Watch CBS News

60 Minutes/Vanity Fair Poll: September Edition

Welcome to the 60 Minutes/ Vanity Fair Poll for September. The first Monday in September is Labor Day which pays tribute to the American Worker featuring parades, cookouts and sporting events. It also has come to symbolize the end of summer (which doesn't actually occur until September 23rd). It is a time for new beginnings such as a new school year for millions of students and new seasons for college and professional football. For many it signals a return to a more traditional schedule both at work and home. It is also the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day that Americans will never forget. As our nation faces many daunting challenges, let us hope that we can rekindle and recapture that feeling of national unity and sense of common purpose that prevailed in the aftermath of that tragic day. And now our poll results...

Only eight percent of Americans would describe Pakistan as a staunch U.S. ally. Twenty-one percent call it a treacherous U.S. enemy, 24 percent don't know and 47 percent believe that even Pakistan doesn't know. In 1939 Winston Churchill said this about Russia, "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. The key is Russian national interest." It appears that the same may be said of Pakistan.


Forty-two percent of Americans favor allowing same sex couples to legally marry while 47 percent oppose it. This could change over time because a majority of Americans over 45 oppose it while a growing majority of those under 45 favor it.


How about "all of the above"? In the obituary of their dreams, 43 percent of Americans would like to be remembered for the children and grandchildren they leave behind. Seventeen percent want to live to a ripe old age and 15 percent would like to be remembered for their philanthropy. Eight percent would choose a brief illness and another eight percent want it said that "flags will be flown at half-mast," a tribute reserved for an elite few.


Thirty-nine percent of Americans found the very funny Jason Lee's naming of his son, "Pilot Inspektor," to be more unfortunate than humorous. Ashlee Simpson (Bronx Mowgli) was responsible for the next most unfortunate name, followed by Gwyneth Paltrow (Apple) 12 percent, Erykah Badu (the unlucky "Seven") 10 percent, Brad and Angelina's (Shiloh) 10 percent and only three percent thought Nicolas Cage's name for his son, Kal-el wasn't so super.


More than half of Americans (53 percent) think that there will be a nuclear attack somewhere in the world during their lifetime and 41 percent do not. If you are over 65, it has already happened twice in your lifetime in August of 1945 in Japan. Anyone who has studied the fallout from those two bombings has to hope that with regard to this question, the minority is correct.


And now this month's fantasy hypothetical question. Twenty-five percent of Americans think the world would be a better place if Al Gore had won the 2000 presidential election and 16 percent think it would be a worse place. Predictably, the former group had more Democrats and the latter more Republicans (surprise!). The majority of Americans (56 percent) led by Independents did not think that the world would be very different at all. Based on the current activities (or lack thereof) occurring in our nation's capitol the majority has it.


Parents who are shelling out up to $50,000 a year for college will be thrilled to know that only 10 percent of Americans think that a course in "tree climbing" is worth the tuition. Eighteen percent would take "The American Vacation" and another 18 percent would live long, prosper and pay for taking "Philosophy and Star Trek." Seventeen percent think that none of these actual college courses would be worth the money. And the winner with 30 percent and a potentially oxymoronic title (depending on what you watch) is..."Learning from You Tube."


More than half (55 percent) of Americans are proud to be seen as an American tourist when traveling. Thirty-one percent prefer to "blend in" to their surroundings and nine percent have yet to visit another country. Part of the excitement and enjoyment of travel is meeting new and different people. Hopefully, the majority of natives around the world want tourists of all stripes, Americans included, to have a positive travel experience while visiting their country.


Grandmother used to advise not to discuss politics or religion in polite company at dinner. It wouldn't have even occurred to her to have to add money and sex as subjects to avoid. That mindset is changing, 36 percent of Americans think that none of those topics should be taboo. Eighteen percent still ascribe to Grandma's opinion that none of those subjects should be discussed at dinner. Sixteen percent chose sex, 13 percent politics, nine percent money and seven percent religion as the most frowned upon topics for dinner conversation.


As America continues to struggle with high unemployment, 40 percent of Americans say that they have applied for unemployment benefits sometime in their life while 60 percent have not. As America's entitlement programs (most of which receive employer and employee contributions) come under increasing pressure in Washington, it is difficult to contemplate how much worse it might have been for millions of Americans without extended unemployment benefits.


Three-quarters of Americans would prefer to live "healthily ever after" even if it's only to the age of 75. The bonus they signed up for is also the guarantee of a quick and painless death. Only 18 percent would roll the dice and risk a substantially longer life with all the associated risks that come with it including the possibility of a slow, painful demise. There are no guarantees in the real world but one can't help but think that impending cuts to Medicare and scary warnings of "death panels" may be having some effect on the way Americans envision the future healthcare they may or may not get in their golden years.

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of 946 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 22-24, 2011. 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. Read more about this poll.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.