MSNBC - McClatchy New Jersey Poll
This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from September 24 through September 27, 2006. A total of 625 registered New Jersey voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. All stated they were likely to vote in the November general election.
Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect voter turn-out by county.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the "true" figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender or regional grouping.
Do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of ________?
If the 2006 election for New Jersey’s U.S. Senate seat were held today, would you vote for:
MENENDEZ 44%
KEAN 41%
OTHER 2%
UNDECIDED 13%
Will your vote for U.S. Senate mainly be:
FOR CANDIDATE 68%
AGAINST OPPONENT 20%
NOT SURE 12%
Do you approve or disapprove of George W. Bush’s overall job performance as President? (Is that, strongly approve/disapprove or somewhat approve/disapprove?)
STRONGLY APPROVE 17%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE 20% (37%)
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE 13%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE 48% (61%)
NOT SURE 2%
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job? (Is that, strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove?)
STRONGLY APPROVE 5%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE 20% (25%)
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE 30%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE 43% (73%)
NOT SURE 3%
Which ONE of the following issues will be MOST important in determining your vote for U.S. Senate this year:
IRAQ 23%
TERRORISM/SECURITY 19%
ECONOMY/JOBS 18%
TAXES/GOVT SPNDG 15%
HEALTH CARE 13%
IMMIGRATION 6%
OTHER/DK 4%
MORAL/FAMILY 1%
GAS PRICE/ENERGY 1%
Generally speaking, would you say things in the country are heading in the right direction, or are they are off on the wrong track?
RIGHT DIRECTION 29%
WRONG TRACK 60%
NOT SURE 12%
Do you approve or disapprove of the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq? (Is that strongly approve/disapprove or somewhat approve/disapprove?)
STRONGLY APPROVE 15%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE 19% (34%)
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE 13%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE 50% (64%)
NOT SURE 3%
What should the U.S. do in Iraq:
SEND MORE 12%
KEEP SAME 18%
WITHDRAW SOME 21%
WITHDRAW ALL 33%
NOT SURE 17%
How worried are you about the direction of the nation’s economy in the next few years? Are you:
VERY WORRIED 28%
SOMEWHAT WORRIED 36% 64%
NOT TOO WORRIED 23%
NOT WORRIED 12% 35%
NOT SURE 0.6%
How worried are you that there will be another major terrorist attack in the U.S.? Are you:
VERY WORRIED 28%
SOMEWHAT WORRIED 50% 78%
NOT TOO WORRIED 13%
NOT WORRIED 8% 21%
NOT SURE 0.6%
Should illegal immigrants working in the United States be:
CHANCE TO STAY 59%
DEPORTED 30%
NOT SURE 11%
In general, which is better for the country?
SAME PARTY 32%
DIVIDED 45%
NOT SURE 24%
Demographics:
In terms of your political party identification, do you generally consider yourself a Democrat, a Republican or an independent?
DEMOCRAT 39%
REPUBLICAN 33%
INDEPENDENT 28%
Would you describe your personal political views as very liberal, somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat conservative or very conservative?
VERY LIBERAL 7%
SOMEWHAT LIBERAL 20%
MODERATE 40%
SOMEWHAT CONSERVATIVE 25%
VERY CONSERVATIVE 7%
DK/REF 1%
What is your age?
18-34 16%
35-49 29%
50-64 30%
65+ 24%
REF 1%
Which of the following best describes your race or ethnicity?
WHITE 80%
BLACK 12%
HISPANIC 6%
OTHER 1%
REFUSED 1%
SEX:
MALE 49%
FEMALE 51%
REGION:
SOUTH JERSEY 21%
CENTRAL JERSEY 28%
NEWARK METRO 31%
NORTH JERSEY 20%