and opinions, has been a feature of the conference for three years in a row.
Poll results show that progressives are energized by President Obama and supportive of his agenda. An overwhelming 90 percent of conference goers approve of the job he is doing, with over half (53 percent) strongly approving. Similarly, President Obama’s personal favorability rating among conference attendees is sky-high as 90 percent of attendees rate the president favorably, including three-quarters who rate him very favorably.
Other key findings:
- While participants found a lot to like in the first 100 days plus, they are very focused on health care as the highest priority: 43 percent say it should be the president’s top priority, with all other responses in the teens or lower. And while the participants strongly support the president and his priorities, 63 percent say they will not support a health care plan without a public option for health insurance, even if that was the only way to get the planned passed.
- While two thirds of conference attendees (66 percent) favor congressional investigations into the practices of the Bush Administration in their handling of suspected terrorist suspects, an even stronger majority (81 percent) would like to see Congress investigate the fraud and excesses of Wall Street that led to the financial crisis.
- Not surprisingly, Rush Limbaugh is incredibly unpopular with participants. Indeed, his favorability rating – with just 3 percent of participants rating him favorably – represents one of the lowest personal thermometer ratings of any poll Greenberg Quinlan Rosner has ever conducted.
- The straw poll also surveyed favorability of key media figures. Jon Stewart bests Stephen Colbert in our favorability battery (with 83 percent of attendees rating Stewart favorably compared to 79 percent who do so for Colbert) and Rachel Maddow is viewed more favorably than Keith Olbermann (with 70 and 68 percent rating Maddow and Olbermann warmly respectively).
Stan Greenberg, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner CEO announced the final results at the conference closing ceremonies on Wednesday.
