CBS News HotSheet / NY Times Polls Released For 2009 Economic Outlook

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Posted on January 18, 2009 by Harrison Barnes in Feature with No Comments

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Both CBS News and New York Times just released economic outlook polls for 2009. Here are some of the highlights.

On President-elect Barack Obama:

· Mr. Obama is the recipient of the highest levels of optimism, and expectations, of any modern president. Seventy-nine percent are optimistic about an Obama presidency. Sixty-eight percent think he will be a good or very good president.

· About 7 in 10 express confidence that he’ll make the right decisions in dealing with the nation’s top problems – the economy, Iraq, the situation in the Mideast and the threat of terrorism.

· Seventy-five percent of Americans expect the economy to get better over the course of Mr. Obama’s first term.

· Most Americans (61 percent) think the new administration will make progress toward ending the war within two years.

· Forty-eight percent of Americans favor keeping the Guantanamo Bay detention center operational, forty percent favor closing it.

· Most Americans (62 percent) think gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military.

· Joe Biden prepares to assume the vice presidency with a 36 percent favorable rating.

On The Economy

· Ninety-two percent of Americans now say the economy is in bad shape — the highest number in the history of the CBS News Poll.

· Sixty-eight percent think it will take two years or more before this recession is over.

· Sixty-three percent of Americans approve of the federal government passing a $775 billion stimulus package in order to improve the economy and just 24 percent disapprove.

· Six in 10 Americans are at least somewhat concerned that they or someone in their household will be out of work and looking for a job sometime within the next twelve months.

· Seventy-three percent say their financial situation is at least fairly good (though only 10 percent say it is very good) while 27 percent characterize it as fairly or very bad.

· The economic climate hasn’t changed the financial plans of most Americans, but a third says they have changed their long-term plans or postponed a major purchase due to the recession.