Polls

More Americans continue to oppose the health care reform legislation than support it, according to a Fox News poll released Friday. In addition, half favor banning the use of federal funds for abortions.

By 51 percent to 35 percent, the public opposes the reform legislation being considered right now by Congress. Last month, a majority opposed the health care legislation by a similar 54-35 percent (October 13-14, 2009).

While a majority of Democrats favor the reforms (65 percent), some 17 percent are opposed and another 18 percent are unsure. Most Republicans (82 percent) and a majority of independents (61 percent) oppose the legislation...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As Congress remains embroiled in a massive debate over whether to force Americans to pay for abortions through the new government-run health care programs, a new CNN poll finds 61 percent oppose government funding abortions with public dollars.

The poll found six in ten Americans favor a ban on using federal funds for abortions, such as the Stupak amendment recently added to the health care bill in the House.

The new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released today shows 61 percent oppose taxpayer funding of abortions while just 37 percent are supportive...

Washington (AP) - What's it going to cost me?

Americans are worried about the fine print in the health care overhaul, an Associated Press poll says, and those concerns are creating new challenges for President Barack Obama as he tries to overcome doubts in Congress.

Despite a widely shared conviction that major health care changes are needed, Democratic bills that aim to extend coverage to the uninsured and hold down medical costs get no better than a lukewarm reception in the latest results.

The poll found that 43 percent of Americans oppose the health care plans being discussed in Congress, while 41 percent are in support. An additional 15 percent remain neutral or undecided.

There has been little change in that broad public sentiment about the overhaul plan from a 40-40 split in an AP poll last month, but not everyone's opinion is at the same intensity. Opponents have stronger feelings on the issue than do supporters.  read more »

After years of trailing far behind Democrats, Republicans have now surpassed Democrats as the public's choice in the 2010 congressional elections. In response to the latest so-called "generic ballot" question from the Gallup organization -- "If elections for Congress were being held today, which party's candidate would you vote for in your congressional district?" -- the new results are 48 percent for Republicans versus 44 percent for Democrats among registered voters, and 46 percent for Republicans versus 44 percent for Democrats among adults nationwide.

It's an extraordinary turnaround for the GOP. Last July, Democrats held a six-point lead. Last December, Democrats held a 15-point lead. At one point in 2007, Democrats held a 23-point lead, and for all of that year, 2007, Democrats held a double-digit lead.

The new Republican lead is the result of a dramatic move of independents toward the Republican party...

(CNSNews.com) – Nearly two-thirds of American women would rather have private health-care insurance than a government-run plan, according to a poll released Thursday by the Independent Women's Forum.

The same proportion, two-thirds, also said Congress should not rush to pass a health-care bill.

By a margin of 64 percent to 27 percent, women agreed they “would rather have private health insurance than a government-run health insurance plan,” according to the poll.

The random- digit-dial telephone survey, which was conducted by pollster Kellyanne Conway, surveyed 800 women from across the country from Oct. 19-25...

While some Democrats are suggesting an increase in support for a health care reform bill that includes a public option, the most recent polling tells a different story.

Rasmussen Reports put out a new survey today showing support for President Obama's health care proposal -- which includes a public plan -- from just 45 percent of voters polled and opposition from 51 percent of respondents.

The poll also found that 57 percent of voters believe their medical costs will increase under a reform plan and 53 percent think the quality of their health care will diminish if it is enacted...

Political conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Forty percent of Americans surveyed described their political ideology as conservative, while 36 percent said their views are moderate and 20 percent said liberal, the poll found.

The findings reportedly mark a shift from 2005 to 2008, when the number of moderates was even with conservatives as the most dominant group.

The results, based on 16 Gallup surveys conducted from January to September 2009, also show a greater number of Americans who express conservative positions on specific issues when compared to findings from 2008...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nearly nine in 10 Americans say they think Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, according to a new national poll.

Eighty-eight percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday say the Iranian government is attempting to develop nuclear weapons.

But it appears that's where agreement ends as the survey indicates there's little consensus on the best approach to addressing the situation -- though the poll does suggest a military response is not as popular as nonmilitary options...

(CNSNews.com) - A new Gallup Poll gives Hillary Clinton a higher "favorable rating" than Barack Obama, the man who beat her in the Democratic presidential primary.

The poll, conducted Oct. 1-4 (before Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize) gives Secretary of State Clinton a 62 percent favorable rating to Obama's 56 percent. In January 2009, Obama's favorable rating stood at 78 percent, compared with 65 percent for Clinton.

Clinton's highest favorable rating of 67 percent came in late December 1998, just after her husband, President Bill Clinton, was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives...

Pennsylvania voters are eager to replace party-switcher Arlen Specter in the Senate, according to a Susquehanna Polling and Research survey conducted Oct. 7 to 12.

Only 31 percent of survey respondents said that Specter -- running for the first time as a Democrat -- deserved re-election next year.

But they're also not embracing the better-known of Specter's Republican challengers. When asked to choose between Specter and former Rep. Pat Toomey, the result was a statistical tie -- 42 percent to 41 percent -- with 12 percent of the registered voters surveyed saying they were unable to choose...