Poll: Low Favorability Ratings for Sarah Palin

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin continues to receive unfavorable ratings from the American public overall, a new CBS News poll shows, though many Republicans do hold a favorable opinion of her.

But even as the former GOP vice presidential candidate continues to build up her persona as a media personality and conservative spokesperson, nearly four in 10 self-identified conservatives say they do not have an opinion of her or know too little about her to have an opinion.

Twenty-four percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Sarah Palin, while 38 percent view her unfavorably, according to the poll, conducted March 29 through April 1. Thirty-seven percent of the public is undecided or hasn't heard enough to offer an opinion. Her ratings have held fairly steady over the past year.

Read the Complete Poll (PDF)

Only 7 percent of Democrats say they have a favorable view of Palin and 59 percent have a negative view. By contrast, 43 percent of Republicans have a positive view of Palin and 16 percent have a negative view.

Palin has become a sort of spokesperson for the conservative Tea Party movement. She gave the keynote speech at the first National Tea Party convention this year, and she kicked off a national Tea Party bus tour last month.

Still, 39 percent of conservatives said they were undecided or hadn't heard enough to have an opinion of Palin, compared with 36 percent who had a favorable view and 23 percent who said they had an unfavorable view of her.

College graduates were also among the demographic groups likely to have a negative view of Palin, the poll found: 52 percent of Americans with a college degree said they had an unfavorable opinion, while 33 percent of those without a degree had an unfavorable opinion. Among both groups, 24 percent had a favorable view.

Geography has some impact, too. While the former Alaska governor receives net negative ratings across all regions of the country, she gets her highest favorable rating from Americans living in the Midwest at 31 percent; her lowest comes from those residing in the Northeast at 18 percent. Men and women have similarly unfavorable views of Sarah Palin.

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 858 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone March 29-April 1, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[cbsnews_viewer]

A person who quits their post, a position of responsibility, and then goes on to make money. Admirers are insane (are they just angry and not thinking this out?). People wonder how the banker CEOs got away with the bailouts and bonuses. A soldier that gets sent overseas, is not respected if they try to quit, why should the highest elected person of a state get a free ride? Have people let their ideology and their dislike for other's ideologies muddle their thinking?
To her GOP supporters: Is someone saying something you like and making you feel good more important than what she is actually doing?

[whateverinak]

Most Alaskans can't stand Sarah Palin anymore. Only her valley rightwing, fundamentalist Christian neighbors out in Wasillabilly, and people she appointed to positions (and we've been stuck with them since) defend her. When she quit during her term it didn't create shock because she hadn't worked as our governor since the moment McCain announced her as his running mate. When the election was over, she never returned to her responsibilities, but she did keep taking that governor's paycheck. So when she resigned, most Alaskans' attitude was, "Don't let the door hit you on the a** on your way out, Sarah." That's why it is also funny anyone wants to pay her for a reality show in Alaska.

[magnumdr]

DUH. Nobody needed to read this to know that.

[weareamericans]

Why do you bash Sarah Palin....are you so scared she is right. I am not republican but i think we need a change....we sure are not getting one now. We are giving this country away. Nobody is listening to the people.

[gig76]

You can tell which ones are written by Sarah and her followers. They talk and write the same message, and always defensive to the message they dispell. Sarah is such a lost sales person. She throws out any message that will stick. Fortunately, first impressions are lasting, and she failed. All the work she does will not ever change the first impression America saw of her -- she is ill informed, trouble maker, and a hate monger who manipulates the vulnerable to do her dirty work. Palin bad. Democrats Good! Vote Democrats 2010, 2012, and onward.

[mfer4]

Your wrong...people are sick of the liberal junk being shoved down our throats!

[charliesthoughts]

Thats not all your getting rammed down your throat idiot

[bradkt1]

All of the right wing's name calling and insults directed toward President Obama and those who support him does not hide the fact that the vast majority of the general public sees no reason to have any confidence in the idea of Sarah Palin being anywhere near the White House.

[jules0584]

Sarah Palin should be going back to elementary school and learning her geography....she should stay completely out of politics.

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

by PasadenaDave April 9, 2010 4:22 PM EDT
Sarah is simply unqualified for almost any job in government. Let her run for Congress, and get some actual experience as a legislator.

And, yes, I'm a Republican. Most of the time.
==========================================================
What are you talking about ???
Sarah Palin is a MORON.
What makes you think that "experience as a legislator" will
do anything to help ???

[MohatmaJeebus]

What? Americans are tiring of witless, factless, ignorant, Glen Beck wanna-bes with utterly zero connection to reality, the truth, or the phony "patriotism" in which they slather themselves? Imagine that. A trite, uneducated, vacant former governor of Alaska who failed to complete even one term before quitting is commenting on America's nuclear arms policy? Did she glean her expertise from staring at Russia from her house? Morons.

[Clouseau2]

This poll just reinforces what we already know about Republicans, which is that they do not care how clueless or batsh_t crazy their leaders are.