WASHINGTON, D.C. -- From our unique vantage point, Â鶹´«Ã½AV.Com reviews some of the most defining findings of the year that was 2008.
January
- After the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, and .
- In mid-January, , a Â鶹´«Ã½AV high for January of an election year.
- Amid the United States' tough rhetoric toward Iran, .
February
- marking the biggest monthly jump since the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
- Bucking a trend evident since March 2004, .
- Despite neither candidate's having yet secured enough delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination, .
- In a sharp turnaround from eight years ago,
- Â鶹´«Ã½AV Polls conducted worldwide provide .
March
- -- the highest level Â鶹´«Ã½AV has recorded.
- and his highest since February 2000.
- if Barack Obama were the Democratic nominee.
- with 44% of Americans rating economic conditions as "poor" and 87% saying the economy is getting worse.
- from 18% in 2007, with Iran, Iraq, and China now leading the list.
April
- After the government steps in to keep Bear Stearns from going into bankruptcy, .
- Eventual running mate Sarah Palin is not on the list.
- As the protracted campaign for the Democratic nomination continues in high gear,
- Â鶹´«Ã½AV Polls find U.S. citizens
- Across the five countries that contribute more than half of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, .
May
- more than say the same about any other economic issue.
- , though later, .
- .
- The California Supreme Court's decision to overturn a state ban on gay marriage runs contrary to the viewpoint of the majority of Americans,
June
- For the first time in Â鶹´«Ã½AV's 32-year history of asking the question,
- and the lowest Â鶹´«Ã½AV has ever measured for any institution.
- largely explaining why weekends are consistently happier than weekdays.
July
- Coincident with his well-publicized trip abroad, Barack Obama enjoys over John McCain in Â鶹´«Ã½AV Poll Daily tracking of registered voters, 49% to 40%.
- up from 40% in February.
- Â鶹´«Ã½AV Polls around the world reveal that
August
- .
- Initial reaction to both vice presidential running mate choices is similar -- with
- As conflict erupts between Russia and Georgia, .
September
- After the Democratic National Convention ends and the Republican National Convention begins, .
- After the candidates' respective national conventions, into the lead.
- After the end of the Republican National Convention,
- As the U.S. economic crisis unfolds, Â鶹´«Ã½AV measures , from 34% to 44% in just a matter of days.
- amid the possibility of an unprecedented U.S. government bailout of financial institutions.
October
- After a week of devastating losses on Wall Street, , the lowest satisfaction reading in Â鶹´«Ã½AV history.
- the highest level since Â鶹´«Ã½AV began asking this question in October 2001.
- only three percentage points above the lowest presidential approval rating in Â鶹´«Ã½AV Poll history.
- , and .
- By month's end, and .
November
- 55% of likely voters prefer Obama and 44% prefer McCain.
- After Obama's election, .
- More than two-thirds of Americans see Obama's election as president as either , or among the two or three most important such advances.
- , marking a sharp contrast to earlier in the year.
- with 47% favoring it and 49% opposing it.
- .
- A Â鶹´«Ã½AV Poll in India shows that before the terrorist attacks in Mumbai,
December
- 47% to 46%, marking a reversal from when the package was passed.
- , amid the jump in new jobless claims and the failure of an auto bailout bill. .
- Despite news reports to the contrary, .
Stay with Â鶹´«Ã½AV.Com as we track reactions to the news as it happens in 2009.
Survey Methods
Â鶹´«Ã½AV surveys 1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older, every day and also conducts additional surveys. In most cases, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2-3 percentage points. For detailed survey methods on any results reported here, please visit the original story.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).
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.