Life


Life	See also: Confidence/Trust in Institutions

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

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