Poll: Rhode Island

This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from October 31 through November 02, 2006.  A total of 625 registered Rhode Island 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 recognize the name ______?

(IF YES) Do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of ________?

	DON CARCIERI	CHARLIE FOGARTY	LINCOLN CHAFFEE	SHELDON WHITEHOUSE
FAVORABLE	53%	39%	54%	45%
UNFAVORABLE	23%	20%	21%	35%
NEUTRAL	24%	41%	25%	20%
DON'T RECOGNIZE	1%	0.6%	0.2%	0.2%

If the 2006 election for Governor were held today, would you vote for:

FOGARTY	42%
CARCIERI	50%
UNDECIDED	8%

If the 2006 election for Rhode Island U.S. Senate seat were held today, would you vote for:

WHITEHOUSE	45%
CHAFFEE	46%
UNDECIDED	9%

Will your vote for U.S. Senate mainly be:

FOR CANDIDATE	63%
AGAINST OPPONENT	34%
NOT SURE	3%

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	14%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE	15%	15%
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE	12%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE	58%	58%
NOT SURE	1%

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	0.8%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE	25%	25%
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE	21%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE	49%	49%
NOT SURE	4%

Which ONE of the following issues will be MOST important in determining your vote for U.S. Senate this year:

IRAQ	32%
HEALTH CARE	16%
ECONOMY/JOBS	13%
TERRORISM/SECURITY	10%
TAXES/GOVT SPNDG	6%
MORAL/FAMILY	5%
IMMIGRATION	5%
GAS PRICE/ENERGY	0.6%
OTHER/DK	13%

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	31%
WRONG TRACK	64%
NOT SURE	6%

Do you approve or disapprove of the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq?  (Is that strongly approve/disapprove or somewhat approve/disapprove?)

STRONGLY APPROVE	10%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE	14%	14%
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE	15%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE	59%	59%
NOT SURE	1%

In your view, did either of the candidates for U.S. Senate attack the other unfairly?

NO	28%
WHITEHOUSE DID	8%
CHAFFEE DID	9%
BOTH DID	44%
NOT SURE	11%

What is your current official party voter registration? Are you registered to vote as a:

DEMOCRAT	36%
REPUBLICAN	17%
INDEPENDENT	46%

Would you describe your personal political views as liberal, moderate, or conservative?

LIBERAL	27%
MODERATE	46%
CONSERVATIVE	25%
DK/REF	1%

What is your age?

18-34	14%
35-49	29%
50-64	32%
65+	25%
REF	0.3%

Which of the following best describes your race or ethnicity?

WHITE	90%
BLACK	4%
HISPANIC	5%
OTHER	0.5%
REFUSED	0.3%

SEX:

MALE	49%
FEMALE	51%

REGION:

BRISTOL COUNTY	6%
KENT COUNTY	18%
NEWPORT COUNTY	9%
PROVIDENCE COUNTY	53%
WASHINGTON COUNTY	14%