Poll: 2008 Obama Backers Not Excited to Vote This Year

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

CBS

Democrats have an uphill climb in their quest to get their voters out to the polls this year: A new CBS News/Knowledge Networks survey finds that two in three likely voters who say they voted for President Obama in 2008 are less enthusiastic about voting this year.

Just one in three are more enthusiastic than they were in 2008.

Three of the key groups that helped Mr. Obama to victory - independents, Hispanics and first time voters - all report diminished enthusiasm this year. It's a sign that appeals by the president and members of his party to get their supporters to the polls may be thus far falling short.

Sixty-nine percent of registered voters who backed Mr. Obama in 2008 say they will "definitely" vote this year, and another 19 percent say they "probably" will. But more than one in ten in this group say they probably or definitely will not, including 16 percent of independents and nearly one in five Hispanics.

Overall, three in four 2008 Obama voters surveyed for the poll say they are satisfied with the Obama presidency. Twenty-two percent - and 34 percent of independents who backed Mr. Obama in 2008 - are disappointed.

The primary cause of disappointment? The economy. One in two Obama voters who are disappointed with the Obama presidency pick that as their reason, easily outpacing health care reform (17 percent), the budget deficit (13 percent), the war in Afghanistan (8 percent), immigration policy (6 percent) and energy policy (1 percent).

Eighty-eight percent of 2008 Obama voters say the current administration has had little or no effect on their financial situation, despite a stimulus package that included a tax cut for the vast majority of Americans. Just 14 percent say the administration has had a significant impact on their financial situation.

Nearly one in two say the president has spent too little time dealing with the economy. By contrast, 33 percent say he has spent too little time on financial reform and 15 percent say he has spent too little time on health care.

With the unemployment rate hovering just below ten percent, 35 percent of 2008 Obama voters - including half the independents among that group - say the president does not have a clear plan for creating jobs.

Assessing the President's Achievements:

CBS

Obama voters satisfied with the Obama presidency point to health care reform as the source of that satisfaction more than any other issue. Forty-one percent cite health care reform, followed by removing troops from Iraq (21 percent), banking reform (12 percent), the stimulus package (12 percent) and credit card reform (nine percent).

Three in four 2008 Obama voters approve of the health care legislation, though 54 percent say the law did not go far enough. Less than one in five expect the legislation to help them.

A slim majority of 2008 Obama voters, 51 percent, say Mr. Obama has made progress in solving the nation's problems. But views are mixed here: 40 percent say he has tried but made no progress, and another eight percent say he has either made the nation's problems worse or not addressed them.

Thirty-eight percent say the president has tried to accomplish too much, while 14 percent say he has tried to achieve too little. Roughly half say he has tried to accomplish the right amount.

Critical Contests: CBS News Election 2010 Race Ratings

See all Ratings for Senate, House and Governors in an Interactive Map (Updated Oct. 18)

Roughly one in two Obama voters say the president has brought "some" change to Washington, and 16 percent say the president - who campaigned on change - has brought a lot of it. Thirty two percent, including nearly half of independents, say he has brought little or no change.

Unhappiness with Washington is prevalent among Obama voters, as it is with the population overall: Fifty-eight percent say they are dissatisfied or angry with Washington. Just one in four approve of the job being done by Congress.

The good news for the president is most of his voters are standing by him. Eighty-two percent say they approve of the way the president is handling his job, including 73 percent of independents.

Mr. Obama's highest approval rating from his 2008 voters comes on the issue of terrorism, where 80 percent approve of his performance. That's followed by health care (75 percent), the economy (67 percent), the war in Afghanistan (65 percent), job creation (64 percent) and the budget deficit (62 percent).

Overall, 74 percent of 2008 Obama voters have a favorable view of the president, while ten percent have an unfavorable view. The numbers are slightly worse among independents who backed him in 2008: 63 percent hold a favorable view and 14 percent hold an unfavorable view.

The president remains popular among 2008's first time voters, a slim majority of whom are under age 30. While just 33 percent of likely voters who backed Mr. Obama in 2008 are more enthusiastic about voting this year, 46 percent of likely voters who voted for the first time (and for Mr. Obama) in 2008 are more enthusiastic this time around.

Who They're Voting For:

Two in three 2008 Obama voters who are likely to vote this year plan to back a Democrat. Eight percent plan to support a Republican, while roughly one in five says it depends.

Independents in this group are less likely to back a Democrat: Just 42 percent of likely independent voters who voted for the president two years ago plan to vote for his party's House candidate in 2010. Twelve percent of those voters plan to vote for the Republican, and about four in 10 say it depends or they don't know who they will vote for at this point.

2008 Obama voters are evenly split on whether their representative deserves reelection, and a majority of likely voters among them wish they had other choices in the election.

Two years ago, the president flipped a number of states that had gone to Republican George W. Bush in 2004, among them Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.

Just 29 percent of voters who backed Mr. Obama in those states are more enthusiastic about voting this year, while 70 percent are less enthusiastic. And just 40 percent say their congressperson deserves reelection.

Read the Full Poll
Critical Contests: Interactive Map with CBS News' Race Ratings
Senate and House Control Remain in Play

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This CBS News Poll was conducted online by Knowledge Networks among a nationwide random sample of 1077 Americans who say they voted for Barack Obama for President in 2008. Knowledge Networks, a Silicon Valley company, conducted the poll among a sample of adult members of its household panel, which is a nationally representative sample given access to the Internet. This is a scientifically representative poll of self-identified 2008 Obama voters. The margin of sampling error could be plus or minus three percentage points for the entire sample of 2008 Obama voters. Sampling error for subgroups could be higher.

[BlueDogDem]

People aren't turning against Obama any more than they turned against the Republicans in 2008....people are just mad and frustrated about the economy and are grabbing for the nearest throat.

[1renegade]

Almost two years later and Obama has destroyed his voter base. So much for "Hope and Change". I'm suprised CBS would even show these polls.

[valwayne]

95,000 more lost jobs in Sept. 9.6% UNEMPLOYMENT and certain to go up! Trillions upon trillion in wasted corrupt sending and debt! Everthing is worse than when Obama took office. And the arrogance and contempt Obama and the Democrats have shown average working Americans is beyond belief! all we can do is go to the polls in Nov and vote to restore balance to our Government by voting to fire every Democrat on the ballot! Before its too late!!!

[strikerF2]

Hard to get excited about voting when all the promises are broken and then the lies began,and Obama still thinks he can get away with it because he knows he is right even when we know he is a narcissist.

[AngryMobVoter]

Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the Democrats in Congress still do not get it and probably never will:

The American people and American small business want lower taxes for EVERYONE while Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the Democrats will raise taxes on some and probably everyone to pay for the reckless spending they put in place.

The American people and American small business want smaller government while Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the Democrats have and plan to continue to greatly increase the size of government.

The American people and American small business want less government intervention into their lives and private affaires while Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the Democrats will continue to expand onerous regulation which raises costs, reduces the standard of living, and inhibits job growth.

The American people and American small business did not want the so-called healthcare reform while Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the Democrats continue to ignore how this law will cost the American people and small businesses more, reduce choice in healthcare, and restrict access to healthcare for many people.

The current Administration and current Congress must realize a large portion of the American people are fed up with high taxes, big government, and obtrusive government meddling in the private lives of people, business, and the economy. The American people what lower taxes, lower government spending, and smaller government.

As long as our government continues the reckless spending, high taxes, and unprecedented meddling with businesses, we cannot expect real long term growth.

The Congress and current Administration have put the country on a course of reckless government spending that has mortgaged the future of all Americans especially future generations. The only way to fix this long term structural problem is to create a pro-growth atmosphere for business. To do this we must reduce taxes NOW. How many different taxes does a business or individual pay on a regular basis? We must eliminate number and complexity of all these taxes and reduce the tax burden.

We also need to end the micro-management of business and the economy. Until we GREATLY reduce the tax burden on business and consumers and remove the senseless regulations that accomplish little in relation to the cost they impose, our future is bleak.

REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER...VOTE THEM OUT!!!

[FanDaElis]

I have read an article on how nasty the ads are getting out there! And the majority of them are being done by the Democrats! Well, one thing the Dems are not doing: they are not running on what they have done on the last 4 years of a Democratic led Congress. But, one thing that past history shows is that nasty campaigns lead to lower turnout and lower turnout should mean advantage for the GOP!

[skyviewperspective]

So....we see the administration frantically running "thither and yon" for votes. But the votes aren't "personal", they are in support of others! This mid-term election is soooooooo important. But not from the most obvious - who controls Washington. It is important because it is painful evidence that the rhetoric that has been fed us becomes apparent hypocrisy. It doesn't matter whether you see a D or an R in office, the same lies of "more bi-partisanship" become evident. EACH and EVERY whistlestop he makes, he entrenches himself deeper and deeper in a lie. Instead of working on bipartisanship...he creates a bigger division between him and "the other side". I'm not saying the R side is innocent. What I'm saying is this election if ABSOLUTE proof that we need to relook at the party system. These parties have once again accomplished smoke and mirror and avoided the issues, the economy, the war, health care (gosh forbid we readdress that mess) ALL in the name of "us versus them". I still think we need a third legitimate party. A third party will make it very very difficult for any one party to maintain control and actually force the government to work for - the people. We are watching our government at its worse. We have a system that when working in its proper way, is the envy of the world. But right now, it is just pure power play. And they will not use that power to help the people, it will be for their further and personal gain.

[Simifanene]

How can we be excited with everyone beating us up, I don't know but what to say, "in you pants'

[Wh0]

Ever since I was a kid, "Taxes" was an evil word. And under many presidents, it was, using hard earned money from respectable middle to lower class families for the military and their pet projects or for their company sponsors rather than for education or health care. I've travelled and lived in other countries and can see how well distributed tax money can give a nation more freedom, since their people are healthy and better well informed to choose their destinies (so-called "socialism"). We limit our country's potential when we let people die because they have no money for health care or when we don't give our citizens the ability to afford a good education. This lie that people who can't afford the best education or healthcare deserve it because they are lazy and don't work hard enough is sick and is ruining our nation. It's the selfishness and arrogance of those self-entitled few who have been able to dictate how much freedom we have, and sadly, most of us are too ignorant to see it since these ********** are paying for the propaganda. If you want to know the truth, go on facebook and write a random German or Swede or French person and ask what they get in terms of education and health care, if they feel as if they have less freedom because they don't have to pay for it. Reach out and find out for yourself.

[Wh0]

God knows it's important to be critical, but Americans have made it an art form. The greatest leader in the nation's history (or even the world's history) has been working night and day to pull America out of a deep, deep hole and succeeded in preventing a second depression. He isn't God, so you can't expect the system to save everyone right away, but criticism, although justified, is only paralysing the country further. Stop looking at the government as some invincible machine like in the movies who, depending on whoever is in power, can actually make all things right. THAT IS UNREALISTIC, but you gotta admit, Obama is the first one who actually started doing things for the people. Your negativity and impatience with Obama will destroy what you set out to do. You know why you voted for him in November. Don't prove the media right in showing how easily Americans can flip flop to the loudest and scariest voices.

[RobAla]

Actually, his focus has been on expansion of the federal government, at the expense of suffering businesses and taxpayers. I don't see that as being "for the people". He knew the majority of Americans were against his horrible and corrupt health care bill, yet he forced it on us. He has attacked one group of Americans after another, on and on. How can this be for the people? This man is anything but "for the people".