These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Pelosi Negatives Go Up When She's Identified As House Speaker
Sunday, December 13, 2009
One of the things that political pros often overestimate is how well known politicians are.
Nancy Pelosi is one of the most visible elected politicians in the country and the first woman ever to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Rasmussen Reports recently asked voters their opinion of "Nancy Pelosi" and the responses were mixed. Forty-six percent (46%) offered a favorable opinion and 50% an unfavorable view. Just half the nation's voters voiced a strong opinion about Pelosi--14% Very Favorable and 36% Very Unfavorable.
However, in a separate survey conducted the same night, Rasmussen Reports asked voters their opinion of "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi" and the response was more negative. When identifying Pelosi in this way, just 38% voiced a positive opinion while 58% had a negative view.
The number with strong opinions also shifted to become more negative. Just 9% had a Very Favorable opinion of "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi", down five percentage points from the number voicing a Very Favorable opinion of "Nancy Pelosi." The number with a Very Unfavorable view of Pelosi grew from 36% to 45% when the question reminded voters of the role she plays in the government.
The increase in strong negatives was most pronounced among voters not affiliated with either major party. Forty-two percent (42%) of unaffiliated voters voiced a Very Unfavorable opinion of "Nancy Pelosi." That grew to 55% when a separate sample of unaffiliated voters was asked about "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi."
It is significant that simply adding a title identifying her formal role can have such an impact on Pelosi's numbers. This suggests a fairly large number of Americans have some sense of who she is, but need to be reminded.
Earlier releases showed that asking about President Barack Obama's Job Approval in slightly different ways can have an impact on the overall level of approval measured. However, the trends are largely unaffected by the different approaches. In virtually every recent poll by a wide variety of firms, the President's Job Approval has fallen to new lows.
Polls of likely voters, like the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll , appear to have picked up the trend earlier. That makes sense in that voters are likely to be following political news more closely. Polls of all adults typically show results that are 3-5 points more favorable to Democrats than polls of likely voters. That's because several groups that are typically supportive of Democrats (i.e.--younger adults) are less likely to vote.
The Rasmussen Reports Presidential Approval Index measures strongly held opinions about the President and appears to be a leading indicator of overall job approval trends. This can be seen in the Month-by-Month summary graphics.
These subtle wording and sampling issues have an impact beyond full-time politicians. Alice Cooper and Bruce Springsteen both saw their favorable ratings fall when they were identified with a political affiliation.
Paul Krugman's ratings fell when he was identified as affiliated with the New York Times . John Fund's ratings improved when he was identified with the Wall Street Journal.
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To view the original report, please use this link: One Negative Lady