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A °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ·.Com Year in Review

A °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ·.Com Year in Review

by Lymari Morales

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- From our unique vantage point, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ·.Com reviews some of the most defining findings of the year that was 2008.

January

  • After the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, and .
  • In mid-January, , a °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· high for January of an election year.
  • Amid the United States' tough rhetoric toward Iran, .

February

  • marking the biggest monthly jump since the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
  • Bucking a trend evident since March 2004, .
  • Despite neither candidate's having yet secured enough delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination, .
  • In a sharp turnaround from eight years ago,
  • °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· Polls conducted worldwide provide .

March

  • -- the highest level °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· has recorded.
  • and his highest since February 2000.
  • if Barack Obama were the Democratic nominee.
  • with 44% of Americans rating economic conditions as "poor" and 87% saying the economy is getting worse.
  • from 18% in 2007, with Iran, Iraq, and China now leading the list.

April

  • After the government steps in to keep Bear Stearns from going into bankruptcy, .
  • Eventual running mate Sarah Palin is not on the list.
  • As the protracted campaign for the Democratic nomination continues in high gear,
  • °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· Polls find U.S. citizens
  • Across the five countries that contribute more than half of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, .

May

  • more than say the same about any other economic issue.
  • , though later, .
  • .
  • The California Supreme Court's decision to overturn a state ban on gay marriage runs contrary to the viewpoint of the majority of Americans,

June

  • For the first time in °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ·'s 32-year history of asking the question,
  • and the lowest °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· has ever measured for any institution.
  • largely explaining why weekends are consistently happier than weekdays.

July

  • Coincident with his well-publicized trip abroad, Barack Obama enjoys over John McCain in °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· Poll Daily tracking of registered voters, 49% to 40%.
  • up from 40% in February.
  • °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· Polls around the world reveal that

August

  • .
  • Initial reaction to both vice presidential running mate choices is similar -- with
  • As conflict erupts between Russia and Georgia, .

September

  • After the Democratic National Convention ends and the Republican National Convention begins, .
  • After the candidates' respective national conventions, into the lead.
  • After the end of the Republican National Convention,
  • As the U.S. economic crisis unfolds, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· measures , from 34% to 44% in just a matter of days.
  • amid the possibility of an unprecedented U.S. government bailout of financial institutions.

October

  • After a week of devastating losses on Wall Street, , the lowest satisfaction reading in °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· history.
  • the highest level since °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· began asking this question in October 2001.
  • only three percentage points above the lowest presidential approval rating in °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· Poll history.
  • , and .
  • By month's end, and .

November

  • 55% of likely voters prefer Obama and 44% prefer McCain.
  • After Obama's election, .
  • More than two-thirds of Americans see Obama's election as president as either , or among the two or three most important such advances.
  • , marking a sharp contrast to earlier in the year.
  • with 47% favoring it and 49% opposing it.
  • .
  • A °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· Poll in India shows that before the terrorist attacks in Mumbai,

December

  • 47% to 46%, marking a reversal from when the package was passed.
  • , amid the jump in new jobless claims and the failure of an auto bailout bill. .
  • Despite news reports to the contrary, .

Stay with °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ·.Com as we track reactions to the news as it happens in 2009.

Survey Methods

°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÖ· surveys 1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older, every day and also conducts additional surveys. In most cases, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2-3 percentage points. For detailed survey methods on any results reported here, please visit the original story.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.


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