Posted on 07/08/2011 8:30:44 PM PDT by neverdem
The nation's largest teachers' union on Monday endorsed President Obama's reelection 16 months before Election Day 2012, but then most Republicans already have a negative opinion of the National Education Association. Democrats, on the other hand, are big fans.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of all Likely U.S. Voters hold at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the NEA, with 17% Very Favorable. Thirty-seven percent (37%) regard the teacher's union at least somewhat unfavorably, including 22% with a Very Unfavorable view. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure what they think of the group. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Among Democrats, however, 60% view the NEA favorably, while 57% of GOP voters regard the union unfavorably. Voters not affiliated with either of the major parties are narrowly divided.
Similarly, while 55% of the Political Class hold a favorable opinion of the NEA, the plurality (45%) of Mainstream voters does not.
The National Rifle Association, on the other hand, is likely to endorse whomever Republicans choose as their presidential nominee in 2012. Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters view the gun rights group favorably, including 29% with a Very Favorable opinion. The NRA is regarded unfavorably by 41%, with 25% who have a Very Unfavorable view.
Yet while 80% of Republicans and 53% of unaffiliated voters share a favorable opinion of the NRA, 63% of Democrats view the group unfavorably.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of the Political Class don't care for the NRA, but 61% of Mainstream voters regard the group favorably.
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These two national surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters were conducted on June 30-July 1, 2011 and July 2, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error for each survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
The conservative Heritage Foundation is not well enough known for 42% of voters to comment on it. Thirty-five percent (35%) view the influential Washington, D.C.-based think tank favorably, including 17% with a Very Favorable opinion. Heritage is seen unfavorably by 23%, with 12% who hold a Very Unfavorable view.
The National Right-to-Life Committee, one of the nation's leading pro-life organizations, is viewed favorably by 44% of voters and unfavorably by 38%. This includes 25% with a Very Favorable opinion and 22% with a Very Unfavorable one. Nineteen percent (19%) have no opinion of the group.
Most Republicans view both groups favorably, while Democrats tend to regard them unfavorably. Unaffiliated voters have a slightly more unfavorable view of the National Right-to-Life Committee but are largely in the dark about the Heritage Foundation.
The Sierra Club is one of the nation's most prominent environmental organizations, but 33% of voters have no opinion of the group. Thirty-five percent (35%) view the Sierra Club favorably, including 12% with a Very Favorable opinion. Thirty-two percent (32%) share an unfavorable view of the organization, with 16% Very Unfavorable.
Democrats are inclined to have a positive view of the Sierra Club, while Republicans tend to see it in a negative light. Unaffiliated voters have more mixed feelings.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) of American Adults say, in terms of its impact on the nation, it's a good thing that most teachers belong to public employee unions. Forty-six percent (46%) disagree and say it's a bad thing that most teachers are unionized.
Thirty-six percent (36%) of Americans say the United States needs stricter gun control laws, but 56% don't share that belief and oppose stronger anti-gun laws.
Forty-two percent (42%) of voters say it's too easy to get an abortion in the United States. Forty-nine percent (49%) consider themselves pro-choice on the issue of abortion, while 41% classify themselves as pro-life.
Fifty-one percent (51%) now say protecting jobs is more important than protecting the environment. Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree.
To see a summary of data for all organizations included in the survey, click here.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
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From what I've seen in this forum, you have to take into consideration that some in the poll think that the NRA is not sufficiently pure on the Second Amendment.
who did they poll?
Was it 40% D, 22% R and the rest “Independent”??
Was it 40% D, 22% R and the rest “Independent”??
I can;t tell, but Rasmussen Reports is usually pretty good.
Unfortunately, most Americans don't bother to think. Yet, most of them still vote.
I don’t see how the NRA could have such a high unfavorable rating. They bother no one, and only go on the attack if an issue involves gun owners/ownership. They will also go after ‘anti-gun’ candidates. They were easily the difference in 2000 with Gore losing WV and TN. If Gore would have won either of those states, FL wouldn’t have mattered. I believe 2000 was the end of ‘gun control’ at the federal level.
Hopefully the liberals will take gun control back up as an issue. IMO, gun control has replaced Socialist Security as the ‘3rd rail’....
who did they poll?”
I think that is indeed the issue. Even the MSM is not all that well disposed toward the NEA. Polls are increasingly being manipulated.
The NEA should have been a target by the GOP a long time ago. The left to its credit goes after the NRA, we remain silent about the evils of government unions, especially the NEA which has been so far off the charts for so long it isn’t even funny.
Bigoted, biased and leftist organizations like the NEA, NAACP, LaRaza, etc. need to be targeted and outed just like the left tries to do with NRA and conservatives.
NEA, NRA, what’s the difference?
Lefties, uninformed, disgruntled righties - no mystery.
I’ll support the NRA once they do something truly in favor of guns, such as repealing GCA68 in its entirety.
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