Poll: Who Are the Tea Partiers?

(CBS)

Americans who call themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement express strong levels of anger toward Washington generally, and great personal antipathy toward President Obama specifically, a new CBS News/ New York Times poll shows. They are more likely to call themselves Republicans than independents.

Despite those strong views, for most Americans the movement remains relatively unknown: most haven't heard of the Tea Party, and those who have are still unsure about its stances.

Americans who call themselves "Tea Party members" in this poll:

• Mostly consider themselves Republicans – not independents - and most view the Republican Party favorably (62 percent).

• Are overwhelmingly negative about President Obama personally (80 percent); Americans overall are more favorable.

• Are more likely to think President Obama is working mainly on behalf of the poor, and not the middle class.

• Express nearly three times more anger toward Washington (45 percent) than Americans overall (17 percent).

• Are more likely to believe President Obama has already raised taxes, while most Americans do not.

Read the Complete Poll

Tea Party supporters hold an overwhelmingly negative opinion of Mr. Obama (80 percent), while Americans overall are slightly positive about him personally, even if not all of them approve of his job performance.

Tea Partiers also express much higher anger toward the government in Washington. As many as 45 percent say they feel angry about the government, compared to just 17 percent of Americans overall.

One-third of Tea Party identifiers think the Obama administration favors the poor, compared to just 18 percent of all Americans. About half of all Americans think Mr. Obama is working for the middle class or all classes equally.

Most Tea Partiers hold favorable views of the Republican Party (62 percent); they are nearly twice as positive as Americans overall (35 percent). And Tea Partiers are much less favorable about the Democrats (9 percent) compared to Americans overall (42 percent).

Tea Partiers are not enthralled with Congress -- they rate it nearly as badly as Americans overall do, giving it an approval rating of 18 percent. As many as 92 percent of Tea Partiers think the government generally is run by special interests, not for the benefit of the people.

While Americans blame the Bush Administration for the deficit, Tea Partiers don't; they're more likely to point to the Obama administration (19 percent) or Congress (33 percent).

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And 44 percent of Tea Party supporters believe Mr. Obama has already raised taxes this past year, while most Americans think the president has kept them the same.

Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party members are mostly from the South (37 percent) or the West (29 percent), and are older (59 percent say they are over age 45, compared to 50 percent of Americans.)

Tea Party identifiers are overwhelmingly white – 95 percent are white, compared to 77 percent of Americans.

Tea Party members' income and education is comparable to that of all Americans: they are as likely to have college educations (26 percent) and earn over $50,000 per year (51 percent) as Americans overall.

The Tea Party Movement and Americans Overall

A majority of Americans still say they do not know much about the Tea Party movement; 55 percent say they have heard not much or nothing about it.

Even among those Americans who say they have heard about the Tea Party, four in 10 still admit they know little or nothing about what it stands for.

The Tea Party movement gets mixed reviews from those who have at least heard of it, but 55 percent are still unsure about it. Forty-two percent of Republicans who've heard about it have favorable views of the Tea Party movement, but 56 percent are still unsure.

Among those who've heard of the Tea Party movement, only a third thinks it reflects the views of most Americans while 42 percent say it does not.

Overall, 18 percent of Americans considers themselves a "member" of the Tea Party. (This is a self-identification not related to whether they have attended any rallies or events.) Tea Party ranks are dominated by Republicans: one-third of all the Republicans in this poll identify themselves as Tea Party members, as do one in five independents.

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1084 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone February 5-10, 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.

[LocutusB]

I find interesting, and Orwellian, that CBS can't even get the stats from their own poll correct in this article. The link to the "complete poll" takes you to a 9 page doc, not the whole 41 page poll.
"Tea Party members' income and education is comparable to that of all Americans: they are as likely to have college educations (26 percent) and earn over $50,000 per year (51 percent) as Americans overall.
Advocates" 47% of Tea Party advocates had a college degree or grad degree vs, 25% of all those polled. 56% made 50K or more vs 44% of total. 75% were 49 or older vs 50% of total.
So, Tea Party folk are better educated, older, white, married, protestants who are registered to vote, make more money, and attend church slightly more than the avg American.
Whackos!

[steveginty]

I don't think CBS should be the one to determine if the Tea Party is an acceptable political movement or not lol

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

by JV1970 February 15, 2010 4:35 AM EST
Palin doesn't live in a trailor! She lives in a very nice million dollar home on a beautiful lake in Alaska! If that is a trailor I wish I was so blessed to own one! Also have you ever noticed how well dressed those tea party people are? Poor people don't wear designer suits!
============================================================
Oh ... and BTW .... any idea HOW committed Sarah P. is to the "cause" ????
She charges them MONEY. LOTS OF MONEY.
She is committed to the "cause" .... FOR A PRICE !!!!

[JV1970]

How do you know she "charged" them? How do you know that they didn't offer her a price? Either way, they agreed to a price and she accepted their payment. Both parties were happy with the arrangement. If the tea partyers were happy with the price they paid her what's it to you? The money didn't come out of your pocket and the tea party members must have been happy with the price they paid her because they agreed to it. Therefore, it's no one else's business! Also, in case you've forgotten, she said that she wasn't going to keep the money. But whether she does or she doesn't, it's her money and her business, not yours!

[Louis-Sipher]

Palin does not live in a trailer, but she acts the part. She comments on issues like an uneducated redneck. For example, she stated that the research on global warming was "snake oil science". That particular statement was irresponsible. The US needs to lead in the reduction of greenhouse gases. She is a great link between the wealthy (she has wealth) and non-wealthy uneducated people that she acts like. I am sure the Tea Bag Party was formed by wealthy educated people that believe corporations should make the rules in the US - not the American people.

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

by JV1970 February 15, 2010 4:35 AM EST
Palin doesn't live in a trailor! She lives in a very nice million dollar home on a beautiful lake in Alaska! If that is a trailor I wish I was so blessed to own one! Also have you ever noticed how well dressed those tea party people are? Poor people don't wear designer suits!
============================================================
I am guessing that you might be poor .... but you would have a lot more
money if you stopped smoking crack. Most of the Tea-Baggers I have
had the displeasure of seeing remind me of a scary movie set in the
rural South called "Deliverance".

[JV1970]

I've never smoked crack or anything else in my life! I've also never been drunk or high on drugs! I've spent my entire life cold sober and with a clear mind and knowing exactly what I'm doing!

[from_the_north]

Tea baggers - loud mouthed lower class, trailer trash like Palin. No education and no idea what world politics looks like (or where the other countries are) Palin can see Russia from her kitchen window??? Yeah sure. They should go crawl back into their cave and light a candle and try to read a book.

[JV1970]

Palin never said she could see Russia from her window! She said that you can see Russia from an island off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea. Every word of that is true! However, TINA FEY (NOT SARAH PALIN!), took that statement and ran with it on SNL and made Palin look like an absolute fool! Contrary to what many people, probably including you believe, Tina Fey and Sarah Palin are two different people. Also Sarah DOES have an education! She is a GRADUATE of Idaho State University. She majored in journalism and minored in political science and she holds degrees in both! Also, contrary to what you believe, the tea party members and the republican party included, represent people from all walks of life and incomes and educations. Very few of them have no education as you think. In spite of what you think some of them have incomes of over $100k and have degrees from such colleges and universities as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. You democrats and liberals don't have a monopoly on Harvard graduates!

[arkieguy]

The American people are not aware that the economy was sliding and almost in a free-fall long before Obama was elected president. Eight years of mismanagement by the previous administration and Congress, compounded by the abuse of the financial system by Wall Street had taken its toll. To expect one man, Obama or name your Republican, to take over such a task as stopping the fall and restoring jobs in 14 months is rediculous.

[Louis-Sipher]

by P0ST1ING_AWAY February 12, 2010 7:31 PM EST
I believe that the 'Baggers are largely an uneducated group of
lower middle class and poor people with a few wealthier people
egging them on. The majority of them have trailer hitches on
their places of residence.

This is why Palin is someone they can identify with. This group has a low social and economic status. Someone that pretends to be on their side will earn their votes. The dems are composed of somewhat snobby educated people that feel the need to show charity to this group. While good intentioned, no one wants to feel like the "last rung on the ladder". Palin and the rich give this group a feeling of belonging. The dems should pay attention here. They actually fit in the GOP model - the "haves" and the "have nots". Corporate America would have us all in this class. We would work longer hours for less pay to compete with China and India. Oh wait, they already sent many of our jobs overseas. One reason was that they do not regulate manufacturing as tightly as we do. It can be made cheaper - lead toys anyone?

[JV1970]

Palin doesn't live in a trailor! She lives in a very nice million dollar home on a beautiful lake in Alaska! If that is a trailor I wish I was so blessed to own one! Also have you ever noticed how well dressed those tea party people are? Poor people don't wear designer suits!

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

I believe that the 'Baggers are largely an uneducated group of
lower middle class and poor people with a few wealthier people
egging them on. The majority of them have trailer hitches on
their places of residence.

[PhilipASC]

WARNING!!

"Tea Party members' income and education is comparable to that of all Americans: they are as likely to have college educations (26 percent) and earn over $50,000 per year (51 percent) as Americans overall."

Please realize that income and education are always the most inaccurately SELF-reported responses on surveys--inversely correlated to the respondants actual traits, in fact.

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

Who are we????
We are the TEA-BAGGERS !!!!!
LOUD.
S-T-U-P-I-D.
PROUD.

[Louis-Sipher]

by P0ST1ING_AWAY February 12, 2010 6:33 PM EST
Who are we????
We are the TEA-BAGGERS !!!!!
LOUD.
S-T-U-P-I-D.
PROUD.

I like your "cheer". Can we get Palin in cheerleader outfit to recite it while jumping on a trampoline? She has to be good for something...