(11/08/10) -

Republicans Motivated by Opposition to Obama and Health Care Reform

Only 41 per cent of Democratic Party voters aged 18-to-34 say they support the President and his policies.

Many Republican Party voters cast a ballot in last week’s mid-term election in order to voice their rejection to Barack Obama and his policies, while barely half of Democratic Party supporters admit that they wanted to offer a vote of confidence to the President, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of 2,129 American adults asked respondents who took part in the Nov. 2 mid-term election about their motivations as they cast their ballot.

Republican Party Voters

Two thirds of respondents who voted for the Republican Party contender in their congressional district (66%) say they were opposing the President and his policies, and more than half (54%) claim to be unhappy with health care reform. Two-in-five (39%) state that they did not want the Democrats to gain seats, and that the Republicans have the best plan to help the economy.

Opposition to Obama was a particularly good motivator for GOP voters aged 35 to 54 (69%) and those over the age of 55 (70%). Older respondents were also more likely to voice resistance to health care reform (68%) than their younger counterparts.

Democratic Party Voters

Respondents who voted for the Democratic Party contender in their congressional district were not particularly inspired. Barely half (48%) admit that they thought about supporting the President and his policies as they pondered their options, while two-in-five (40%) believe that the Democrats have the best plan to help the economy. In addition, 37 per cent of these respondents simply did not want the Republicans to gain seats. Only three-in-ten Democratic Party voters (31%) say they are happy with health care reform.

Democrats in the South (54%) and the West (48%) were more likely to say that they voted to support Obama, while only two-in-five Democrats aged 18 to 34 (41%) felt the same way. It is important to note that only 19 per cent of Democrats in the Northeast are satisfied with health care reform.

Analysis

The Republican Party achieved victory in the mid-term election, aided by a stimulated base that digested the two key messages of the congressional campaign: opposition to the incumbent president and dissatisfaction with health care reform. These two issues were bigger motivators than economic plans or partisanship.

Democratic Party voters did not show a high level of commitment to the President, and only three-in-ten say satisfaction with health care reform was one of their main motivators for choosing the Democrats. With the 2012 Presidential Election only two years away, Obama will need to reconnect with younger voters. This group was particularly important in 2008, but appears to be no longer enthralled with his vision.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From November 3 to November 5, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,129 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States.