BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

219-43-11. German Firms Deeply Unhappy With Hungary Policy Drift-Survey

219-43-12. Sarkozy's Comeback Hopes Crumble, Polls Show

219-43-14. Americans Favor "Buffett Rule" by 60% to 37%

219-43-15. Americans Split on Whether China's Economy Is Good for U.S.

219-43-16. Romney's Challenge: Midwestern, Young, Highly Religious GOP

219-43-17. In U.S., Economic Indicators Signal Positive Momentum

219-43-18.Americans Endorse Various Energy, Environment Proposals

219-43-19. Obama's Monthly Job Approval Edges Higher in March

219-43-20. Worry About U.S. Water, Air Pollution at Historical Lows

219-43-21. U.S. Young Adults Admit Too Much Time on Cell Phones, Web

219-43-22. Over Half of Americans Have Cut Back on Products and Services Because of High Gas Prices

219-43-23. Despite Intense Negative Media Focus, Americans Still Believe the Benefits of Natural Gas Outweigh the Risk

219-43-25. Mexico's Pena Nieto Extends Lead Over Main Rival

219-43-27. Nearly One in Four Worldwide Thriving

219-43-28. More Than One in 10 "Suffering" Worldwide

219-43-29. Global Internet Users Manage Finances (59%), Shop (51%) and Look for Jobs (41%) Online

219-43-30. USA: Over Half Of Tablet And Smartphone Time Is Shared With TV Viewing Latest Results Of A Gfk Survey

Overall, Americans most likely to say television occupies too much of their time

219-43-10. UK: Energy Profits: Consumers Not Happy

Majorities of Democrats, independents in favor; Republicans opposed

Trade imbalance seen as a major barrier to strong U.S.-China relations

He also does less well among conservatives

Gallup economic metrics hit recent highs in March, and are holding steady in April

Republicans and Democrats show substantially differing levels of support

Approval high among core supporters; still lags with Hispanics, low-income adults

Americans' concerns about environmental threats remain lower than in the past

Overall, Americans most likely to say television occupies too much of their time

Three-quarters cutting back on dining out and driving in general, while two-thirds cutting back on entertainment and weekend or day trips

Benefits of coal slightly ahead of risks for first time

219-43-26. Falklands War: Britain and Argentina

Majorities in 17 out of 146 countries thriving

Bulgaria and Yemen lead the world in suffering

About the survey

April 12 2012

April 10 2012

This week report consists of thirty surveys. Six of these are multi-country studies while the rest of twenty four are national surveys from various countries.

Overall, Americans most likely to say television occupies too much of their time

PRINCETON, NJ -- By their own admission, many young Americans, aged 18 to 29, say they spend too much time using the Internet (59%), their cell phones or smartphones (58%), and social media sites such as Facebook (48%). Americans' perceptions that they spend "too much" time using each of these technologies decline with age. Conversely, older Americans are most likely to say they spend too much time watching television, and among all Americans, television is the most overused technology tested.

These results are based on answers to questions included in Gallup Daily tracking interviewing conducted April 9-10, asking Americans if they spend too much time on five activities involving "screens" -- using cell phones or smartphones, doing email, using social media sites such as Facebook, using the Internet, and watching television. Not all Americans engage in each of these activities, of course, which may help explain why older Americans are not likely to say they spend too much time on Internet-, social media-, and cell phone-related pursuits.

Forty-seven percent of Americans, including 78% of those aged 18 to 29, report owning a smartphone, and of these, 48% say they spend too much time using it.

Email appears to be less of a time concern to Americans overall than using cell phones or using the Internet more generally. Twenty percent of those under 30 say they spend too much time with emails; this drops to 4% among those 65 and older.

Highly Educated Most Likely to Report Too Much Time Spent Using Email, Internet

Highly educated Americans are more likely to say they spend too much time doing email and on the Internet than are those with less education. Education is not highly related to the other three activities.

Overall, 33% of all U.S. adults report spending too much time watching television, 27% too much time on cell phones and smartphones, and 26% too much use of the Internet -- with fewer than two in 10 saying they spend too much time on social media sites or doing email.

Americans' concern about spending too much time watching television is not a new phenomenon. A Gallup poll conducted in 1990, using a somewhat different question wording, found that 42% of Americans said they spent too much time watching television -- and in that survey, 13% said they were addicted to television.

Most new technologies have good and bad dimensions. The Internet, email, cell phones and smartphones, and social media sites have opened up entirely new ways in which Americans go about their daily personal and work lives -- and are no doubt considered indispensable by many Americans who use them. These technologies have also, of course, spawned whole new industries and have been the basis for some of the fastest-growing companies in the world.

At the same time, it is apparent that many in the U.S., mostly younger Americans, have become aware that these technologies may have a downside, namely that they use up too much time.

It is possible that younger Americans -- concerned about their use of time -- will attempt to scale back their use of the new technologies. This could affect the exponential growth of the industries built on the technologies in the future. On the other hand, recognition of negative aspects of engaging in certain activities doesn't necessarily mean people are able to stop doing them -- as witnessed by those who would like to quit smoking but can't, and those who would like to lose weight but don't.

All in all, the fact that six in 10 18- to 29-year-olds say they spend too much time using their phones and using the Internet suggests at least the potential of a backlash of sorts, which in turn could have unknown but possibly significant consequences in the years ahead.

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking April 9-10, 2012, with a random sample of 1,051 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cell phone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents by region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cell phone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.

Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, adults in the household, and phone status (cell phone only/landline only/both, cell phone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2011 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

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A recent Palestinians survey shows that a majority of Palestinians are pessimist about the Doha agreement for reconciliation between Fateh and Hamas. A majority of about six in ten believe that the only way to pressurize both parties for reconciliation is to arrange sit ins in the streets of Gaza and West Bank. (An Najah University)

Indonesian Consumer Confidence is at 142.5 (up 5.7pts in March). It is now 4.4pts higher than it was a year ago in March 2011 (138.1). This month’s rise was driven by increasing confidence across all components of the survey and particularly people’s expected financial positions this time next year. (Roy Morgan)

The First Quarter 2012 Social Weather Survey, conducted from March 10-13, 2012, found 79% satisfied and 9% dissatisfied with the performance of Vice-President Jejomar Binay, 69% satisfied and 13% dissatisfied with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, 39% satisfied and 21% dissatisfied with Speaker Sonny Belmonte, and 22% satisfied and 51% dissatisfied with Chief Justice Renato Corona. (SWS)

A recent survey shows that Noda government in Japan enjoys only a low level of public support. In the case of elections, Democratic Party of Japan and Liberal Democratic Party of Japan will go neck and neck. (Asahi Shimbun)

Every tenth Russian changed his/her voting decision during presidential election campaign (10%). The firmest voters were supporters of V.Zhirinovsky (only 5% recognized that they were planning to vote for another candidate in the beginning). On the contrary, the most effective campaign to attract new followers was the campaign of M.Prokhorov: 36% of those who voted for him were originally planning to vote for another candidate. (Russian Public Opinion Research Center)

After the June surge in emigration moods the share of those who would like to move permanently has twice decreased (from 22 to 11%). The current figure is even lower than in 1991 (16%). At the same time, the share of those who do not want to leave Russia is increasing (from 75 to 88%). (Russian Public Opinion Research Center)

As before, most of Russians willing to leave Russia say they want to improve their living conditions (46%). Such aspects as self-realization (14%), order in the country (13%) and liking for a particular state (11%) are less important. The least important reasons are the willing to move to relatives or friends (6%), to live in a safe country (5%). At the same time, 19% of Russians do not know the exact reason behind their desire to move. (Russian Public Opinion Research Center)

A majority of respondents say that when people don’t have access To affordable energy in developing countries, this causes the biggest Problems for cooking, preserving food (58%) and having access To healthcare (52%). 77% of Europeans think that the main future energy source for People in the developing world should be renewable energy. Few people advocate fossil energy (7%), nuclear energy (6%), or Biomass (4%). (TNS Political & Social)

A recent survey of European Union shows that 64% of EU residents have heard of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, this is an increase of 16 percentage points as compared to 2007. However, knowledge of the Charter is generally low across countries - with Spain having the highest knowledge levels at 20%, and France the lowest at 3%. (TNS Political & Social)

Recent research has found that over eight in ten (84%) UK consumers agree that energy suppliers maximise profits at the expense of customers. And over half of consumers (59%) agree with the statement ‘energy suppliers treat people with contempt’. (Yougov)

A recent survey shows that two thirds of German and Austrian companies in Hungary are "strongly dissatisfied" with government economic policy and its rating as a destination for investment has slumped. (Reuters)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended his economic record on Friday as a slew of opinion polls suggested his prospects of re-election were crumbling just over a week from round one of a vote where Socialist Francois Hollande is the clear frontrunner. (CSA/Reuters)

People in Britain are particularly downtrodden about the country’s current financial standing, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. By a 4-to-1 margin, respondents are more likely to expect a decline in economic conditions than an improvement. (Angus Reid)

Six in 10 Americans favor Congress' passing the so-called "Buffett Rule," which would mandate a minimum 30% tax rate for Americans with a household income of $1 million or more per year. Majorities of both Democrats and independents favor the policy, while a majority of Republicans oppose it. (Gallup USA)

Many Americans say the U.S. and China should cooperate more on economic and energy issues; however they are divided on whether China's growing economy is a good thing or a bad thing for the U.S., according to a Gallup-China Daily USA study conducted in November and December 2011. U.S. opinion leaders are more likely than the American public to think China's burgeoning economy is good for the U.S., at 61% and 45%, respectively. (Gallup USA)

As Mitt Romney pivots his campaign to the general election, he faces the challenge of building enthusiasm and, hence, turnout among certain key groups of Republicans among whom he has done less well during the primary contests so far. These include Midwestern, young, highly religious, and conservative Republicans. (Gallup USA)

Gallup's key U.S. economic indicators tell a consistent story of improving economic and behavioral conditions. Americans' self-reported employment status, personal spending, and workplace hiring trends were all better in March than in February, and were improved over March 2011, although still below pre-recession levels. (Gallup USA)

Americans as a whole favor a wide-ranging set of proposals for dealing with the nation's energy and environment situations, but support varies markedly across party lines. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to favor opening up federal lands for drilling, and expanding the use of nuclear energy. Democrats are more likely to favor each of six different proposals, including emissions-control measures, spending government money on alternative sources of energy, and increasing enforcement of environmental regulations. (Gallup USA)

President Barack Obama's job approval rating averaged 46% in March, up from 45% in January and February, and significantly improved over his term-low 41% monthly averages recorded last summer and fall. (Gallup USA)

Americans currently express record-low concern about both air pollution and pollution of drinking water. Thirty-six percent say they worry a great deal about air pollution and 48% about pollution of drinking water. Both figures are down more than 20 percentage points from the year 2000. (Gallup USA)

By their own admission, many young Americans, aged 18 to 29, say they spend too much time using the Internet (59%), their cell phones or smartphones (58%), and social media sites such as Facebook (48%). Americans' perceptions that they spend "too much" time using each of these technologies decline with age. Conversely, older Americans are most likely to say they spend too much time watching television, and among all Americans, television is the most overused technology tested. (Gallup USA)

Over Half of Americans Have Cut Back on Products and Services Because of High Gas Prices

According to a new Harris Poll, over half of Americans who own a vehicle (55%) say they have cut back on products and/or services in order to pay for the increased price of gasoline. As might be expected, those with lower household incomes are more impacted. (Harris Poll)

Despite Intense Negative Media Focus, Americans Still Believe the Benefits of Natural Gas Outweigh the Risk

In a year of intense media scrutiny on hydraulic fracturing, the manner in which most oil and natural gas companies access natural gas, two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they believe the benefits of natural gas outweigh the risks while 17% say the risks outweigh the benefits. (Harris Poll)

Americans remain at odds on the effect that the health care legislation signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2010 will ultimately have on their medical services, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. Respondents are more likely to call for the repeal of the new legislation than to wish for it to remain in place.

Mexican presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto has widened his big lead over struggling ruling party candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota, with just 2 1/2 months to go until the July 1 election, an opinion poll showed on Sunday. (BGC Mexico)

A joint Yougov Ibarómetro poll shows that most Argentinians have a negative view of the 1982 invasion, and think the then dictatorship did it to solve their own political reasons while 52% of Britons think it was right to retake the islands by force. (Yougov/ Ibarómetro)

Nearly one-quarter of adults worldwide (24%) are "thriving," according to Gallup surveys in 146 countries in 2011. The percentage rating their current and future lives positively enough to be considered thriving ranged from a high of 74% in Denmark to a low of 2% in Cambodia. (Gallup USA)

An average of 13% of adults worldwide rated their lives poorly enough to be considered "suffering," according to Gallup surveys in 146 countries in 2011. The percentage rating their current and future lives poorly enough to be considered suffering was as high as 45% in Bulgaria and as low as 1% or less in the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Thailand, and Brazil. (Gallup USA)

Global Internet Users Manage Finances (59%), Shop (51%) and Look for Jobs (41%) Online

A majority of citizens in 24 countries who use the internet say they do so to check their bank accounts (59%), half (48%) shop for products online and four in ten (41%) have surfed to look for jobs in the last three months, finds a new poll by global research company Ipsos for Reuters News. (Ipsos/Reuters)

USA: Over Half Of Tablet And Smartphone Time Is Shared With TV Viewing Latest Results Of A Gfk Survey

As advertisers and marketers look for the best ways to take advantage of an explosion in smartphone and digital tablet use, a new GfK analysis provides crucial new details on simultaneous use of these devices and other media. Among adults 35 to 49, two-thirds of all tablet minutes occur in front of a TV.

A reconciliation agreement was signed in Doha under Qatari auspices between President Mahmoud Abbas and Mr. Khalid Mishal but the agreement has not been implemented despite the fact that it was signed more than two months ago. Among the precepts of the agreement is the formation of a national reconciliatory government from among the independent intellectual experts headed by Mahmoud Abbas whose mission is to facilitate presidential and legislative elections and which would begin the restoration of Gaza. Such government has not been formed yet and both Fateh and Hamas lay the blame on each other for the failure so far to implement the reconciliation agreement and to achieve the formation of a national unity government The Government of Dr. Salam Fayyad revealed a deficit in the budget of the Palestinian Authority (PA) which exceeds one billion dollars and declared that some procedures are going to be implemented to reduce the deficit.

Following are the results of the Palestinian Public Opinion Poll no. 44 conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University during the period from 6-8 April 2012. The University sponsors all polls conducted by its Center. Palestinian Public Opinion Poll no. 44 undertakes Palestinian public opinion in the emerging political realities on the Palestinian scene including the Palestinian reconciliation and the possibilities of the implementation of the Doha agreement. This poll also undertakes the economic situation in the Palestinian territories, the possibility of conducting presidential, legislative and city council elections in addition to the political affiliations of Palestinian people.

The sample included 1361 persons whose age group is 18 and above and who have the right to vote. The enclosed questionnaire was distributed on 800 persons from the West Bank and 500 persons from the Gaza Strip. The sample was drawn randomly and the margin of error is about ±3%; still 2.7% of the members of the sample refused to answer the questionnaire.

The opinions represented in the results reflect those of the study; they do not, by any

• 31.6% of respondents believed that the Doha agreement which was signed between President Mahmoud Abbas and Mr. Khalid Mishal to end the Palestinian division will succeed; 61.3% believed that it will fail.

• 31.7% of respondents believed that the Doha agreement which was signed between President Mahmoud Abbas and Mr. Khalid Mishal to end the Palestinian division is possible to implement; 62.1% believed that it is not.

• 38% saw that Hamas is the responsible party for deferring the implementation of the reconciliation agreement which was signed between Fateh and Hamas in Doha; 12.3 % saw that Fateh is the responsible party

• 59.7% of respondents believed that some Arab countries seek preventing the implementation of the Doha agreement

• 37.9% of respondents believed that Hamas is the part which benefits most from deferring the implementation of the reconciliation agreement; 16.3% believed Fateh is the party which benefits most

• 35.9% of respondents believed that Hamas is not concerned with implementing the reconciliation agreement while 10.4% believed that it is Fateh which is not concerned.

• 38.1% of respondents said that they are optimistic towards the prospects of implementing the reconciliation agreement in the near future; 57.2% said that they are pessimistic.

• 43.3% of respondents believed that the sides of the Palestinian dialogue, particularly Fateh and Hamas, are not concerned with ending the Palestinian division

• 58.9% of respondents believed that a successful implementation of the reconciliation agreement will influence them personally in a positive way.

• 41.1% of respondents believed that deferring the implementation of the reconciliation agreement is the result of some decision makers’ endeavor to achieve personal interests, 33.7% believed that it is the result of decision makers’ endeavors to achieve certain interests for their parties and political movements, 20.1% believed that it is the result of endeavors to achieve regional interests.

• 13% of respondents believed that the delay in the implementation of the reconciliation agreement is the result of some Arab pressure on some Palestinian parties, 25.1% believed that the delay is the result of regional pressure, 25.7% believed that it is the result of the factional interests of Hamas and Fateh, 8.7% believed that it is the result of personal economic interests, and 22.9% believed that it is the result of personal political interests.

• 40.9% of respondents believed that the implementation of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement will speed and support the peace process; 34.6% believed that it will hinder and delay the peace process.

• 57.5% of respondents said that the most capable procedure to end the Palestinian division is for Palestinian people to go down to the streets and to hold sit ins in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 21.2% said that the most capable procedure is pressure exerted by the Palestinian movements and organizations, 4.7% said it is pressure exerted by trade unions, and 8.7% said it is pressure exerted by civil society institutions.

• 64.4% of respondents said that the most powerful method to end the Palestinian division comes from pressure exerted by the Palestinian public, 15.7% said that it comes from Arab political pressure, and 17.2% said that it comes from foreign political pressure.

• 25.4% of respondents believed that the Palestinian reconciliation can only be achieved by Palestinian internal dialogue; 11.8% said that it can only be achieved by some intervention from Arab countries to bring together the two points of view of Fateh and Hamas.

• 33% of respondents believed that the “Arab Spring” will speed up the Palestinian reconciliation.

• 13.3% of respondents believed that the “Arab Spring” serves Fateh better in helping her to achieve her conditions to end the Palestinian division; 24.5% believed that the “Arab Spring” serves Hamas better.

• 69.6% of respondents believed that the surrounding Arab and international circumstances necessitate achieving reconciliation between Fateh and Hamas.

• 79.9% of respondents are in favor of a national reconciliation government formed from among experts as stated in the Doha agreement.

• 11.3% of respondents believed that it is Fateh that hinders the formation of a national reconciliation government: 38.2% believed that it is Hamas

• In order for the national reconciliation to succeed, 6.5% preferred that the reconciliation government be formed from persons belonging to Fateh and Hamas, 56% preferred a government formed from qualified independent persons, and 33.5% preferred a government formed from qualified persons from Fateh and Hamas.

• According to the points of view of respondents, it is possible to reduce the deficit that the Palestinian National Authority suffers from by:

- 61.2% Going back to peace negotiations so that the PA can get aids from foreign countries

• Dr. Salam Fayyad’s government announced a series of rough measures to curb the deficit in the general budget. The respondents’ support to these measures were as follows:

- 39.2% Early retirement to employees who spent more than 15 years in their jobs

- 76.1% Regulating the appointment of councilors according to the new civil service law

• Respondents believed that increasing the income tax on the private sector according to the new financial policy of Dr. Salam Fayyad’s government will lead to the following:

• According to respondents the minimum wage in Palestine must be 2386 NIS. Responses ranged between 1000 NIS and 3000 NIS.

• 28.4% of respondents considered themselves optimistic; 67.2% considered themselves pessimistic.

• 79.9% of respondents said that they will participate in the coming presidential elections. From among those who said they will participate, 39.7% said that they will give their votes to Fateh's candidate; 10.5% said they will give their votes to Hamas' candidate.

• Respondents were asked to write the name of the person whom they give their votes to in case presidential elections are conducted and they are given open choice. They said they will give their votes to:

• In case presidential elections are conducted and a list of candidates is given to respondents, they said they will give their votes to

• In case presidential elections are held and Mr. Mahmoud Abbas does not run and a list of candidates is given to respondents, they said they will give their votes to

• 83.3% of respondents said that they will participate in the coming legislative elections. From among those who said they will participate, 42% said that they will give their votes to Fateh's candidates; 11.9% said they will give their votes to Hamas' candidates.

• If PLC elections are to be conducted, 47.7% of respondents expected the winning of Fateh movement; 10.9% expected the winning of Hamas.

• 84.3% of respondents said that they will participate in the coming municipality and local council elections. From among those who said they will participate, 34.9% said that they will give their votes to Fateh’s candidates, 11.3% said they will give their votes to Hamas' candidates and 10.1% said they will give their votes to the representative of their family or clan.

• 51.2% of respondents believed that if elections are conducted in the Palestinian Territories at the present time, they will be fair and unbiased.

• 16.3% of respondents believed that Hamas refused to allow the Central Elections Committee to register voters in the Gaza Strip because Hamas fears that it will not win in the coming elections; 12.4% said that they refused to register voters because, they do not desire to achieve national reconciliation, and 53.9% said that Hamas refused to register voters for both of the above reasons.

• 40.3% of respondents said that the current political, security and economic circumstances compel them to desire emigrating.

• 50.2% of respondents expressed fear for their lives under the present circumstances.

• 68% of respondents said that they are pessimistic of the general Palestinian situation at this stage.

• 75.8% of respondents said that they neither feel safe for themselves nor for their families and properties under the current circumstances.

KADIN-Roy Morgan Indonesian Consumer Confidence up in March
142.5 points (up 5.7 points)

Indonesian Consumer Confidence is at 142.5 (up 5.7pts in March). Consumer Confidence is now 4.4pts higher than it was a year ago in March 2011 (138.1).

This month’s rise was driven by increasing confidence across all components of the survey and particularly people’s expected financial positions this time next year.

Now 60% (up 6%) of Indonesians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (the highest ever recorded) compared to only 5% (down 2%) that expect to be ‘worse off’ financially.

A large majority of Indonesians 87% (up 5%) expect Indonesia will have ‘good times’ economically over the next five years compared to 13% (down 4%) that expect ‘bad times’ economically.

In terms of personal finances 40% (up 3%) of Indonesians say their family is ‘better off’ financially than a year ago compared to 17% (down 1%) that say their family is ‘worse off’ financially than a year ago.

A slight majority of Indonesians 53% (up 2%) say ‘now is a good time to buy’ major household items compared to 43% (down 3%) that say ‘now is a bad time to buy’ major household items.

In terms of the economy, now 75% (up 1%) of Indonesians expect Indonesia will have ‘good times’ financially during the next twelve months compared to 25% (down 1%) that say we’ll have ‘bad times’ financially.

"The remarkable recovery from the previous month’s plunge in confidence is proof of the Indonesian consumer’s instinctive understanding of realpolitik. When it looked like there was a good chance of fuel prices going up, confidence crashed in protest. The twists and turns of the political parties in response to cries from the public told most Indonesians that a compromise would be reached. The postponement of the decision to raise prices was taken for granted The will of the people is as powerful as the fuel that powers the economy. In real terms very little has been achieved by this postponement.”

The monthly KADIN-Roy Morgan Indonesian Consumer Confidence Rating is based on 2,106 face-to-face interviews conducted throughout Indonesia, not just a handful of cities. The survey includes the Top 21 cities, smaller cities and towns as well as many more villages in the rural hinterland, reflecting all of Indonesia. Men and women aged 14 and over were randomly selected during the month of March 2012.

The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. The following table gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. The figures are approximate and for general guidance only, and assume a simple random sample. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.

Compared to the previous quarter, Vice-President Binay's net satisfaction rating (% satisfied minus %dissatisfied) stayed at an excellent +70, just 4 points below his personal record-high of +74 in March 2011 [Chart 1, Table 2].

It rose from good to very good for Senate President Enrile, up by 20 points from net +36 in the previous quarter to a personal record-high of net +56 now [Chart 2, Table 3].

It rose from neutral to moderate for Speaker Belmonte, up by 10 points from net +8 to a personal record-high of net +18 [Chart 3, Table 4].

It stayed poor for Chief Justice Corona, but fell by 14 points from net -14 in the previous quarter to a record-low -28 now [Chart 4, Table 5].

Record-high net satisfaction ratings for the Senate and House of Representatives

Public satisfaction rose for the top four government institutions, with new record-high net satisfaction ratings recorded for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The net satisfaction rating of the Senate rose from good to very good, up by 14 points from +44 (59% satisfied, 15% dissatisfied) in December 2011 to a record-high +58 (71% satisfied, 13% dissatisfied) in March 2012. This surpasses the previous record-high of net +51 in November 2010 [Table 6, also Chart 5, Table 7].

It rose from moderate to good for the House of Representatives, up by 13 points from net +27 (46% satisfied, 19% dissatisfied) in the previous quarter to a record-high net +40 (56% satisfied, 16% dissatisfied) now, surpassing the previous record-high of net +33 in November 2010 [Chart 5, Table 7].

It stayed moderate for the Supreme Court, up by 6 points from net +21 (46% satisfied, 25% dissatisfied) in the previous quarter to net +27 (50% satisfied, 22% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) now [Chart 6, Table 8].

It stayed moderate for the Cabinet as a whole, up by 4 points from +22 (43% satisfied, 20% dissatisfied, correctly rounded) to +26 (45% satisfied, 20% dissatisfied, correctly rounded).

The March 2012 Social Weather Survey was conducted from March 10-13, 2012 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, the Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% for area percentages).

The area estimates were weighted by National Statistics Office medium-population projections for 2012 to obtain the national estimates.

The quarterly Social Weather Surveys on public satisfaction with the Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the top government institutions are not commissioned, but are done on SWS's own initiative and released as a public service, with first printing rights assigned to BusinessWorld.

[SWS terminology for Net Satisfaction Ratings: +70 and above, "excellent"; +50 to +69, "very good"; +30 to +49, "good"; +10 to +29, "moderate", +9 to -9, "neutral"; -10 to -29, "poor"; -30 to -49, "bad"; -50 to -69, "very bad"; -70 and below, "execrable"]

SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data-processing, and analysis, and does not outsource any of its survey operations.

Throughout March 10^th and 11^th, Asahi surveyed voters nationwide (excluding a part of Fukushima prefecture) using the ‘Asahi RDD’ method in which the surveyor makes phone calls to the numbers chosen at random by a computer. 3360 cases were household telephone numbers. 1892 people made valid answers. Response rate was 56%.

The numbers represent percentages. Numbers following decimal points are rounded off. Some questions and answers are omitted.

◆: Questions addressed to everyone. ◇: Concerns follow-up questions. Numbers within are percentages relevant to the whole. Numbers in parentheses mark results from a previous Poll taken on February 11^thand 12^th.

The Mansfield Foundation is responsible for the translation of this Asahi Shimbun poll, subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use

Why? (Answers on the left list reasons from the supporting 27%; Answers on the right list reasons from the non-supporting 48%)

◆If you were to elect a member to the House of Representatives, what party would you vote for in a proportionate representation?

◆In order for the government to manage finances for social security, there is a plan to raise consumption taxes to 8% in April 2014 and to 10% in October 2015. Do you agree with this plan?

◆Did you assess the government’s measurements this year in regards to the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami recovery?

◆If another earthquake similar to March 11^th, were to occur, do you think you can expect proper response from the government and municipality?

◆Do you feel you are adequately prepared in the event of another great earthquake?

◇ (Addressed to the 95% who answered “No”) Do you agree to dispose of any debris caused by the disaster, which fall below radiation safety standards the government sets?

◆This question concerns those who have not withdrawn or deposited money in a savings account for more than 10 years. The government is considering using money funds from savings accounts to help with the recovery from the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. Do you agree with this?

◆Do you agree to decreasing the dependency on nuclear energy and abolishing the nuclear plants in the future?

◆Do you agree to the reopening of nuclear plants that have been suspended due to periodic inspection?

◆How concerned are you regarding the influence of suspension of nuclear power plants on the economy?

◆To what degree are you confident that all the measures the government has taken to ensure the safety of nuclear power plants?

◆Due to the increase in cost of fuel, affected by the suspension of nuclear power plants, the Tokyo Electric Power Company is considering increasing household electricity bills. Do you consent to this price raise?

Only 10% of Russian voters changed their preferences during election campaign. Most of them ended up voting M.Prokhorov.

MOSCOW, March 29, 2012. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data describing how Russian voters` decision-making was changing during election campaign.

As to V.Putin, only 8% of his electorate recognized that they decided to do so during election campaign and they were not going to vote for him in the beginning. Given that the total number of voters who cast their vote for Putin was more than half of all Russians, Putin attracted much more new followers than any other rival.

What was behind the voters` decision to change their minds? More than two-thirds of those who originally wanted to vote for Zyuganov supported Putin on March 4th (68%). The remainder mainly voted for Prokhorov (14%).

Most of those who wanted to vote for Mironov changed their decision and cast their ballot for Putin (61%) and Prokhorov (22%).

Those who were planning to vote for Zhirinovsky were equally divided: half of them voted for Prokhorov and half – for Putin (33% for each). Other 20% supported Zyuganov.

Those who wanted to vote for Putin ended up voting for Prokhorov (45%) and Zyuganov (32%).

Prokhorov was also supported by those Russians who were planning to vote for candidates who failed to take part in presidential race such as Yavlinsky, Mezentsev and others (58%). However, one–quarter of respondents in this group voted for Putin (25%).

The initiative Russian opinion polls were conducted March 10-11, 2011. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 138 sampling points in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed3.4%.

Emigration moods are left behind. Now only 11% of Russians want to move permanently.

MOSCOW, March 26, 2012. Russian Public Opinion Research Center presents the data describing how many Russians would like migrate, as well as when they are going to do that. After the June surge in emigration moods the share of those who would like to move permanently has twice decreased (from 22 to 11%). The current figure is even lower than in 1991 (16%). At the same time, the share of those who do not want to leave Russia is increasing (from 75 to 88%).

Potential migrants are basically adherents of M.Prokhorov (25%), youth (25%), and active internet users (19%). Those who do not want to leave Russia are supporters of Putin (93%) and elderly respondents (98%).

Thirty-nine percent of those who would like to go abroad do not know when they will do that. Most of them are 25-34-year-old and 45-59-year-old respondents. The share of those who know when they will leave Russia is 44% (59% among young respondents): 11% are planning to move in next two or three years, 13% - in next three or five years, 11% - in next six or nine years, and 8% are not going to move in next ten years.

The initiative Russian opinion polls were conducted March 10-11, 2011. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 138 sampling points in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed3.4%.

Those who want to leave Russia say they want to improve living conditions. The number of those who want to migrate to live in a safe country is small.

MOSCOW, March 28, 2012. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data describing why Russians would like to move to another country permanently, and what exactly they do for that.

Men (51%) and Russians aged 25-34 (58%) say they would like to improve their living conditions. Young Russians want to find new prospects in another state (18%). Respondents aged 35-44 believe that there will be more order in another country (22%). Most of 45-59-year-old Russians would like to move to live closer to friends and relatives (13%).

To get prepared for moving most of Russians collect information about the country (21%), learn foreign language (20% versus 16% in September 2011). Sixteen percent get advice from friends who have had similar experience; 14% - save up money (9% in September previous year); rarer Russians search for the information about migration programs (9%) or work abroad (8%). Those who would like to marry a foreign citizen (4%), or those who search for education program abroad (3%), who get additional education or those who are employed by a foreign company (2% for each) are in the minority. 16% of those who are willing to move do not do anything special.

Whereas Russians with high level of education often collect information (24%) and search for special programs (18%), Russians with low level of education learn foreign languages (25%) or try to find a job abroad.

The initiative Russian opinion polls were conducted March 10-11, 2011. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 138 sampling points in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed3.4%.

- This survey was carried out for the European Commission (requested by Directorate-General Development and Cooperation - EuropeAid (DG DEVCO) and coordinated by Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM “Research and Speechwriting” Unit)).

77% of Europeans think that the main future energy source for People in the developing world should be renewable energy. Few people advocate fossil energy (7%), nuclear energy (6%), or Biomass (4%).

90% of respondents believe that the eu should support Developing countries in their efforts to improve access to Energy.

83% believe that the EU itself benefits from supporting developing Countries in this way

82% of Europeans believe that the percentage of EU development Aid spent on improving energy access should be higher than its Current level of 2%.

Having access to safe drinking water and toilets is regarded As the most important factor in overcoming poverty in Developping countries, followed by being able to live in peace And security.

Out of the factors that are important for development, Access to energy ranks the lowest but still achieves Very high support: 95% of respondents think that it is Important, and among them 61% think it is very important.

• 64% have heard of the Charter, this is an increase of 16 percentage points as compared to 2007. However, knowledge of the Charter is generally low across countries - with Spain having the highest knowledge levels at 20%, and France the lowest at 3%.

• In contrast, most respondents think the Charter is legally binding (71%) – one quarter thinks it is definitely legally binding, and almost half think it probably is.

… But precise knowledge of when the Charter does and does not apply is low. The greatest confusion rests around whether the Charter applies to all actions of Member States, including matters of national competence….

• Precise knowledge of when the Charter does and does not apply is low. When given specific scenarios only 14% of respondents are able to correctly identify in all 3 cases which are true and which are false.

• The greatest confusion rests around whether the Charter applies to all actions of Member States, including matters of national competence. The Charter does not apply in all of these matters, but more than half - 55% - think that it does.

• In addition, almost one quarter (24%) say that it is false that the Charter applies to Member States only when they implement EU law, further highlighting this confusion.

…EU institutions are perceived as having the same redress function as a national

• Respondents were asked to imagine that their Charter rights had been violated, and they wanted to make a complaint. They were then asked to identify the body they would turn to first for help, and then any others they would turn to.

• When asked where they would first turn to if their Charter rights are violated, 21% responded local courts, closely followed by Ombudsmen/independent bodies (20%) and EU institutions (19%).

• Respondents who are aware of the Charter (47%) or state that they know what it is (49%) are more likely to go to an EU institution when their rights are violated compared to those who are not aware of the Charter (43%). This illustrates the frequent misunderstanding on the role of EU institutions when fundamental rights are violated.

… there is a general interest in receiving more information that would help citizens

• Respondents are interested in receiving more information about various aspects of the Charter. At least six out of ten would like to know more about their Charter rights, where to go to if their rights are violated, and when the Charter applies. Fewer express an interest in learning more about the historical and political context of the Charter, but still 45% would like to know more about this.

219-43-10. UK: Energy Profits: Consumers Not Happy

April 12 2012

UK consumers discontent: 84% agree that energy suppliers maximise profits at expense of customers

Recent research from a report by YouGov SixthSense has found that over eight in ten (84%) UK consumers agree that energy suppliers maximise profits at the expense of customers. And over half of consumers (59%) agree with the statement ‘energy suppliers treat people with contempt’.

o In reaction to the February 2012 price cuts, 56% of UK consumers agreed with the statement ‘It’s about time – the energy companies make too much profit'

o Compared to only 12% of consumers who are very relieved that their bills will drop

o 16% of consumers feel it will not make real difference as the drop is too small to have any real impact

o However, one in five consumers (22%) say they have difficulty paying their energy bills, just under a third of UK consumer (31%) have made cutbacks to pay their bills and over a third (34%) say that their house feels cold

Commenting on the findings YouGov SixthSense Research Director James McCoy says: ‘The strength and negativity of feeling regarding the energy companies’ profits is clearly demonstrated. The findings suggest that many people are more outraged by the profits being made than by their actual energy bill.’

219-43-11. German Firms Deeply Unhappy With Hungary Policy Drift-Survey

BUDAPEST, April 16 (Reuters) - Two thirds of German and Austrian companies in Hungary are "strongly dissatisfied" with government economic policy and its rating as a destination for investment has slumped, a survey showed on Monday.

The poll by the German Chamber of Commerce in Hungary showed that overall 87 percent of investors were discontented with two years of aggressive government policymaking which has slapped huge windfall taxes on several sectors.

Germany has been the biggest source of foreign investment in Hungary's export-driven economy, now on the brink of recession, and the country is striving to keep money flowing in as a legal row with Brussels blocks the start of talks on financing from the IMF and European Union.

The survey showed that Hungary has slipped back to 10th place on the regional list of German companies' favourite investment destinations, from a ranking of fourth only a year ago.

"Practically, none of the (200) participants expressed satisfaction," the Chamber said in its report. "All business branches share this view, with minor deviations."

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative government has implemented the EU's biggest bank levy, windfall crisis taxes on the telecoms, retail and energy sectors, and a $13 billion nationalization of private pension assets.

A scheme which allowed foreign currency borrowers to repay their mortgages at exchange rates well below market rates has also caused huge losses to banks, stifling lending.

The German Chamber said about a quarter of the participants in its survey were from European countries other than Germany, mostly Austria, and they shared the opinion of German firms.

The Chamber added that the crisis taxes contributed to a 14 percent fall in investments in the telecoms sector, and an 18 percent drop in investments in the financial sectors last year.

The automotive industry has not been hit by windfall taxes, and a new 800 million euro factory by Daimler may even help Hungary avoid recession this year. That came on top of a plant expansion by Audi.

In the survey 71 percent of companies said they would again choose Hungary's as an investment target, down from 83 percent in 2011, but a record high 29 percent said they would go to a different country. In the previous survey only 17 percent said they would go elsewhere.

This does not mean that these firms plan to leave the country in the short term but "is a warning sign... showing that new and new efforts are needed to keep the country attractive," the Chamber said.

68 percent of participants said Hungary's economic situation was "bad", compared with 44 percent in 2011.

219-43-12. Sarkozy's Comeback Hopes Crumble, Polls Show

(Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended his economic record on Friday as a slew of opinion polls suggested his prospects of re-election were crumbling just over a week from round one of a vote where Socialist Francois Hollande is the clear frontrunner.

Four polls published in less than 24 hours showed Hollande extending his lead, with the conservative incumbent's modest gains of the past month starting to evaporate ahead of a two-round contest taking place on April 22 and May 6.

A CSA poll showed Hollande winning the May 6 run-off with 57 percent of the vote. Three other polls also indicated that his chances of becoming France's first left-wing president since Francois Mitterrand were improving.

Sarkozy maintained that he had helped France weather economic crisis over the past four years far better than countries such as Greece or Spain, and he renewed warnings of market turmoil if Hollande won power.

"What fires up the financial markets and speculation is when a country does not repay its debts, reneges on its commitments and embarks on a path of ill-considered spending," Sarkozy told TV news channel i>TELE.

"Mr. Hollande, by promising to raise spending without any commitment to cutbacks, is setting the stage for a confidence problem (in financial markets)," he said.

Hollande, who says he can slash the public deficit but also promote jobs and education as he hikes tax on the rich, stuck to his line in three newspaper interviews published on Friday. He said austerity would be self-defeating if not accompanied by efforts to promote economic growth in France and Europe.

"This I say clearly: financial markets will not lay down the law in France," he told the business weekly La Tribune.

Hollande has raised eyebrows in Berlin and other capitals by criticizing a European Union accord on debt and deficit control - the fiscal compact agreed in an effort to counter the euro zone debt crisis - and by saying he would open talks if elected to amend it with a pro-growth commitment.

"Germany understands that it cannot remain an island of prosperity in an ocean of recession," he told Les Echos daily. "The changeover in France will pave the way for a change of direction in Europe."

The CSA poll showed Hollande taking 57 percent of the vote in the final deciding round, up from a score of 54 previously.

The other three promising polls for Hollande were published by the BVA, LH2 and TNS Sofres agencies on Thursday.

The BVA poll showed Hollande winning the runoff with a score of 54 percent, up two points from a previous sounding. The LH2 poll showed him taking 55 percent of the vote in the second round. The TNS Sofres poll showed him at 56 percent, up 1 point.

Sarkozy, who launched his campaign in mid-February, enjoyed a rise in the polls during mid-to-late March and even overtook his Socialist rival in many poll estimates of first-round voting scores, although not a single poll in the past year has shown Hollande losing the second round.

Some analysts and commentators had predicted that a spate of killings by an al Qaeda-inspired gunman in mid-March would make security fears overshadow economic concerns as the focus of the campaign, playing to Sarkozy's strengths.

The picture now emerging suggests that whatever gains Sarkozy enjoyed at that time were short-lived. His first-round score in the TNS Sofres poll dropped 3 points to 26.

But he showed no sign of relenting, telling i>TELE: "Polls and journalists don't make elections. Voters do."

By a 4-to-1 margin, respondents are more likely to expect a decline in economic conditions than an improvement.

People in Britain are particularly downtrodden about the country’s current financial standing, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 2,231 British adults, only one-in-ten respondents (9%) rate the economic conditions in the United Kingdom today as “very good” or “good.” Just over a third of Britons (35%) believe their own personal finances are in “very good” or “good” shape.

When asked about the prospects for the UK economy in the next six months, two-in-five respondents (40%) foresee a decline, while only nine per cent expect to see an improvement. People in Scotland (5%) and Midlands and Wales (6%) are particularly despondent in their assessment of the future.

The low level of economic confidence is accompanied by specific concerns, with 40 per cent of respondents saying they have worried “frequently” or “occasionally” about themselves or somebody in their household becoming unemployed, and 30 per cent feeling anxiety over being able to pay their mortgage or rent.

Inflation fears are also playing a role in the perceptions of the future, with 92 per cent of Britons thinking the price of petrol will go up in the next six months, and 87 per cent forecasting more expensive groceries.

Methodology: From April 2 to April 3, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 2,231 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK 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 data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

219-43-14. Americans Favor "Buffett Rule" by 60% to 37%

Majorities of Democrats, independents in favor; Republicans opposed

PRINCETON, NJ -- Six in 10 Americans favor Congress' passing the so-called "Buffett Rule," which would mandate a minimum 30% tax rate for Americans with a household income of $1 million or more per year. Majorities of both Democrats and independents favor the policy, while a majority of Republicans oppose it.

President Barack Obama has pushed this tax policy in recent appearances, and the U.S. Senate may vote on it next week. Few observers believe it has a chance of passing the Republican-controlled House to become law before the end of the year.

The proposed legislation was informally dubbed the "Buffett Rule" after billionaire investor Warren Buffett asserted that he should not be allowed to pay a lower tax rate than his secretary. Gallup's question about the proposal, included in its April 9-12 Economy and Personal Finance survey, asked if "households earning $1 million a year or more" should pay a minimum of 30% of their income in taxes. The actual law the Senate will vote on would include more complex "phase in" clauses for those making between $1 and $2 million per year.

Given President Obama's persistent emphasis this year on the need to increase taxes on higher-income Americans, and his adoption of a "fair share, fair shot, equal playing rules" campaign theme, it is not surprising to see that Democrats favor the Buffett Rule by almost a three-to-one ratio. More than six in 10 independents, a critically important group in an election year, favor the law. Republicans oppose the law by an 11-point margin, with 54% against and 43% in favor.

Americans in general say that the distribution of money and wealth in this country is not fair, and thatmoney and wealth should be more evenly distributed. Plus, 59% of Americans last year agreed that households making $250,000 or more per year should pay higher taxes. The current results reinforce these findings and underscore the now well-documented conclusion that Americans in general support various proposals for increasing taxes on higher-income Americans.

Gallup's surveys do not allow the isolation of the very few respondents who might actually themselves make $1 million per year or more, but the more limited income categories that are defined show little variation in response to the Buffett Rule by income. A majority (55%) of those making $100,000 or more in annual household income favor the Buffett Rule, similar to the level of support from lower-income Americans.

Republican politicians oppose the Buffett Rule, and there is little possibility that it will become law this year. President Obama's intense focus on the policy and his emphasis on bringing it to a vote in Congress is thus mostly a symbolic gesture -- underscoring his general presidential campaign themes this year. An emphasis on millionaires paying higher taxes also helps position the Obama presidential campaign against his very rich GOP opponent, Mitt Romney.

Perhaps more importantly than the fate of this one policy proposal, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts at the end of this year means that unless something is done, taxes will go up for many American taxpayers. Obama is on record as saying he would let the tax cuts expire for those households making $250,000 a year and up, but would keep them in place for all others.

Although the public agrees with the idea of increasing taxes on the rich, this does not appear to be Americans' highest priority. Gallup's April measure of the most important problem facing the country shows that Americans cite the economy, jobs, dissatisfaction with government, and the deficit as the top problems, while very few (1%) mention the gap between the rich and the poor as the top problem. Previous Gallup research has also shown that Americans rate reducing the income and wealth gapbetween the rich and the poor as a lower priority than growing the economy more generally and increasing economic opportunity.

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 9-12, 2012, with a random sample of 1,016 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

219-43-15. Americans Split on Whether China's Economy Is Good for U.S.

Trade imbalance seen as a major barrier to strong U.S.-China relations

This is the second article in a three-part series about Americans' perceptions of China and U.S.-China relations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Many Americans say the U.S. and China should cooperate more on economic and energy issues; however they are divided on whether China's growing economy is a good thing or a bad thing for the U.S., according to a Gallup-China Daily USA study conducted in November and December 2011. U.S. opinion leaders are more likely than the American public to think China's burgeoning economy is good for the U.S., at 61% and 45%, respectively.

Americans, Opinion Leaders Uncertain About the Benefit of Chinese Investment

Americans and opinion leaders are uncertain about the impact of Chinese investment on the U.S. job market. Nearly one in four U.S. adults (23%) and 30% of opinion leaders agree with the statement that Chinese investment in the U.S. brings growth and jobs. About one-third of both groups disagree.

Chinese investment in American businesses topped $5 billion in 2010 and recent indications from China's commerce minister, Chen Deming, indicated the number would be much higher if the U.S. would allow it. Minister Chen also strongly encouraged the United States to ease restrictions on sending exports to China in order to address the $200 million trade imbalance in favor of China. The U.S. has expressed concern about a number of trade and economic issues, including intellectual property rights and market access restrictions that have, thus far, led to more limited trade between the two countries.

Two-thirds of U.S. adults say the trade imbalance between the U.S. and China is a major barrier to strong relations between the two countries, according to the Gallup-China Daily USA study. Opinion leaders are even more likely, at 78%, to hold this view. Roughly one-fifth of each group perceives the trade imbalance as a minor barrier.

U.S. opinion leaders are more likely than the American public to hold positive views about the quality of goods made in China. About half of opinion leaders rate the quality of Chinese goods as either "good" (41%) or "very good" (12%) and just under half say they are either "only fair" (41%) or "poor" (11%). Views of the American public are somewhat more negative with four in 10 expressing positive views and 58% expressing negative views about the quality of goods made in China.

China's currency policy has provoked quite a bit of criticism for its perceived negative impact on the global economy. About four in 10 Americans (42%) and 48% of U.S. opinion leaders agree that China's currency is a major contributing factor to the U.S. economic situation. Far fewer in either group disagree -- 17% of U.S. adults and 24% of opinion leaders. The rest, totaling 41% of Americans and 28% of opinion leaders are neutral or say they "don't know" what kind of effect China's currency has on the U.S. economy.

China and the U.S. are major trade partners and represent the two largest national economies in the world. While the American public and U.S. opinion leaders want more cooperation between the two countries on economic and energy issues, they have different views about the effect of a strong Chinese economy on the U.S. The majority of opinion leaders, compared with less than half of U.S. adults, believe China's growing economy is beneficial to the U.S. Opinion leaders are also more likely than U.S. adults to agree that Chinese investment in the U.S. contributes to U.S. job growth, although the majority of both groups are skeptical on this measure. China's leadership has indicated a desire to invest more in American business, while also encouraging the U.S. to export more freely to China. The already substantive trade partnership between these two countries is likely to swell significantly if U.S. policymakers move in this direction; however resolution is needed on a number of key trade issues before this would happen.

In the first wave of a new research partnership between China Daily USA and Gallup, 2,007 Americans were interviewed in English only from Nov. 30-Dec. 18, 2011.Gallup surveyed a random sample of adults, aged 18 and older, residing in landline-telephone households, cell phone-only households, and cell phone-user households. The data set was statistically adjusted (weighted) using the following variables: race/ethnicity, gender, education, and age as defined by the most recent data from the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The final overall results are representative of the U.S. adult population. For results based on the total sample size of 2,007 adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±2.68 percentage points.

The opinion leader survey included a non-probability sample 250 opinion leaders, drawn from the ranks of business executives (n=50), government officials (n=50), think tank leaders (n=50), university faculty (n=50), and the media (n=50). The opinion leaders sample was collected from Dec. 1-22, 2011.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. Click here to learn more about China Daily USA.

219-43-16. Romney's Challenge: Midwestern, Young, Highly Religious GOP

He also does less well among conservatives

PRINCETON, NJ -- As Mitt Romney pivots his campaign to the general election, he faces the challenge of building enthusiasm and, hence, turnout among certain key groups of Republicans among whom he has done less well during the primary contests so far. These include Midwestern, young, highly religious, and conservative Republicans.

The data in the accompanying table show Romney's relative positioning among Republican subgroups as of April 2-8, the final full week of Gallup Daily tracking of the GOP race. During this time, Romney held a 41% to 25% advantage over Santorum among all Republican voters.

Romney ended up doing well among Republicans in all regions of the country except the Midwest, where he just managed to tie Santorum at 32% support each in Gallup's final weekly summary.

The Midwest contains a number of the key swing states that will be pivotal in the coming general election, including Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Romney lost the Iowa caucuses by a very small margin to Santorum, and won, albeit by margins of one to seven percentage points, in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Romney's relative lack of strength among Midwestern Republicans suggests this region may present a challenge in terms of motivation and turnout for his campaign in the general election.

Romney has a significant problem among younger Republican voters, who up through last week were almost as likely to support Ron Paul as Romney. Romney's support among 18- to 34-year-old Republicans was 30%, Paul's was 27%, and Santorum's, 15%. This is the only subgroup in which Paul was a major contender. Romney led among 35- to 54-year-olds by nine points, and by 22 points among Republicans 55 and older.

Neither Paul nor Romney is a young candidate; Romney is 65 and Paul is 76. But, despite his advanced age, Paul has captured, and apparently continues to capture, the hearts and minds of young Republicans across the country. Santorum is the youngest of the four GOP candidates, at 53, but his failure to do well among young voters underscores the finding that the actual age of a candidate does not appear to be the deciding factor when it comes to young Republicans' allegiance.

Paul continues to campaign for the GOP nomination, making it unlikely that Romney will get his endorsement anytime soon -- if ever. It's also possible that Paul will run as a third-party candidate. It's unclear how much of Paul's unusual appeal to young Republicans would transfer to Romney even if Paul did exit the race.

Young voters overall tend to identify more strongly with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, so it is highly likely that they will break for Obama in the general election. Romney's challenge is to capture some of the enthusiasm young Republican voters have for Paul in an attempt to blunt Obama's strength among this group. Romney's demonstrated lack of appeal to younger Republicans in the primary season suggests this may be difficult.

Romney had an eight-point lead over Santorum last week among conservatives, well below the 31-point lead he had among moderate and liberal Republicans. The fact that Romney leads at all among conservatives is significant. At his worst, in mid-February, Romney was losing by 18 points to Santorum among conservatives. When Gallup started Daily tracking of the race in early December, Romney was losing to Gingrich by 20 points among conservatives.

Santorum consistently did well among highly religious Republican voters throughout his primary campaign, exemplified by his victories over Romney in Southern states with high concentrations of evangelical Republicans, and by his relative strength among these voters in Gallup's tracking of national Republican sentiment over the last two months.

In Gallup's April 2-8 weekly average, Romney was marginally ahead of Santorum among Republicans who attend church weekly, by 39% to 33%. Among Republicans who attend church almost every week or monthly, Romney led by 19 points, and among those who seldom or never attend church, Romney was ahead by 25 points.

Still, Romney's six-point margin over Santorum among weekly churchgoing Republicans was Romney's largest since late January, a time when Santorum had only 16% support overall.

Highly religious Republicans have clearly been looking for a candidate who will specifically and directly address their concerns about social, family, and values issues. Although weekly churchgoing Republicans disproportionately favored Santorum -- compared with Republicans who attend church less often -- Romney wound up with a modest edge among this group as the nomination contest ended. The key challenge for Romney will be capturing at least some of the same type of motivation and turnout among this group that was generated by his erstwhile competitor, Santorum.

Romney, now the almost-certain Republican presidential nominee, is turning his attention to the general election fight against President Barack Obama. The success of his campaign will hinge on Romney's ability to attract the vote of certain groups of key swing voters, mainly independents, and his ability to generate enthusiasm and, hence, turnout among Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters.

Gallup's final week of interviewing Republicans nationally shows that among Republicans, Romney has less than a 10-point margin over his nearest GOP competitor among:

These will be the key subgroups of his GOP base among whom Romney will need to shore up support and create enthusiasm and, hence, turnout.

Still, Romney has quite solid support among older Republicans (55+) -- which carries with it a tactical advantage since this group reliably turns out to vote in high numbers. Romney also enjoys strong support among Republicans living in regions other than the Midwest, liberal and moderate Republicans, and those who are less religious.

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Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 2-8, 2012, on the Gallup Daily tracking survey, with a random sample of 1,440 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, who are registered to vote.

For results based on the total sample of Republican registered voters, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

219-43-17. In U.S., Economic Indicators Signal Positive Momentum

Gallup economic metrics hit recent highs in March, and are holding steady in April

PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's key U.S. economic indicators tell a consistent story of improving economic and behavioral conditions. Americans' self-reported employment status, personal spending, andworkplace hiring trends were all better in March than in February, and were improved over March 2011, although still below pre-recession levels. In addition, Americans' ratings of the U.S. economy were at a four-year high. However, that was prior to last week's disappointing Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report and Wall Street's latest downturn. Those events could spark another reversal like so many others that have occurred since 2009, but thus far, Gallup indicators suggest otherwise.

All of Gallup's economic indicators -- except economic confidence, which receded slightly -- improved further in the first week of April, based on interviewing ending April 8. Gallup Daily tracking in the coming days will reveal whether consumers' confidence in the economy and willingness to spend have been rattled by the more recent economic news. In the meantime, it is clear that prior to now, Gallup's economic metrics have all been pointing in a positive direction.

Gallup measures the national labor situation in two ways. One is a direct measure of U.S. adults' employment status, producing Gallup's national unemployment and underemployment rates. The second is based on employed Americans' characterization of whether their workplace is adding or shedding jobs, summarized in Gallup's Job Creation Index.

Since the inception of Gallup's unemployment metric in January 2010, unemployment has been descending at a slow rate from the initial 10.9%, while workers' reports of net hiring have been inching up. Gallup's measures of unemployment and job creation improved in March after deteriorating in February, and are now slightly better than where they stood in January. They are also significantly higher than they were a year ago, in March 2011.

Both measures show continued positive momentum in early April, with the Job Creation Index rising to +20 in Gallup's latest weekly average, from April 2-8, and unemployment dipping to 8.2% in Gallup's latest 30-day average through April 8.

Americans' self-reporting of their own discretionary spending was $74 per day in March, up from $64 a year ago and the highest Gallup has recorded for March in four years. It is also near the highest spending for any month since the end of 2008. Still, consumer spending is well short of where it was in 2008, prior to the Wall Street financial crisis, indicating that consumers are still in a recovery phase.

Gallup's consumer spending measure is not seasonally adjusted, and spending does vary to some extent by month, particularly through the holiday season, when it jumps higher. Thus, year-over-year monthly comparisons are a meaningful indicator of real changes in spending.

Importantly, the $10-per-day average increase in consumer spending between March 2011 and March 2012 is the largest same-month increase Gallup has recorded since establishing this measure in January 2008. However, there was a brief period in mid-2010 when same-month spending rose each month by $6 to $9 per day, and Gallup documented consistent $5 to $7 increases in the summer and fall of 2011.

The past 15 months have been volatile for Americans' confidence in the economy. Confidence started off relatively high in January 2011, spiked in May after the killing of Osama bin Laden, then descended to near-record lows in the summer amid the debt ceiling political crisis and related shocks to Wall Street. It has since shown slow but steady improvement, and in March built on those gains to reach -20, the highest monthly average for the index in over four years.

Still, confidence is now at a level that has proved a barrier in recent years. And perhaps consistent with that, confidence receded in the first week of April to -23, rather than advancing further. This may partly reflect the March BLS jobs report, released on April 6, and recent turmoil in the stock market, so it will be important to see how this indicator performs throughout the month.

As an aside, a recent Gallup analysis finds that President Barack Obama's overall job approval rating has been closely linked with Americans' confidence in the economy in recent months. Thus, his ability to reach 50% approval may depend on whether Gallup's Economic Confidence Index rises just a bit further, to perhaps -16 to -13.

The rate of U.S. economic growth in the coming months could largely be determined by the pace of gains in the labor market. This may depend on increases in consumer spending, which in turn could be influenced by workers' perceptions of their job security and consumers' broader confidence in the economy.

Gallup indicators touching on all four factors remain weak in absolute terms, and in many cases remain below pre-recession levels, but were at post-recession highs in March after several months of steady improvement. And the early indications from April are that, with the exception of economic confidence, these improved readings are largely holding.

With consumers still fragile from the recent recession, any significant economic setback -- such as with unemployment, the stock market, or gas prices -- could cause another rapid reversal in confidence and spending. However, barring that, Gallup's economic metrics appear poised to finally make a significant break from their post-recession lows.

219-43-18.Americans Endorse Various Energy, Environment Proposals

Republicans and Democrats show substantially differing levels of support

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans as a whole favor a wide-ranging set of proposals for dealing with the nation's energy and environment situations, but support varies markedly across party lines. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to favor opening up federal lands for drilling, and expanding the use of nuclear energy. Democrats are more likely to favor each of six different proposals, including emissions-control measures, spending government money on alternative sources of energy, and increasing enforcement of environmental regulations.

Gallup tested these eight proposals in its March 8-11, 2012, Environment poll. A major takeaway is that Americans generally appear to "want it all." At least a majority, and in many instances, significant majorities, of Americans say they favor each proposal. Support ranges from the 52% who favor increased use of nuclear energy to the 70% who favor setting higher emissions standards for business and industry.

Gallup finds sizable partisan gaps in support of the proposals, ranging between 23 and 35 percentage points. However, expanding the use of nuclear power is the only proposal that significantly less than half of either party group (in this case, Democrats) says it supports.

Gallup has tracked seven of the eight proposals periodically since 2001. Support for all but nuclear energy has declined since last measured in 2007, with the largest drops seen for spending government money to develop alternative sources of fuel for automobiles, strengthening enforcement of environmental regulations, and setting higher auto emissions standards.

These declines could be due to Americans' reduced priority in the last several years for preserving the environment at the expense of economic growth, an outgrowth of the economic downturn. However, they are also likely to stem from heightened public concern about government spending and regulations specifically, particularly among Republicans.

For example, Democrats' support for spending government dollars to develop alternative fuel for automobiles remains above 80% in 2012, as it was in 2007. However, Republicans' support has fallen to 51% today from 84% in 2007, resulting in a 20-percentage-point overall drop in public support for the proposal over the same period.

In similar fashion, Republicans have grown significantly less supportive of more strongly enforcing federal environmental regulations (47% today vs. 74% in 2007), while Democrats' support has fallen less sharply (80% today vs. 92% in 2007).

At the same time, partisan support for increased use of nuclear energy has not changed over the past five years, and the 52% of all national adults who favor it today is essentially the same as the 50% who favored it in 2007.

President Obama recently said: "We've got to invest in a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of energy." Americans as a whole do support increased drilling on federal lands and the development of alternative energy sources -- and a slight majority support increased use of nuclear power.

Americans also support a list of other proposals to help the environment, including higher emissions standards for business and industry, and more controls on carbon dioxide emissions.

But the economic problems of the last several years have had a modest impact on these attitudes, with support for most of the proposals down from 2007, when Gallup last measured them. And, Gallup trends show that, apart from attitudes about nuclear power, Republicans' and Democrats' views on these issues have grown more polarized over the past four years, mirroring the contentious nature of recent policy discussions in Washington over energy and the environment.

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted March 8-11, 2012, with a random sample of 1,024 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

219-43-19. Obama's Monthly Job Approval Edges Higher in March

Approval high among core supporters; still lags with Hispanics, low-income adults

PRINCETON, NJ -- President Barack Obama's job approval rating averaged 46% in March, up from 45% in January and February, and significantly improved over his term-low 41% monthly averages recorded last summer and fall.

Obama's rating in Gallup's three-day rolling averages in April have become even more positive, includingthe president's first rating of 50% in nearly a year on Friday. It remains to be seen, however, whether his support will remain at that level for any length of time. Obama has not averaged 50% approval for a full month since last May, after the death of Osama bin Laden, and prior to that, not since February 2010.

Despite the broad changes in President Obama's overall job approval rating since he became president, certain subgroups of the population have consistently rated him better than others, and these patterns continued in March. Blacks, Hispanics, women, 18- to 29-year-olds, Easterners, postgraduates, Americans earning less than $24,000 per year, and those who don't regularly attend a place of worship all show higher support for Obama than their counterparts.

Additionally, most Democrats and liberals approve of Obama's job performance, as do the slight majority of moderates. His approval rating ranges from 86% among liberal Democrats to 8% among conservative Republicans, with 33% of pure independents in the center of the political spectrum approving.

Obama's overall job approval ratings among his core support groups have followed mostly the same pattern as his overall rating since January 2009, and have thus stayed consistently above his overall approval rating by about the same margin from month to month. However, Gallup trends document a narrowing of his advantage among Hispanics.

The 55% of Hispanics approving of Obama in March was nine percentage points above the national average, and that gap is typical for Hispanics' approval relative to the national average over the past year. Prior to that, however, Hispanics' approval was routinely between 10 and 20 points above average.

By contrast, for most of Obama's presidency, whites' approval has consistently been about eight or nine points below the national average, and blacks' approval has been about 40 points above it.

Thus, as Obama's overall approval rating from Americans declined from the 50s and 60s in his first year to the mid- to high 40s in his second year, and into the low to mid-40s in his third year, his support from Hispanics fell at a steeper rate than was seen among whites or blacks.

A similar pattern is seen among Americans making less than $24,000 per year. They continue to give Obama the highest approval ratings of any income group; however, the difference between low-income Americans' approval and everyone else's narrowed in 2010 and early 2011, although it has since widened somewhat.

Americans with college degrees, including those with postgraduate education, continue to rate Obama a bit higher than those with some or no college education. At the same time, however, this education gap has widened slightly during his presidency. This separation of the two groups' approval ratings reflects relative improvement over time among those with a college degree and a slight relative drop among those without a degree.

In March, his approval rating among the combined college graduate group was five points above his national average approval rating, while college nongraduates' approval was two points below it.

President Obama's average monthly job approval rating has been inching up since last fall, rising from 41% in October to 45% in January, and reaching 46% in March. As his approval rating has expanded, and despite the variety of issues that have emerged at different times during his presidency, most of the demographic patterns of support for Obama seen at the outset of his presidency remain fixed. Groups that are above average in support for the president have stayed at roughly the same level above his overall approval rating from month to month, and those below average have also stayed roughly the same distance below his overall rating.

Hispanics, however, have shown a disproportionate decline in support for Obama, and the gap in his higher approval rating between low-income and less well-educated Americans and these groups' counterparts has grown.

Obama's re-election chances depend to a significant degree on his ability to increase his overall approval rating to the majority level, and this in turn will depend in part on his ability to maintain or increase support among Hispanics and among those with lower socioeconomic status.

Results are based on telephone interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking March 1-31, 2012, with a random sample of 16,037 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point.

The questions reported here were asked of a random half-sample of respondents for 31 nights on the Gallup Daily tracking survey.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

219-43-20. Worry About U.S. Water, Air Pollution at Historical Lows

Americans' concerns about environmental threats remain lower than in the past

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans currently express record-low concern about both air pollution and pollution of drinking water. Thirty-six percent say they worry a great deal about air pollution and 48% about pollution of drinking water. Both figures are down more than 20 percentage points from the year 2000.

These results are based on Gallup's annual Environment poll, conducted March 8-11. The trends are part of a broader decline in worry about environmental threats documented in the poll.

Gallup asked Americans to say how much they worry about each of seven environmental problems. All show significantly less worry today than in 2000, when worry was at or near its high point for each item. The declines in concern about drinking-water pollution and air pollution are the largest for the problems included in this year's poll.

More broadly, worry about the seven issues is below the historical average for each. Most of the trends date back to 1989.

Concern about these environmental problems is down among most major subgroups since 2000. Across the seven items, the percentage worried a great deal is down an average 16 percentage points among Republicans, 18 points among independents, and 13 points among Democrats.

On a relative basis, Americans tend to worry more about environmental threats to the nation's water supplies than those that affect other parts of the environment. The highest levels of worry this year are for contamination of soil and water by toxic waste, pollution of drinking water, and pollution of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

The relative rank order of these environmental issues has generally been consistent over time, with water-related problems at the top and global warming at the bottom. In fact, the three water concerns in this year's poll have ranked as the top three concerns over any other environmental problems nearly every time they have been asked since 1989. Pollution of drinking water has most often been the top concern.

There are two likely explanations for the declining concern. First, Americans are a bit more positive now than they have been in the past about the quality of the environment. Second, the economic downturn has forced Americans to focus more on bread-and-butter economic issues than quality-of-life issues. It may be no coincidence that environmental concern was highest in 2000, when the U.S. was enjoying one of the strongest economies in recent memory, and that environmental concern has reached new lows recently, after the worst financial downturn in the last 25 years.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

219-43-21. U.S. Young Adults Admit Too Much Time on Cell Phones, Web

Overall, Americans most likely to say television occupies too much of their time

Forty-seven percent of Americans, including 78% of those aged 18 to 29, report owning a smartphone, and of these, 48% say they spend too much time using it.

Highly Educated Most Likely to Report Too Much Time Spent Using Email, Internet

At the same time, it is apparent that many in the U.S., mostly younger Americans, have become aware that these technologies may have a downside, namely that they use up too much time.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

219-43-22. Over Half of Americans Have Cut Back on Products and Services Because of High Gas Prices

Three-quarters cutting back on dining out and driving in general, while two-thirds cutting back on entertainment and weekend or day trips

NEW YORK , N.Y. - April 12, 2012 - As the calendar inches closer to the end of May, there are various things that Americans start to look forward to. Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and with that comes the beginning of the summer driving season. This means that higher gas prices are going to have an impact, not only on driving, but also on other things as well. According to a new Harris Poll, over half of Americans who own a vehicle (55%) say they have cut back on products and/or services in order to pay for the increased price of gasoline. As might be expected, those with lower household incomes are more impacted. Two-thirds (67%) of those with a household income of less than $35,000 a year have cut back on products or services because of higher gas prices compared to 37% of those who have a household income of $100,000 or more.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,451 adults surveyed online between March 12 and 19, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

There are many things people are cutting back on in order to pay for the increased price of gasoline. Three-quarters of those who have cut back have done so on dining out (75%) and driving in general (73%) while almost two-thirds have cut back on entertainment (65%) and weekend trips or day trips (65%). Three in five have cut back on reducing extras, such as luxury items (62%) and vacations (59%) while over half have cut back on clothing (55%) and movies (54%). Smaller, but still significant, numbers have cut back on groceries (38%), personal grooming, such as haircuts or manicures (37%), and auto repairs or upkeep (24%).

In looking at who to blame for the rise in gas prices, over one-third of Americans (37%) say they blame the oil companies the most while one-quarter (25%) blame unrest in the Middle East. Political figures also are blamed by some; 17% blame President Obama the most; 5% blame Republicans in Congress the most; and 4% blame Democrats in Congress the most.

So, who can best stop rising gas prices? Just over one-third of Americans (37%) say the oil and gas industry while three in ten (30%) believe the federal government can best stop rising gasoline prices. Fewer people believe consumers can stop rising gas prices (14%) while 4% say state and local governments can, 2% say the automotive industry, and 14% are not sure.

"Nearly nine-out-of-ten Americans say they expect gas prices to be higher as we enter the summer months. The impact of this kind of price hike is nearly universal and is felt every time an individual gets behind the wheel of their car. Many Americans are making real cuts in their budget to accommodate for the increase in the gas they need to get to work, school and run essential errands," says Sarah Simmons, Senior Research Executive and Thought Leader. "As our national economy starts to show signs of recovery, Americans are looking to the federal government and to the oil and natural gas industry to help find workable solutions."

"Have you cut back on any products or services in order to pay the increased price of gasoline?"

	Total 2006	Total 2011	Total 2012	Income
	Total 2006	Total 2011	Total 2012	$34,999 or less	$35,000 - $49,999	$50,000 -$74,999	$75,000 - $99,999	$100,000 or more
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Yes	44	51	55	67	65	55	49	37
No	56	49	45	33	35	45	51	63

"While all may be somewhat to blame, who or what do you blame most for the recent rise in gas prices?"

	Total	Region
	Total	East	Midwest	South	West
	%	%	%	%	%
Oil companies	37	34	40	35	42
Unrest in the Middle East	25	29	24	24	24
President Barack Obama	17	7	17	17	14
Republicans in Congress	5	5	6	6	5
Democrats in Congress	4	3	4	4	6
Not at all sure	11	14	10	10	10

	Total 2006	Total 2011	Total 2012	Political Party
	Total 2006	Total 2011	Total 2012	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Oil and gas industry	34	34	37	28	47	37
The federal government	29	28	30	41	21	29
Consumers	22	19	14	11	15	15
State and local governments	3	4	4	6	3	3
Automotive industry	3	3	2	1	2	2
Not sure	9	12	14	12	12	13

"Thinking ahead to the summer, how do you think gas prices on Memorial Day at the end of May will compare with prices now?"

	Total	Political Party
	Total	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
	%	%	%	%
Higher (NET)	88	90	88	89
Much Higher	41	46	36	42
Somewhat Higher	47	44	52	47
About the same	9	8	8	8
Lower (NET)	3	2	4	2
Somewhat Lower	3	2	4	2
Much lower	*	*	-	*

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding. * indicated less than 0.5% and "-" indicates no response

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between March 12 to 19, 2012 among 2,451 adults (aged 18 and over), of whom 2,172 own a vehicle. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for The Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

219-43-23. Despite Intense Negative Media Focus, Americans Still Believe the Benefits of Natural Gas Outweigh the Risk

Benefits of coal slightly ahead of risks for first time

NEW YORK , N.Y. - March 21, 2012 - In a year of intense media scrutiny on hydraulic fracturing, the manner in which most oil and natural gas companies access natural gas, two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they believe the benefits of natural gas outweigh the risks while 17% say the risks outweigh the benefits. Natural gas has maintained a relatively low price, compared to other fuels with similar uses (like fuel oil and gasoline). Additionally, it is considered a relatively clean source of energy. For Americans, these factors seem to outweigh the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, the extraction method most associated with gas.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,056 adults surveyed online between February 6 and 13, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

There are significant generational differences, however, Echo Boomers (ages 18-35) are less likely to believe the benefits outweigh the risks than Matures (those 67 and older) are (53% vs. 84%). And, people living in the East are less likely than those in the West to agree that the benefits outweigh the risks (60% vs. 71%).

There is also a political difference when it comes to feelings on natural gas. Three out of four Republicans (74%) believe the benefits of natural gas outweigh the risks compared to just over three in five Democrats (62%) and over two-thirds of Independents (69%) who believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Looking at the reverse, the partisan differences are significant, with larger portions of Democrats (21%) and Independents (19%) believing the risks outweigh the benefits than Republicans who believe this (10%).

In 2009, two in five Americans (42%) said the risks of using coal outweighed the benefits while 36% believed the benefits outweighed the risks. In 2011, the view did not change all that much as 38% said benefits outweighed risks, but 43% believed the risks outweighed the benefits. This year, the number of people who say the benefits outweigh the risks continues to inch upward as 42% say that while 40% currently say the risks outweigh the benefits.

There are some clear regional and generational differences for coal. Almost half of those in the Midwest (49%) and South (48%) say the benefits outweigh the risks compared to 35% of those in the East and 33% of those in the West. There is also a clear age divide as Baby Boomers (ages 48-66) and Matures are more likely to say benefits of coal outweigh the risks than both Echo Boomers and Gen Xers (ages 36-47); over half of Matures (54%) and 47% of Baby Boomers say the benefits of coal outweigh the risks compared to 39% of Gen Xers and 33% of Echo Boomers.

At the end of the day, what matters most to Americans is how much they are paying to heat their homes and fuel their lifestyles. This may explain why natural gas has maintained a positive position relative to its risks, said Sarah Simmons, Senior Research Executive and Industry Thought Leader. Natural gas is inexpensive, clean and accessible. Americans' view of coal suffers, especially when we look at generational breaks due to environmental factors.

"There are many sources of electric power used in the U.S. To the best of your knowledge, would you say the benefits of each source outweigh the risks or do you believe the risks outweigh the benefits?"

		BENEFITS OUTWEIGH RISKS (NET)	Benefits strongly outweigh risks	Benefits somewhat outweigh risks	RISKS OUTWEIGH BENEFITS (NET)	Risks somewhat outweigh benefits	Risks strongly outweigh benefits	Not at all sure
		%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Solar	2012	79	63	15	8	4	4	13
	2011	77	64	13	8	3	6	14
	2009	82	68	14	5	3	2	13
Wind	2012	76	61	16	9	5	5	15
	2011	75	61	14	10	3	7	15
	2009	78	62	17	7	4	2	15
Natural gas	2012	66	34	32	17	12	5	17
	2011	64	31	34	17	11	6	18
	2009	66	30	36	14	11	3	20
Geothermal	2012	53	32	21	10	6	4	37
	2011	52	33	18	10	5	5	38
	2009	52	32	20	7	5	2	40
Coal	2012	42	15	27	40	23	17	18
	2011	38	15	23	43	24	18	19
	2009	36	13	23	42	22	20	22
Nuclear	2012	40	15	24	41	19	21	20
	2011	42	20	22	37	18	19	21
	2009	44	21	23	34	17	17	22
Biomass	2012	30	13	17	12	8	4	58
	2011	30	14	17	12	7	6	57
	2009	28	12	16	12	8	4	60

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between February 6 to 13, 2012 among 2,056 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth and Education Research, Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

219-43-24. Two Years Later, Health Care Reform Continues to Polarize Views in the U.S.

Respondents are more likely to call for the repeal of the new legislation than to wish for it to remain in place.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,007 American adults, 72 per cent of respondents rate the quality of health care that is provided in the United States as “very good” or “good”, up four points since March 2011.

There is little fluctuation in the way Americans perceive the health care legislation signed into law by President Obama two years ago, with 46 per cent of respondents saying that they supported the idea two years ago, and 44 per cent acknowledging that they still do so today.

One-in-five Americans (+3 since March 2011) say they expect the quality of health care in America to improve under the new health care legislation, while two-in-five (43%, -3) believe it will worsen.

A majority of respondents (60%) believe the cost of health care in America will increase under the new guidelines, while only 12 per cent expect it to be lower.

Despite the recent discussions on what the Supreme Court may do about the health care legislation, there has been no change on the way Americans feel about the law. Only three-in-ten (29%) say they would prefer for the legislation to remain in place, while 44 per cent would like to see it repealed.

The views of Americans on the health care reform implemented by the current president have not gone through a drastic shift over the past 12 months. Republicans are particularly forceful in their opposition to the legislation, and in their belief that it will lead to high costs and poor service. Democrats tend to agree with the notion that the legislation will be positive, but are not unanimous in their assessment. In fact, slightly less than half (47%) would like to see the new health care law remaining in place.

Independents tend to side more with Republicans, with almost half expecting lower quality and three-in-five foreseeing more expensive bills. This group is also more likely to call for the repeal of the law (42%) than to endorse its continuation (25%).

Methodology: From March 30 to March 31, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,007 randomly selected American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. 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. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

219-43-25. Mexico's Pena Nieto Extends Lead Over Main Rival

(Reuters) - Mexican presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto has widened his big lead over struggling ruling party candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota, with just 2 1/2 months to go until the July 1 election, an opinion poll showed on Sunday.

The latest voter survey by polling firm BGC for Mexican newspaper Excelsior showed support for Pena Nieto, a member of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), running at 50 percent, according to BGC's Website.

That score was 3 percentage points higher than a previous BGC/Excelsior poll published on March 26.

Vazquez Mota, the candidate from President Felipe Calderon's conservative National Action Party (PAN), slipped one point to 29 percent. Third placed contender and 2006 runner-up, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, fell back two points to 20 percent.

Pena Nieto has led the polls for more than two years and is widely expected to put the PRI back in power after more than a decade on the sidelines. The centrist faction ruled Mexico for 71 years straight until the PAN ousted it in 2000.

The ex-governor of the State of Mexico, a populous region flanking the capital to the north, made a number of gaffes at the end of 2011, most notably when he struggled to name three books that influenced him.

In January, he admitted he cheated on his first wife, fathering two children out of wedlock with different women.

But none of this has done lasting damage to his bid, because voters believe he is more likely to end the violence plaguing Mexico and reinvigorate the economy.

Vazquez Mota is trying to shake off discontent with the PAN, whose reputation has suffered due to a surge in lawlessness that followed the army-led offensive Calderon launched against drug gangs shortly after he took office in December 2006.

More than 50,000 people have since been killed in fighting between the gangs and their clashes with security forces.

Many of the victims have been young people lured by the prospect of quick cash from the gangs. The PAN has also struggled to create enough jobs for Mexico's growing population.

Vazquez Mota's campaign has been undermined by squabbling within the PAN, as well as a number of mishaps on the election trail, including the botched staging of a major rally last month that left her addressing a half-empty stadium stands.

Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City, is still trying to win back voters he alienated after his narrow loss to Calderon in 2006. He accused the PAN of robbing him and declared himself the rightful president of Mexico, launching massive street protests in the capital that eroded his support.

The latest poll for Excelsior surveyed 1,200 registered Mexican voters from Monday through Wednesday and had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points, BGC said.

219-43-26. Falklands War: Britain and Argentina

April 10 2012

YouGov and Ibarómetro have together conducted the first parallel polling of the British and Argentinian public on the Falklands War and future of the Islands

o Most Argentinians have a negative view of the 1982 invasion, and think the then dictatorship did it to solve their own political reasons

o Most Argentinians are opposed to any further military action, British adults are evenly split on whether Britain should use force to defend the islands

o British and Argentinians both think their country has the most legitimate claim over the Islands

In a joint project, YouGov polled 1,744 British adults and Ibarómetro polled a parallel sample of 1,800 Argentinian adults.

The Argentinian public are more likely than the British public to see their claims on the Islands as legitimate, and more likely to think that they have the international community on their side; 89% of Argentinian adults think their country’s claims to the Falklands are very or fairly legitimate, compared to 62% of British adults who think the UK’s claims are legitimate. 46% of Argentines think that the international community backs their claim on the Falklands, compared to 11% of Britons.

The majority (56%) of Argentines have a negative perception of the 1982 war, and 77% of them see it as something that was done by the then dictatorship to prop up its political position, rather than something the Argentinian people wanted. In Britain, 52% of people think that the UK government took the right decision to retake the islands by force, 26% think more effort should have been made to solve the issue diplomatically.

There is very little appetite for military action today; 59% of Argentinians would oppose any military action today, compared to 26% in support. The British public are evenly split on whether or not they would support using military force to try and retain the islands – 42% would support it, 39% would oppose it. There is a significant age difference as respondents over 40, and likely to remember the 1982 war, would support Britain using force to retain the islands, whereas those under 40 are more likely to oppose it.

More British people would support opening negotiations with Argentina over the future of the Falklands than would oppose it – 37% would support negotiations, with 25% opposed. The overwhelming majority (83%) of Argentinians would support negotiation.

While both countries would support negotiation, there is little common ground on what they would like the outcome to be. 66% of Argentine adults think the Islands should become Argentinian sovereignty territory, with 21% supporting shared sovereignty. British opinion is more evenly divided – 37% think the Islands should remain British and 14% would support shared sovereignty, but 28% think the fairest outcome would be for the Falklands to become independent from both countries.

When asked what outcome people expect to actually happen, a majority (55%) of British respondents expect that the islands will actually remain British. Argentinian respondents were more divided – 31% expect the islands to end up remaining British, 33% expect them to become Argentinian.

219-43-27. Nearly One in Four Worldwide Thriving

Majorities in 17 out of 146 countries thriving

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Nearly one-quarter of adults worldwide (24%) are "thriving," according to Gallup surveys in 146 countries in 2011. The percentage rating their current and future lives positively enough to be considered thriving ranged from a high of 74% in Denmark to a low of 2% in Cambodia.

Gallup classifies respondents as "thriving," "struggling," or "suffering," according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale with steps numbered from 0 to 10 based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. People are considered thriving if they rate their current lives a 7 or higher and their lives in five years an 8 or higher.

Majorities of residents in 17 countries rated their lives well enough to be classified this way. Denmark clearly led this list, as it has since 2009, trailed by other wealthy and developed countries such as Canada (66%) and the Netherlands (66%). The U.S. just missed making the top 10, with 56% of Americans thriving.

Thriving generally remained an elusive state of being across much of the world in 2011. Less than 25% of the adult populations in 87 countries were thriving last year. African countries generally dominate the list of countries where thriving is lowest, accounting for more than half of the 28 countries where thriving was 10% or lower. Still, several countries from other regions also have thriving levels this low.

Wellbeing was generally lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, where the median thriving percentage was 12% across the countries surveyed. Thriving percentages were in the single digits in many countries, but the region had some bright spots. Thriving was safely higher than average in Ghana (29%) and Angola (35%).

Wellbeing was generally highest again in the Americas, where a median of 39% were thriving. The significant divides among countries in previous years remained, with thriving ranging from 66% in Canada to 10% in Haiti. Although the 10% thriving in Haiti is the lowest in the region, 2011 marked the first time this percentage reached double digits.

In Europe, the median thriving percentage was lower than in the Americas, but about average at 24%. The divide between wealthier countries of northern, western, and central Europe and poorer countries in eastern and southern Europe is apparent in residents' attitudes toward their economy and toward their lives. Thriving ranges from the world high of 74% in Denmark to a near-world low of 5% in Bulgaria.

In Asia, where a median of 20% were thriving across the countries surveyed, there were large gaps between developed and developing Asian countries. Thriving was higher than 60% in Australia (64%) and New Zealand (60%) and as low as 2% Cambodia.

Thriving Mostly Unchanged in Middle East and North Africa vs. Before Arab Spring

A median of 20% in the Middle East and North Africa region were thriving -- similar to what Gallup measured before the Arab Spring. Nearly two in three (65%) were thriving in Israel -- the highest score in the region -- as were majorities in the relatively wealthy United Arab Emirates (58%) and Oman (51%). Fewer than one in 10 were thriving in Egypt (9%) and Yemen (8%), where unrest continued throughout much of 2011.

Wellbeing improved substantially in a few countries between 2011 and 2010, but generally remained relatively steady across most of the world. The few notable changes that took place last year further reinforce the idea that wellbeing is a local phenomenon, and that leaders need to develop polices to improve it with that in mind. Hopes are understandably higher in countries such as Ghana, for example, where thriving increased 19 percentage points amid an oil boom in 2011 and accompanying double-digit economic growth.

Gallup's global wellbeing data continue to emphasize the diverse development challenges worldwide and reveal the wellbeing situation has not changed much for many. This underscores why it is important for leaders to pay attention to behavioral metrics such as wellbeing. Significant investments in this area could potentially pay huge dividends -- not the least of which are peace and stability.

For complete data sets or custom research from the more than 150 countries Gallup continually surveys, please contact SocialandEconomicAnalysis@gallup.com or call 202.715.3030.

Results are based on face-to-face and telephone interviews with approximately 1,000 adults per country, aged 15 and older, conducted in 2011 in 146 countries. Results in Russia, Tunisia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Bahrain, Yemen, Comoros, Somaliland region, and Iraq are based on data aggregated from multiple surveys. For results based on the total samples, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error ranges from ±1.7 percentage points to ±5.7 percentage points. The margin of error reflects the influence of data weighting. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

219-43-28. More Than One in 10 "Suffering" Worldwide

Bulgaria and Yemen lead the world in suffering

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An average of 13% of adults worldwide rated their lives poorly enough to be considered "suffering," according to Gallup surveys in 146 countries in 2011. The percentage rating their current and future lives poorly enough to be considered suffering was as high as 45% in Bulgaria and as low as 1% or less in the United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Thailand, and Brazil.

Gallup classifies respondents as "thriving," "struggling," or "suffering" according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale with steps numbered from 0 to 10 based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Gallup considers people to be suffering if they rate their current lives a 4 or lower and their lives in five years a 4 or lower. The respondents do not label themselves as suffering. Average global suffering has remained relatively unchanged over the past several years.

One in four or more residents in 18 countries rated their lives poorly enough to be classified as suffering. Bulgaria had the negative distinction of leading the global suffering list, as it did last year. Yemen, Armenia, and El Salvador followed closely behind, with one in three or more residents suffering in each of these countries.

The countries where suffering is highest are primarily a mix of European, African, and Asian nations. This list heavily features several European nations that the global financial crisis has adversely affected and where leaders have responded with austerity measures. Several are also former socialist societies, including Bulgaria, Armenia, and Serbia.

Suffering spiked in places such as Iran, Afghanistan, and El Salvador last year -- earning them a spot near the top of the world's most suffering list.

Suffering was 3% or less in 24 countries -- most of them wealthier and more developed countries. Three percent of Americans were suffering in 2011, as has been the case in past years.

A median of 14% of residents in Europe were suffering last year, followed by 13% in Africa, and 11% in Asia. Median suffering was lowest in the Americas at 6%.

Still, within regions, suffering varies greatly. Although median suffering is 14% in Europe, many European nations boast among the lowest rates of suffering in the world.

These, however, are mainly northern, western, and central European countries. Southern and Eastern Europe does not fare as well. In Africa, suffering is as low as 2% in Zambia, but climbs as high as 28% in Malawi.

For the most part, suffering changed little at the country level in 2011 compared with 2010. However, in a handful of nations, Gallup did find shifts in suffering last year. Suffering increased the most in El Salvador, climbing to 33% in 2011 from 9% in 2010. Suffering declined the most in Macedonia, falling 25 percentage points last year from 38% in 2010.

Individuals who are suffering are not only pessimistic about their current standing in life, but also lack hope about what their future holds. It is clear in many nations that are struggling economically and politically and where stability is tenuous, such as in Afghanistan, Iran, and Greece, that sizable proportions of the population are suffering.

Those who rate their lives highly enough to be thriving are much more likely to be healthy, happy, and engaged in society. It is important for leaders in nations where suffering is highest to take a hard look at what they must change in their countries to improve how their people perceive their own lives and their future. As outlined in Gallup's macroeconomic path to achieving GDP growth, leaders must focus on ensuring all citizens feel a sense of law and order, have food and shelter, believe national institutions are functioning properly, and be able to secure good jobs to increase the wellbeing of residents in their countries.

For complete data sets or custom research from the more than 150 countries Gallup continually surveys, please contactSocialandEconomicAnalysis@gallup.com or call 202.715.3030.

219-43-29. Global Internet Users Manage Finances (59%), Shop (51%) and Look for Jobs (41%) Online

Johannesburg — A majority of citizens in 24 countries who use the internet say they do so to check their bank accounts (59%), half (48%) shop for products online and four in ten (41%) have surfed to look for jobs in the last three months, finds a new poll by global research company Ipsos for Reuters News.

About six in ten (59%) citizens connected on the internet have used the web to ‘check bank account and other financial holdings’ in the last 90 days. The vast majority of Swedes (88%) are e-banking, as are three quarters in France (76%), Canada (75%), Australia (74%), Poland (74%), South Africa (74%) and Belgium (73%). Only one quarter of those in Mexico (23%) are shopping online, joined at the bottom of the list by Saudi Arabia (29%), Brazil (32%) and Argentina (36%).
Shopaholics in the Virtual World

Half of online-connected citizens around the world have taken their shopping to cyberspace; 48% say they have used the internet in the past three months to ‘buy products/services online’. Even more (61%) use the web for the research phase, saying they ‘visit sites for info on products I am thinking of buying.’ Countries where online shopping has become the norm for online-connected citizens are among the world’s most developed countries: Germany (74%), Great Britain (74%), Sweden (68%), United States (65%) and South Korea (62%). Uptake of online shopping has been least strong in Saudi Arabia (21%), Mexico (23%). South Africans are dead in line with the global trend of 48% shopping for products online.

The list is slightly different for those using the web to research products they wish to buy. Sweden (80%), Turkey (74%), Great Britain (71%), Indonesia (69%), South Korea (69%) and the United States (68%) lead on this measure, while Saudi Arabia (36%), Hungary (44%), Mexico (45%), India (53%) and Belgium (55%) round out the bottom of the list. Interestingly, even those countries at the bottom have meaningful proportions of internet surfers who use the web for researching products they want to buy.

Four in ten (41%) of online global respondents have used the internet ‘to look for a job or search job (recruitment) sites’ in the last three months. About six in ten of those in Poland (61%), Hungary (58%), South Africa (57%) and Mexico (55%) have logged on to look for a job, while only 17% in Japan, 25% in South Korea and France, and 26% in Belgium have done so.

Those most likely to say they check their bank accounts online are online-connected global citizens who have a high household income (69%), high education (66%) and are between the ages of 50-64 (65%). Online shoppers are mostly high income earners (56%) and highly educated (55%), while those most likely to look for a job online have a low household income (48%), are under the age of 35 (47%) and are unmarried (45%).

219-43-30. USA: Over Half Of Tablet And Smartphone Time Is Shared With TV Viewing Latest Results Of A Gfk Survey

New York, April 12, 2012 - As advertisers and marketers look for the best ways to take advantage of an explosion in smartphone and digital tablet use, a new GfK analysis provides crucial new details on simultaneous use of these devices and other media. Among adults 35 to 49, two-thirds of all tablet minutes occur in front of a TV.

The research by GfK Knowledge Networks shows that 52% of minutes spent with tablets, and the same percent for smartphones, were shared with TV viewing. Compared to young adults (ages 18 to 34), Baby Boomers (35 to 49) spent much more time using tablets and TV simultaneously – 67% of tablet minutes, versus 39% for the younger group.

Simultaneous use of smartphones and TV was about the same for both age groups – 52% of smartphone minutes for the younger group, versus 48% for the older.

"Tablets are the new ‘second screen,’ thanks to their size and inherent connectivity,” said Robert DeFelice, Vice President (Media) at GfK Knowledge Networks. "Our research suggests the potential value of ad campaigns and other applications that take advantage of the roles smartphones and tablets play as ‘co-located’ technologies; these might include researching advertised products, texting friends about plot twists, visiting TV program websites, and dozens of similar uses.”

The analysis also shows that women were more likely to combine tablets and TV – 56% of their tablet minutes were spent in front of a television, versus 48% for men. But the opposite was true for smartphones, with men at 59% and women at 48%.
Compared to non-owners, those who have tablets devoted 42 additional minutes to the Internet daily, and 52 added minutes to all media. They also spent almost twice as much time using the Internet via smartphones (40 minutes per day, compared to 22 minutes for people without tablets).

About the survey

The new findings come from MultiMedia Mentor® -- a 14-year-old service tracking use of 8 major media – and are based on interviews with 2,621 members of KnowledgePanel®, the only commercially available online panel derived from a statistically projectable sample of the U.S. population. Interviewing for this latest wave of Mentor data was conducted between August 2011 and January 2012 with panel members ages 13 to 64.

In addition to time spent with media, the MultiMedia Mentor research captures hundreds of consumer characteristics, including use of product categories. Clients have on-demand, online access to Mentor findings through exclusive reporting and optimization software.

Knowledge Networks, now part of the GfK, is passionate about research in marketing, media, health and social policy – collaborating closely with client teams throughout the research process, while applying rigor in everything we do. We specialize in innovative online research that consistently gives leaders in business, government, and academia the confidence to make important decisions. KN delivers affordable, statistically valid online research through KnowledgePanel® and leverages a variety of other assets, such as world-class advanced analytics, an industry-leading physician panel, an innovative platform for measuring online ad effectiveness, and a research-ready behavioral database of frequent supermarket and drug store shoppers.

Sample Size	Percentage Estimate
	*40%-60%*	*25% or 75%*	*10% or 90%*	*5% or 95%*
1,000	±3.0	±2.7	±1.9	±1.4
2,000	±2.2	±1.9	±1.3	±1.0
5,000	±1.4	±1.2	±0.8	±0.6
10,000	±1.0	±0.9	±0.6	±0.4

Support	27(27)
Do not support	48(49)

Noda is the PM	29 〈8〉	1〈1〉
DPJ-centered cabinet	19〈5〉	10〈5〉
Policy Aspect	27〈7〉	33〈16〉
Executive Aspect	14〈4〉	51〈25〉

Democratic Party of Japan	18(17)
Liberal Democratic Party	13(12)
New Komeito	3(2)
Japan Communist Party	1(2)
Kizuna Party	0(0)
Social Democratic Party	0(1)
Your Party	2(2)
The People’s New Party	0(0)
New Party Daichi – True Democratic Party of Japan	0(0)
The SunriseParty of Japan	0(0)
The New Party Nippon	0(0)
New Renaissance Party	0(0)
Other party	2(2)
Do not support any party	47(53)
No answer/Do not know	14(9)

Democratic Party of Japan	20(20)
Liberal Democratic Party	21(22)
New Komeito	3(3)
Japan Communist Party	3(3)
Kizuna Party	0(0)
Social Democratic Party	1(1)
Your Party	5(7)
The People’s New Party	0(0)
New Party Daichi – True Democratic Party of Japan	0(0)
The Sunrise Party of Japan	0(0)
The New Party Nippon	0(0)
New Renaissance Party	0(0)
Other party	4(3)
No answer/Do not know	41(43)

INTRODUCTORY NOTE	2
SUMMARY OF POLLS	2
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Palestinians Frustrated of Hamas Fateh Conflict	6
SOUTH EAST ASIA
Indonesian Consumer Confidence up in March	12
Filipinos Satisfied with Their Most of Political Leadership	14
NORTH EAST ASIA
Low Level of Support for Noda Government in Japan	17
EAST EUROPE
Presidential Elections: Afterword	21
Move From Russia? No More!	23
Why People Leave Russia? Opinion Of Potential Migrants	24
WEST EUROPE
Energy For All: EU Support For Developing Countries (Eurobarometer)	27
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of The European Union (Eurobarometer)	29
UK: Energy Profits: Consumers Not Happy	30
German Firms Deeply Unhappy With Hungary Policy Drift-Survey	31
Sarkozy's Comeback Hopes Crumble, Polls Show	32
Economic Confidence Falls to Single Digits in Britain	33
NORTH AMERICA
Americans Favor "Buffett Rule" by 60% to 37%	33
Americans Split on Whether China's Economy Is Good for U.S.	35
Romney's Challenge: Midwestern, Young, Highly Religious GOP	39
In U.S., Economic Indicators Signal Positive Momentum	42
Americans Endorse Various Energy, Environment Proposals	45
Obama's Monthly Job Approval Edges Higher in March	49
Worry About U.S. Water, Air Pollution at Historical Lows	56
U.S. Young Adults Admit Too Much Time on Cell Phones, Web	59
Over Half of Americans Have Cut Back on Products and Services Because of High Gas Prices	62
Despite Intense Negative Media Focus, Americans Still Believe the Benefits of Natural Gas Outweigh the Risk	66
Two Years Later, Health Care Reform Continues to Polarize Views in the U.S.	69
LATIN AMERICA
Mexico's Pena Nieto Extends Lead Over Main Rival	70
Falklands War: Britain and Argentina (Multi-country)	71
MULTI-COUNTRY STUDIES
Nearly One in Four Worldwide Thriving	72
More Than One in 10 "Suffering" Worldwide	77
Global Internet Users Manage Finances (59%), Shop (51%) and Look for Jobs (41%) Online	80
CYBER WORLD
USA: Over Half Of Tablet And Smartphone Time Is Shared With TV Viewing Latest Results Of A Gfk Survey	81

Very concerned	20
Moderately concerned	55
Not very concerned	19
Not concerned at all	4

Very confident	2
Moderately confident	17
Not very confident	52
Not confident at all 44	28

Did you participate in the 2012 presidential elections? If yes, who did you vote for? (close-ended question , one answer, % column, % of those who took part)
	Who did you want to vote for in the beginning (before you changed your decision)?
	Planned to vote for Zhirinovsky	Planned to vote for Zyuganov	Planned to vote for Mironov	Planned to vote for Prokhorov	Planned to vote for Putin	Other (Yavlinsky, Mezentsev et cet.)	I do not remember
Voted for Zhirinovsky	0	0	0	5	5	8	5
Voted for Zyuganov	20	0	17	18	32	8	14
Voted for Mironov	0	7	0	0	18	0	5
Voted for Prokhorov	33	14	22	0	45	58	5
Voted for Putin	33	68	61	77	0	25	55
I spoiled the ballot, threw it out	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
I do not remember	13	11	0	0	0	0	14

Would you like to move to another country permanently? (close-ended question, one answer)
	1991	June 2011	March 2012
Rather yes	16	22	11
Rather no	70	75	88
Hard to tell	14	3	2

Would you like to move to another country permanently? (close-ended question, one answer)ответ)
	Total respondents	Supporters of Zhirinovsky	Supporters of Zyuganov	Supporters of Mironov	Supporters of Prokhorov	Supporters of Putin	I would not take part in elections
Rather yes	11	18	13	19	25	6	16
Rather no	88	78	87	77	73	93	81
Hard to tell	2	3	0	5	2	1	3

Did you think of the time when you would move from Russia? If yes, when? (close-ended question, one answer, % of those who would like to move to another country permanently)
	Total respondents	Aged 18-24	Aged 25-34	Aged 35-44	Aged 45-59	60 and above
In next two or three years	11	15	8	11	8	14
In net three or five years	13	18	14	14	5	14
In next six or nine years	11	18	8	8	10	0
In ten years or later	8	8	8	6	10	0
No, I did not think about it	39	35	42	39	45	29
I thought about that, but I do not know when it will be possible due to circumstances	17	6	20	22	23	43

If you want to move to another country, could you tell us why? (open-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who want to move)
	September 2011	March 2012
Better living conditions	42	46
More prospects for self-realization	15	14
I like that country	12	11
More order	18	13
Safer/calmer	5	5
Move to relatives/ friends	7	6
Other	2	3
Hard to tell	14	19

Agree	41(40)
Disagree	46(46)

Assessed	19
Didn’t assess	67

Agree	64〈61〉
Disagree	24〈22〉

Agree	49
Disagree	41

If you want to move to another country, could you tell us why? (open-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who want to move)
	Total	Men	Women	Aged 18-24	Aged 25-34	Aged 35-44	Aged 45-59	Aged 60 and above
Better living conditions	46	51	40	48	58	39	40	14
More prospects for self-realization	14	12	16	18	14	14	10	0
I like that country	11	8	15	16	6	6	15	14
More order	13	15	11	11	10	22	13	14
Safer/calmer	5	7	2	8	2	6	3	0
Move to relatives /friends	6	5	7	3	2	8	13	0
Other	3	3	2	3	0	6	3	0
Hard to tell	19	18	20	10	22	17	25	57

Do you do anything to move now, or later? (close-ended question, any number of answers , % of those who want to move)
	September 2011	March 2012
I am collecting information about the country where I want to move	20	21
I get advice from relatives and friends	19	16
I am learning a foreign language	16	20
I am searching for a job abroad	11	8
I am searching for an education program abroad	4	3
I am looking for information about special programs	8	9
I am saving up money	9	14
I search ways to marry a foreign citizen	1	4
I am getting additional education, participating in the courses that will help me find a job abroad	2	2
I am searching ( I am employed) for a job in a foreign company for further moving	1	2
Other (Doing nothing)	20	16
Hard to tell	30	29

Do you do anything to move now, or later? (close-ended question, any number of answers , % of those who want to move)
	Total	Elementary, or lower, incomplete secondary education	Secondary (school, technical college)	Secondary special (college)	Incomplete higher (not less than 3 years), higher
I am collecting information about the country where I want to move	21	0	21	21	24
I get advice from relatives and friends	16	8	19	14	18
I am learning a foreign language	20	25	25	14	23
I am searching for a job abroad	8	17	4	10	8
I am searching for an education program abroad	3	0	4	0	5
I am looking for information about special programs	9	0	6	5	18
I am saving up money	14	8	6	21	15
I search ways to marry a foreign citizen	4	0	2	4	6
I am getting additional education, participating in the courses that will help me find a job abroad	2	8	4	0	2
I am searching ( I am employed) for a job in a foreign company for further moving	2	8	4	0	2
Other (Doing nothing)	16	0	19	19	15
Hard to tell	29	42	33	26	27

	Total
	%
Dining Out	75
Driving in general	73
Entertainment	65
Weekend trips/day trips	65
Reducing extras, such as luxury items	62
Vacations	59
Clothing	55
Movies	54
Groceries	38
Personal grooming, such as haircuts or manicures	37
Auto repairs/upkeep	24
Something else	11

Did you change your preferences during presidential election campaign? (close-ended question , one answer, % of those who took part in the voting)

Voted for Prokhorov

Voted for Mironov

Voted for Zyuganov

Voted for Putin

Voted for Zhirinovsky

Hard to tell