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Life	See also: Confidence/Trust in Institutions

Polls listed chronologically. Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb. 18-19, 2009. N=1,046 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"How well are things going today for you personally: very well, fairly well, pretty badly or very badly?"
					.
		Very Well	Fairly Well	Pretty Badly	Very Badly	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/18-19/09	20	57	15	7	1

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 11-15, 2009. N=1,112 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
					.
"As you look to the future, do you think life for people generally will get better, or will it get worse?"
					.
		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/11-15/09	61	31	3	5
	1/79	46	46	3	6
					.
"All things considered, in our society today, do you think there are more advantages in being a man, or more advantages in being a woman, or that there are no more advantages in being one than the other?"
					.
		Advantages Being a Man	Advantages Being a Women	No Advantages	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/11-15/09
	ALL	40	6	52	2
	Men	32	9	58	1
	Women	48	4	46	2
					.
	12/13-16/99
	ALL	49	10	36	5
	Men	41	14	40	5
	Women	57	6	33	4

Gallup Poll. Dec. 4-7, 2008. N=1,009 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in your personal life at this time?"
					.
		Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/4-7/08	80	18	2
	12/6-9/07	84	14	2
	12/11-14/06	84	15	1
	12/5-8/05	85	13	2
	12/5-8/04	84	14	2
	12/11-14/03	88	11	1
	1/13-16/03	85	14	1
	12/5-8/02	83	16	1
	1/7-9/02	85	14	1
	12/6-9/01	84	15	1
	1/10-14/01	85	14	1
	10/6-9/00	87	12	1

Gallup Poll. Oct. 23-26, 2008. N=1,010 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you feel that the distribution of money and wealth in this country today is fair, or do you feel that the money and wealth in this country should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people?"
					.
		Distribution Is Fair	Should Be More Evenly Distributed	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/23-26/08	37	58	5
	4/6-9/08	27	68	5
	4/2-5/07	29	66	5
	1/10-12/03	31	63	6
	9/11-13/00	38	56	6
	4/23 - 5/31/98	31	63	6
					.
"People feel differently about how far a government should go. Here is a phrase which some people believe in and some don't. Do you think our government should or should not redistribute wealth by heavy taxes on the rich?"
					.
		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/23-26/08	46	50	4
	4/6-9/08	51	43	5
	4/2-5/07	49	47	4
	4/23 - 5/31/98	45	51	4

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey. Oct. 9-12, 2008. N=1,485 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Some people think of American society as divided into two groups, the 'haves' and the 'have-nots,' while others think it's incorrect to think of America that way. Do you, yourself, think of America as divided into haves and have-nots, or don't you think of America that way?"
						.
		Yes, Divided	Not Divided	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/9-12/08	44	53	3
	10/6-10/05	48	50	2
	3/17-27/05	38	59	3
						.
"If you had to choose, which of these groups are you in: the haves or the have-nots?"
						.
		Haves	Have-nots	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/9-12/08	47	38	8	7
	10/6-10/05	47	38	11	4
	3/17-27/05	48	34	8	10

Time Poll conducted by Abt SRBI. Oct. 3-6, 2008. N=1,053 likely voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Which of the following is closest to your view? America was a better place to live in the 1990s and is declining. America's best days are still ahead of it."
					.
		Declining	Best Days Still Ahead	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/08	45	50	6
					.
"Some people talk about a 'social contract' -- meaning government and employers should provide Americans with basic necessities such as healthcare, retirement programs, unemployment assistance, etc. Do you think this social contract ever existed in America?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/08	41	52	7
					.
	Asked of those who answered "Yes" (N=419): "Do you think that a 'social contract' still exists in America these days?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/08	57	39	4

Gallup Poll. June 5-July 6, 2008. N=1,935 adults nationwide, including oversamples of blacks and Hispanics weighted to reflect their proportions in the general population. MoE ą 4.
					.
"Some people think of American society as divided into two groups -- the 'haves' and 'have-nots' -- while others think it's incorrect to think of America that way. Do you, yourself, think of America as divided into haves and have-nots, or don't you think of America that way?"
					.
		Divided	Not Divided	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/5 - 7/6/08	49	49	2
	4/23 - 5/31/98	39	59	2
	7/1-7/88	26	71	3
					.
"If you had to choose, which of these groups are you in: the haves or the have-nots?"
					.
		Haves	Have-Nots	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/5 - 7/6/08	59	32	5	5
	4/23 - 5/31/98	67	24	6	3
	7/1-7/88	59	17	15	9

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. June 26-29, 2008. Adults nationwide.
					.
"How proud are you to be an American: extremely proud, very proud, moderately proud, only a little proud, or not at all proud?" N=515 adults, MoE ą 4.5 (Form A)
					.
		Extremely	Very	Moderately	Only a Little	Not at All
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/26-29/08	61	28	7	2	1
					.
"Overall, do you think the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased or disappointed by the way the United States has turned out?" N=511 adults, MoE ą 4.5 (Form B)
					.
		Pleased	Disappointed	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/26-29/08	29	69	2

USA Today/Gallup Poll. May 30-June 1, 2008. N=1,012 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Thinking now about your standard of living: Would you say your standard of living is better or worse now than it was five years ago?"
					.
		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/30 - 6/1/08	45	43	11	1
					.
"Five years from now, do you think your standard of living will be better or worse than it is now?"
					.
		Better	Worse	Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	5/30 - 6/1/08	62	25	6	7
					.
"Compared to your parents when they were the age you are now, do you think your own standard of living now is much better, somewhat better, about the same, somewhat worse, or much worse than theirs was?"
					.
		Much Better	Somewhat Better	About the Same	Somewhat Worse	Much Worse	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	5/30 - 6/1/08	38	25	18	10	8	1
					.
"When your children are at the age you are now, do you think their standard of living will be much better, somewhat better, about the same, somewhat worse, or much worse than yours is now?"
					.
		Much Better	Somewhat Better	About the Same	Somewhat Worse	Much Worse	No Children/ (vol.)/Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	5/30 - 6/1/08	22	23	20	18	10	7

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). March 7-10, 2008. N=approx. 500 registered voters nationwide.
					.
"Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off than you were four years ago?"
					.
		Better Off	Worse Off	About the Same (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/7-10/08	34	43	21	2
	5/04	42	33	23	2
	10/00	63	11	24	2
	9/00	62	12	25	1
	9/96	52	22	24	2
	9/92 Adults	37	40	21	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Dec. 14-17, 2007. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.4.
					.
"Do you feel confident or not confident that life for our children's generation will be better than it has been for us?"
					.
		Confident	Not Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/14-17/07	30	64	6
	1/07	33	60	7
	7/06	27	65	8
	12/01	49	42	9
	9/93	25	68	7
	12/92	41	52	7

Gallup Poll. Dec. 6-9, 2007. N=1,027 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Generally speaking, how happy would you say you are: very happy, fairly happy, or not too happy?"
					.
		Very Happy	Fairly Happy	Not Too Happy	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/6-9/07	52	40	6	1
	12/11-14/06	49	47	4	-
	12/5-8/05	53	39	8	-

Gallup Poll. July 12-15, 2007. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
					.
"Do you have occasion to use alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer, or are you a total abstainer?"
					.
		Yes, Drink	No, Total Abstainer
		%	%
	7/12-15/07	64	36
				.	.
"Has drinking ever been a cause of trouble in your family?"
					.
		Yes	No
		%	%
	7/12-15/07	35	65
				.	.
"Do you, personally, think drinking in moderation -- that is, one or two drinks a day -- is good for your health, makes no difference, or is bad for your health?" Options rotated
					.
		Good	Makes No Difference	Bad	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/12-15/07	22	49	25	4
				.	.
"Would you favor or oppose a federal law that would lower the drinking age in all states to 18?" N=464, MoE ą 5 (Form A)
					.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/12-15/07	22	77	1
				.	.
"Do you think the penalties for underage drinking should be made more strict, less strict, or remain as they are now?" N=537, MoE ą 5 (Form B)
					.
		More Strict	Less Strict	Remain As They Are	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/12-15/07	60	6	31	3

CBS News. June 26-28, 2007. N=836 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in your own life these days? Would you say you are completely satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or would you say you are completely dissatisfied with the way things are going these days?"
						.
		Completely Satisfied	Somewhat Satisfied	Somewhat Dissatisfied	Completely Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	27	49	15	8	1
	6/93	21	52	19	7	1
						.
"Compared to your parents' generation, do you think in general your opportunities to succeed in life are better than theirs, about the same as theirs, or worse than theirs?"
						.
		Better	Same	Worse	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	62	18	18	2
	2/00	72	22	5	1
						.
"Do you think the future of the next generation of Americans will be better, worse, or about the same as life today?"
						.
		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	25	48	24	3
	9/15-19/06	30	38	28	4
						.
"Suppose America's Founding Fathers came back to the present day. Do you think the Founding Fathers would generally be pleased about the way America has turned out, or would they be disappointed?"
						.
		Pleased	Disappointed	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	20	72	3	5
						.
"Do you think it's still possible to start out poor in this country, work hard, and become rich?"
						.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/26-28/07	81	18	1
	7/03	70	27	3

CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Oct. 13-15, 2006. N=approx. 500 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.5.
					.
"Do you agree or disagree? The American dream has become impossible for most people to achieve."
					.
		Agree	Disagree	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	54	45	2
					.
"Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the opportunity for the next generation of Americans to live better than their parents?"
					.
		Agree	Disagree	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/13-15/06	44	55	2

Associated Press/Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. March 21-23, 2005. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
					.
"How often do you worry about the following things: frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never? . . ."
					.
		Frequently	Occasionally	Rarely	Never
		%	%	%	%
	"Not being able to pay your bills"	30	21	24	25
					.
	"Getting hurt in a car accident"	20	34	30	16
					.
	"A terrorist attack using nuclear weapons"	13	31	32	23
					.
	"Becoming a victim of terrorism"	12	28	35	25
					.
	"A nuclear attack by one country on another"	11	28	34	27

The Harris Poll. Oct. 14-19, 2003. N=1,017 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
.
"What are your two or three most favorite leisure-time activities?" Unprompted replies
.
		Top Mentions
		2003	2002	2001	2000
		%	%	%	%
	Reading	24	26	28	31
	Spending time with family, kids	17	11	12	14
	TV watching	17	15	20	23
	Fishing	9	8	12	9
	Going to movies	7	6	7	6
	Socializing with friends, neighbors	7	5	4	6
	Playing team sports	6	7	5	5
	Exercise (aerobics, weights)	6	4	5	6
	Gardening	6	8	10	13
	Church/Church activities	5	2	3	4
	Watching sporting events	5	2	2	4
	Computer activities	5	4	7	6
	Eating out/Dining out	5	2	1	1

Gallup Poll. Jan. 20-22, 2003. N=1,006 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (total sample).
						.
"Looking ahead, how likely is it that you will ever be rich? Would you say it is very likely, somewhat likely, not very likely, or not at all likely?"
						.
		Very Likely	Somewhat Likely	Not Very Likely	Not At All Likely	Already Rich (vol.)
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/03	10	21	36	30	2
						.
"Just thinking about your own situation, how much money per year would you need to make in order to consider yourself rich?" Form A (N=502, MoE ą 5)
						.
		Median response = $120,000
						.
"Just thinking about your own situation, how much money would you need to have saved up in cash, stocks, real estate and other investments in order to consider yourself rich?" Form B (N=504, MoE ą 5)
						.
		Median response = $1,000,000

ABC News Poll. Oct. 25-29, 2002. N=1,015 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (total sample). Field work by ICR.
.
"Do you approve or disapprove of spanking children?"
.
		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/02	65	31	4
.
"Do you ever spank your child/any of your children, or not?" Asked of parents
.
		Do	Do Not	Did When They Were Younger (vol.)
		%	%	%
	10/02	50	45	5
.
"Do you think grade-school teachers should or should not be permitted to spank children at school?" Asked of all adults
.
		Should	Should Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/02	26	72	1

CBS News Poll. Dec. 13-16, 1999. N=1,558 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (total sample).
					.
		ALL	Women	Men
		%	%	%
"How hard do you think it is for men and women to get top executive jobs in business or government these days? Generally, is it easier for men, easier for women, or isn't there much difference?"
	Easier for men	63	67	58
	Easier for women	5	3	7
	Not much difference	28	26	30
	Don't know	4	4	5
					.
"What about salaries? These days, if a man and a woman are doing the same work, do you think the man generally earns more, the woman generally earns more, or that both earn the same amount?"
	Man earns more	65	70	59
	Woman earns more	1	1	1
	Both the same	30	25	34
	Don't know	4	4	6
					.
"How hard do you think it is for men and women to have a full time job and raise a family these days? Generally, is it easier for men, easier for women, or isn't there much difference?"
	Easier for men	40	46	32
	Easier for women	9	9	8
	Not much difference	49	42	56
	Don't know	2	3	4
					.
"If both a man and a woman living in the same house are working full time, who ends up doing more of the chores and work around the house? Do you think the man generally does more, the woman generally does more, or that both do the same amount?"
	Man does more	3	2	4
	Woman does more	70	81	57
	Both the same	25	15	35
	Don't know	2	2	4
					.
"Who does the chores and work around your house? Do you do all of it, do you do most of it, do you do some of it, or do you do none of it?"
	All	21	27	13
	Most	27	39	14
	Some	49	32	68
	None	2	1	3
	Don't know	1	1	2

The Harris Poll. Oct. 27-Nov. 2, 1999. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"How much do you worry about each of the following? Do you worry about that a lot, a little, or not at all? . . ."
				.
		A Lot	A Little	Not At All
		%	%	%
	"That you will not have enough money to live comfortably"	30	39	31
				.
	"That you will not have enough health insurance to pay for large medical bills"	29	31	39
				.
	"That your spouse or someone very close to you will not live long"	22	37	40
				.
	"What will happen to you if you become old and sick"	18	39	43
				.
	"That your health will get much worse"	18	42	39
				.
	"That you or someone in your household will lose your/their job"	17	29	53
				.
	"That you will be a victim of a crime"	13	48	39
				.
	"That you will not live long"	10	31	59
				.
	"That you will go to hell"	10	18	70

The Harris Poll. July 15-20, 1999. N=1,015 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (total sample).
				.
"Are you very afraid, somewhat afraid, or not afraid of [see below]?"
				.
		Very Afraid
		ALL	Men	Women
		%	%	%
	snakes	36	22	49
	looking down from a great height	23	13	32
	flying on an airplane	14	7	20
	being alone in a forest	13	4	22
	spiders and insects	12	4	19
	mice	10	2	18
	thunder and lightning	5	2	7
	being alone in your home at night	3	1	5
	being alone in an elevator	3	1	5
	being in a big crowd of people	3	2	3
	dogs	2	1	4
	going out of your home at night	2	1	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Jan. 27-28, 1999. N=911 registered voters nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Women	Men
		%	%	%
"Do you believe in love at first sight?"
	Yes	48	49	48
	No	49	49	49
	Not sure	3	2	3
					.
"Trying to be as honest as you can, are you more attracted to people by their bodies or their brains?"
	Bodies	32	24	43
	Brains	48	60	35
	Both (vol.)	14	10	17
	Not sure	6	6	5
					.
"If you could have only one of the following, which would you pick: money, health, or love?"
	Money	7	5	9
	Health	56	63	49
	Love	35	30	39
	Not sure	2	2	3
					.
"Have you ever cheated on a person you were in a relationship with?"
	Yes	21	17	26
	No	76	80	72
	Won't say	3	3	2
					.
"Do you think most men dread Valentine’s Day or look forward to it?"
	Dread	46	53	38
	Look forward to it	35	29	42
	Not sure	19	18	20
					.
"Which phrase describes your love life? Very happy. Could be happier. What love life?"
	Very happy	60	59	62
	Could be happier	21	19	23
	What love life?	15	17	12
	Not sure	4	5	3

The Harris Poll. July 17-21, 1998. N=1,011 adults nationwide.
			.
"Would you like to be famous, that is, popular, well-known, or widely recognized for your accomplishments, activities, abilities, expertise, or opinions?"
		%
	Yes	30
	No	69
	Don't know	1
			.
Among those who would like to be famous (N=306): "If you had the talent to be the best at any one thing, what would you most like to be famous for?"
		%
	Doing good/Being good/Humanitarian	12
	Musician/Singer/Performer	8
	Athlete	8
	Artist	8
	Parent/Grandparent	6
	Teacher	5
	Author	5
	Scientist	4
	Business executive	2
	Religious leader	2
	Doctor	2
	Lawyer	1
	Politician	1
	Journalist	1
	Other	22
	Don't know	11
			.
Among those who would like to be famous (N=306): "Given the talents you actually have, what would you most like to be famous for?"
		%
	Musician/Singer/Performer	12
	Athlete	8
	Artist	7
	Doing good/Being good/Humanitarian	6
	Business executive	6
	Teacher	6
	Author	5
	Parent/Grandparent	3
	Doctor	2
	Scientist	2
	Politician	1
	Religious leader	1
	Banker	1
	Lawyer	1
	Journalist	1
	Other	26
	Don't know	14

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