The latest Monmouth University Poll of voters nationwide finds that the race for president couldn’t be tighter. Likely voters split evenly between Pres. Barack Obama (48%) and Gov. Mitt Romney (48%). Another 2% say they will vote for a third party candidate and 2% remain undecided. The last Monmouth University Poll, released on October 22, showed Romney leading by 3 points.
Obama leads among women (51% – 46%), young voters under age 35 (53% to 41%), and Hispanic voters (61% – 32%). Romney leads among independents (53% – 37%), men (51% – 44%) and white voters (59% – 39%).
Candidate Ratings
Barack Obama: 47% favorable to 44% unfavorable; was 45% to 45% two weeks ago.
Mitt Romney: 46% favorable to 41% unfavorable; was 49% to 39% two weeks ago.
Issue advantage
Barack Obama trusted more to handle:
Foreign policy : 49%, to 45% for Romney; was 47% to 46% two weeks ago.
Social Security/Medicare : 49% to 46; two weeks ago, Romney was trusted more (48% to 45% for Obama).
Mitt Romney trusted more to handle:
Economy/jobs : 50%, to 46% for Obama; was 50% to 44% two weeks ago.
Federal budget/debt : 49% to 46%; was 51% to 42% two weeks ago.
The latest Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone with 1,417 likely voters in the United States from November 1 to 4, 2012. This sample has a margin of error of ± 2.6 percent. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, New Jersey.
DATA TABLES
The questions referred to in this release are as follows:
(* Some columns may not add to 100% due to rounding.)
1. If the election for President were today, would you vote for Mitt Romney the Republican, or Barack Obama the Democrat, or some other candidate? [IF UNDECIDED: At this moment, do you lean towards Mitt Romney or do you lean towards Barack Obama?] [NAMES WERE ROTATED] [Includes early voters who have already cast their ballots]
| (with leaners) |
Likely | PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | |||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Romney | 48% | 92% | 53% | 5% | 51% | 46% | 41% | 50% | 52% | 59% | 8% | 32% |
| Obama | 48% | 7% | 37% | 94% | 44% | 51% | 53% | 47% | 45% | 39% | 88% | 61% |
| Other candidate | 2% | 1% | 6% | 0% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 5% |
| (VOL) Undecided | 2% | 0% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 | June 2012 |
| Romney | 48% | 48% | 47% | 45% | 45% | 46% |
| Obama | 48% | 45% | 46% | 48% | 46% | 47% |
| Other candidate | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| (VOL) Undecided | 2% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 4% |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 | 1344 | 1149 |
1152 |
[QUESTIONS 2 AND 3 WERE ROTATED]
2. Is your general opinion of Mitt Romney favorable or unfavorable, or do you have no opinion?
|
Likely |
PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | ||||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Favorable | 46% | 87% | 48% | 8% | 48% | 44% | 36% | 46% | 51% | 56% | 15% | 27% |
| Unfavorable | 41% | 7% | 34% | 77% | 38% | 43% | 43% | 42% | 38% | 34% | 68% | 53% |
| No opinion | 13% | 6% | 18% | 16% | 14% | 13% | 21% | 12% | 11% | 10% | 18% | 20% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 | June. 2012 |
| Favorable | 46% | 49% | 46% | 41% | 40% | 38% |
| Unfavorable | 41% | 39% | 39% | 40% | 39% | 37% |
| No opinion | 13% | 12% | 15% | 19% | 21% | 25% |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 | 1344 | 1149 |
1152 |
3. Is your general opinion of Barack Obama favorable or unfavorable, or do you have no opinion?
|
Likely |
PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | ||||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Favorable | 47% | 9% | 36% | 92% | 42% | 52% | 45% | 50% | 45% | 38% | 85% | 58% |
| Unfavorable | 44% | 85% | 50% | 3% | 48% | 41% | 35% | 45% | 49% | 54% | 6% | 29% |
| No opinion | 8% | 7% | 13% | 5% | 10% | 7% | 19% | 5% | 5% | 7% | 9% | 13% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 | June 2012 |
| Favorable | 47% | 45% | 46% | 46% | 45% | 45% |
| Unfavorable | 44% | 45% | 45% | 43% | 43% | 43% |
| No opinion | 8% | 10% | 8% | 11% | 12% | 11% |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 | 1344 | 1149 |
1152 |
[QUESTIONS 4 TO 7 WERE ROTATED]
4. Who do you trust more to handle the economy and jobs – Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?
|
Likely |
PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | ||||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Romney | 50% | 93% | 57% | 6% | 53% | 47% | 46% | 50% | 53% | 60% | 10% | 35% |
| Obama | 46% | 7% | 35% | 92% | 43% | 49% | 49% | 47% | 43% | 36% | 86% | 60% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 4% | 0% | 9% | 2% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 |
| Romney | 50% | 50% | 49% | 45% | 45% |
| Obama | 46% | 44% | 45% | 48% | 45% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 4% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 10% |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 | 1344 |
1149 |
5. Who do you trust more to handle Social Security and Medicare – Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?
|
Likely |
PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | ||||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Romney | 46% | 88% | 50% | 5% | 48% | 44% | 36% | 49% | 50% | 56% | 10% | 32% |
| Obama | 49% | 8% | 41% | 93% | 46% | 52% | 54% | 48% | 46% | 40% | 83% | 62% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 5% | 4% | 10% | 2% | 6% | 5% | 10% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 7% | 5% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 |
| Romney | 46% | 48% | 45% | 42% | 43% |
| Obama | 49% | 45% | 46% | 50% | 46% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 5% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 11% |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 | 1344 |
1149 |
6. Who do you trust more to handle the federal budget and national debt – Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?
|
Likely |
PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | ||||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Romney | 49% | 91% | 56% | 6% | 52% | 47% | 43% | 51% | 51% | 60% | 11% | 31% |
| Obama | 46% | 7% | 35% | 90% | 43% | 48% | 50% | 45% | 43% | 36% | 83% | 59% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 5% | 2% | 8% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 7% | 3% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 10% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 |
| Romney | 49% | 51% | 48% | 47% | 46% |
| Obama | 46% | 42% | 44% | 47% | 44% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 5% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 10% |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 | 1344 |
1149 |
7. Who do you trust more to handle foreign policy – Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?
|
Likely |
PARTY ID | GENDER | AGE |
RACE | ||||||||
|
Rep | Ind | Dem | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black |
Hispanic | ||
| Romney | 45% | 86% | 50% | 5% | 47% | 42% | 36% | 46% | 49% | 55% | 8% | 26% |
| Obama | 49% | 11% | 39% | 93% | 47% | 52% | 55% | 49% | 46% | 39% | 86% | 67% |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 6% | 4% | 11% | 3% | 6% | 6% | 9% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 7% |
| TREND: Likely Voters | Nov. 2012 | Mid Oct. 2012 | Early Oct. 2012 | Sept. 2012 | Aug. 2012 |
| Romney | 45% | 46% | 45% | 42% |
n/a |
| Obama | 49% | 47% | 47% | 51% |
n/a |
| Not sure/Don’t know | 6% | 6% | 8% | 7% |
n/a |
| Unwtd N |
1417 | 1402 | 1360 |
1149 |
n/a |
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute from November 1 to 4, 2012 with a national random sample of 1,417 likely voters, including 511 via live interview on a landline telephone, 617 via interactive voice response (IVR) on a landline telephone, and 289 via live interview on a cell phone. Interviewing services were provided by Braun Research, Inc. (live landline and cell) and Survey USA (IVR and live cell) and the telephone sample was obtained from Survey Sampling International. Monmouth is responsible for all aspects of the survey questionnaire design, data weighting and analysis. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling has a maximum margin of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. Sampling error increases as the sample size decreases, so statements based on various population subgroups, such as separate figures reported by gender or party identification, are subject to more error than are statements based on the total sample. In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.
|
POLL DEMOGRAPHICS (weighted) LIKELY VOTERS | |||
| 31% Rep | 47% Male | 22% 18-34 |
72% White |
| 34% Ind | 53% Female | 39% 35-54 |
11% Black |
| 35% Dem | 39% 55+ |
12% Hispanic | |
|
5% Asian/Other | |||
Click on pdf file link below for full methodology and results by key demographic groups.
