Poll: Less Than 1 in 4 Have Favorable View of Palin

She may be among the biggest names in politics at the moment, but former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is not exactly America's sweetheart.

Just 23 percent of those surveyed in a new CBS News poll have a favorable view of the former Alaska governor. That matches her favorable rating in July, when Palin announced she was resigning from her job as governor.

Thirty-eight percent, meanwhile, have an unfavorable view of Palin -- also roughly matching her July rating. Another 37 percent say they are undecided or haven't heard enough, despite the spotlight on Palin in recent days tied to the imminent publication of her memoir, "Going Rogue."

Unsurprisingly, Palin is far more popular with Republicans than Democrats. Fifty-two percent of Republicans have a favorable view of her, while 16 percent have an unfavorable view. By contrast, just four percent of Democrats view Palin favorably, while 57 percent say their opinion is not favorable.

Among independents, Palin has a net negative rating, with 21 percent viewing her favorably and 36 percent viewing her unfavorably.



Most Americans do not want to see Palin run for president in 2012. Two in three say they don't want to see a Palin run, while 24 percent say they would like to see her jump into the race.

Republicans are divided: Forty-four percent want Palin to run, but even more -- 48 percent -- do not. Democrats, independents and even conservatives oppose a Palin run, while white evangelicals favor it by a slim margin, 48 percent to 42 percent.



Forty-three percent of Republicans think Palin would be an effective president, an improvement of ten points from the summer. But thirty-nine percent say she would not be.

Just 11 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents believe Palin could be an effective president. Overall, 26 percent of Americans say she could be effective in the job.



Read the Complete Poll

More Coverage of Sarah Palin's Book:

Exclusive: Palin Accounts Disputed by McCain Aides
Palin Contradicts Her Own Version Of Events With Oprah
Democrats Give Mixed Reactions to Sarah Palin Buzz
Sarah Palin: I Was "Annoyed" by Katie Couric's Newspaper Question
Bob Schieffer on Palin: No Future in Politics
Palin Book Roils Former McCain Aides
Palin "Vindictiveness" in Her New Book?
Palin Publicity Blitz Full Speed Ahead

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 873 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone November 13-15, 2009. 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.