1935 | Social Security | Social Security Act passes. 89% of Americans favor "old-age pensions for needy persons." Average payment favored: $40 for single person, $60 for a couple. | |
1936 | Royal Wedding | Britain's King Edward VIII's announcement he will marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson is favored by 61% of Americans. After the marriage, he abdicates his throne. | |
1937 | Supreme Court | Country is split on President Roosevelt's failed attempt to increase the size of the Supreme Court "to make it liberal," with 44% opposed, 41% in favor. | |
1938 | Minimum Wage | Minimum Wage law is enacted, with the minimum set at 40 cents an hour; 62% think it should be different for different sections of the country. | |
1939 | Third Term President | President Roosevelt considers running for a precedent-shattering third term. 63% of the American public disapproves. But in 1940, he easily wins re-election. | |
1940 | Peacetime Draft | Enactment of the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history enjoys overwhelming support, with 89% saying it is "a good thing." | |
1940 | U.S. to Enter WWII | Prior to entering World War II, 62% percent of the American public believes that defeating Germany is more important than staying out of the war. | |
1941 | Government Strike | As union strike tactics appear on a collision course with government efforts at war readiness, 79% say government workers should not be allowed to go on strike. | |
1942 | Government Control | Government controls go into effect; 52% say gas rationing is necessary nationwide, 32% say it is not, 17% don't know. | |
1943 | During WWII | Americans willing to help the war effort, as 44% believe the government has gone "not far enough" in asking people to making to sacrifices for the war. | |
1943 | The Holocaust | As reports of mass killings of Jews in Europe spread, 48% of the public say they believe the reports are true, 28% say they are "just a rumor." | |
1944 | Women in the Workforce | Women take jobs left by men drafted into armed forces. 59% say those with such jobs should be required to give them up "when the serviceman returns." | |
1945 | The Atom Bomb | Atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 65% say the U.S. will not be able to keep the secret of making the atomic bomb to itself. | |
1945 | Surrender | Only 12% of the public say they dissapprove of requiring unconditional surrender from our enemy. | |
1945 | Aid to Japan | The public supports helping Japan; 66% say they would be willing to put up with food shortages "in order to give food to people who need it in Japan." | |
1946 | The United Nations | United Nations holds its first meeting in New York City. 54% want the U.N. strengthened "with power to control armed forces of all nations, including the U.S." | |
1947 | Marshall Plan | The Marshall Plan is instituted, pouring massive amounts of aid into Europe. But only 68% of Americans have heard of it, and only half of them approve of the plan. | |
1948 | The Cold War | Public divided on who is winning the cold war with 31% saying Russia, 28% saying the U.S. and 30% saying neither. | |
1948 | Male Sexuality | Kinsey Report on Sexuality in the Human Male is released. 57% say report is "a good thing", 11% say "a bad thing". | |
1949 | TV | Only 6% have televisions in their homes, and only 44% have seen a TV program of any kind, but 62% think TV "will someday take the place of radio in the home". | |
1950 | The Korean War | When American troops return to combat as the Korean War breaks out, 66% expect the fighting to end within a year. But China enters the war, and it lasts three more years. | |
1951 | Truman During War | 66% disapprove of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's removal from his Korea command by President Truman for publicly challenging Truman's conduct of the war. | |
1952 | Possible Steel Strike | President Truman seizes the nation's steel mills to avert a strike. Only 35% approve of his action, which is later overturned by the Supreme Court. | |
1953 | Stalin Dies | Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin dies, but Cold War tensions are not lessened. 79% still say Russia is trying to build itself up to be the ruling power of the world. | |
1954 | Polio Vaccination | Large-scale vaccination with the Salk polio vaccine begins; about half the nation (53%) expresses confidence it will work. | |
1955 | School Desegregation | Supreme Court orders public school segregation ended "with all deliberate speed." 72% in East favor desegregation, 61% in the Midwest, 77% in the West, 20% in the South. | |
1956 | Interstate Highways | Congress inaugurates the Interstate Highway system. 76% say "more express highways are needed between the large cities" of the U.S. Most favored way of paying: toll charges (41%). | |
1957 | Sputnik | Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. Americans estimate it will take 20 years before men in rockets will reach the moon. It happens in twelve years. | |
1958 | Alaska Statehood | Alaskans vote to become the first state added to the union in 47 years. 73% of Americans are in favor. Both Alaska and Hawaii achieve statehood in 1959. | |
1959 | Khrushchev Invited | 50% of Americans favor inviting Soviet Premier Khrushchev to the U.S. The invitation is issued, and Khrushchev holds summit talks with President Eisenhower. | |
1960 | Televised Debates | 39% say they do not have much interest in watching John Kennedy and Richard Nixon engage in the first televised debates between presidential candidates. | |
1961 | The Berlin Wall | Reacting to Soviet threats, 71% say the U.S. and its allies should fight their way into Berlin if necessary. Soviets back down from blockade threats but erect the Berlin Wall. | |
1962 | Cuban Missile Crisis | President Kennedy's handling of the Cuban missile crisis draws strong support, with 49% of Americans saying it's the best thing he's done since taking office. | |
1963 | Kennedy Assassination | A week after President Kennedy's assassination, only 29% think Harvey Oswald acted alone. | |
1964 | Civil Rights | A sweeping Civil Rights Law includes bans on discrimination in jobs, voting and public accommodations. 62% favor a gradual approach to enforcement of the law. | |
1965 | Vietnam | 25% of the public describes sending troops to Vietnams as a mistake; that number would grow to 61% by 1971. | |
1965 | Vietnam | Americans are split on whether the Vietnam conflict is likely to lead to a bigger war: 45% say yes, 44% say no. | |
1966 | Anti-Poverty | As President Johnson's anti-poverty program takes effect across the nation, 48% say they approve, 31% disapprove. | |
1967 | Race Riots | Racial rioting breaks out in numerous U.S. cities. One in eight Americans expects "serious racial troubles in their community" within six months. | |
1968 | Robert Kennedy Assassination | In the last Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll before Senator Robert Kennedy is assassinated, 25% of Democrats said they favor him as their presidential nominee, 32% pick Eugene McCarthy, 29% choose Hubert Humphrey. | |
1969 | Student Protests | Students seize campuses to protest the Vietnam War and demand more say in academics. 55% say students should not have a larger role in academics, 33% say they should. | |
1970 | Busing and School Integration | Widespread court-ordered busing to achieve school integration draws numerous protests, with 86% opposing busing from one school district to another. | |
1971 | Lower Voting Age | 26th Amendment lowers minimum voting age to 18. Lowering to 18 for local and state elections is favored by 60%. | |
1972 | Nixon Visits China | President Nixon shocks the world when he visits China, whose Communist government the U.S. had shunned. 68% say the visit will improve world peace. | |
1973 | Legalized Abortion | Supreme Court's decision establishes the legality of abortion. 46% favor permitting a woman to end her pregnancy during the first three months, 45% are opposed. | |
1974 | Watergate | Facing an impeachment trial for the Watergate scandal, President Nixon resigns. In the last Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll before his resignation, 57% say he should be removed from office. | |
1975 | High Unemployment | Unemployment reaches 9%, its highest level since World War II. 43% of Americans think the U.S. is heading toward a depression. | |
1976 | Capital Punishment | Supreme Court restores the legality of capital punishment. 66% favor the death penalty for those convicted of murder. | |
1977 | The Panama Canal | Panama Canal Treaty is signed, which would end U.S. control of the canal in 1999. 53% disapprove of the treaty, which is ratified by the Senate in 1978. | |
1978 | Middle East Peace | Israel and Egypt normalize relations with the Camp David accords. 42% say the accords will not lead to lasting peace between Egypt and Israel, 31% say they will. | |
1979 | Gas Prices | As gas shortages cause spiraling prices, 14% say the shortage is real, 77% say it was brought about deliberately by the oil companies. | |
1980 | Olympic Boycott | President Carter calls for a boycott of the Olympics in Moscow as a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 61% favor the boycott. | |
1981 | Air Traffic Control Strike | Air traffic controllers are fired by President Reagan when they refuse to end their strike. 59% approve of Reagan's action. | |
1982 | Equal Rights | Equal Rights Amendment dies when it fails to get the approval of 38 states needed for ratification. 56% favor the ERA amendment, 34% oppose it. | |
1983 | AIDS | The disease of AIDS sinks into the public's consciousness, with 77% saying they have heard about it. 33% say they expect a cure for it within a year. | |
1984 | Woman For Vice President | Democrats nominate Geraldine Ferraro for vice president. 78% say they would vote for a qualified woman for president, up from 66% in 1971 and 31% in 1937. | |
1985 | The Budget | As concern grows about the federal budget deficit, 49% say they would support a Balanced Budget amendment. | |
1986 | Challenger Explosion | Space shuttle Challenger explodes, killing all seven aboard. 80% say the shuttle program should be continued. 50% of men would like to go on a flight, 26% of women. | |
1987 | Iran-Contra | House and Senate committees hold hearings on the Iran-Contra affair. 75% say President Reagan is holding back information. | |
1988 | Personal Finance | A strong economy has 63% expecting to be financially better off next year. But only 41% are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. overall. | |
1989 | End of the Cold War | Communist regimes throughout Eastern Europe fall; Berlin Wall is smashed. 46% say it marks the beginning of the end for communism, 47% say it does not. | |
1990 | War in Iraq | Iraq seizes Kuwait, U.S. responds with a massive military buildup. At end of the year, 47% say liberation of Kuwait is worth going to war, 45% say it is not. | |
1991 | Bush's Approval Rating | President Bush's approval rating hits 89%, highest ever for a president, after U.S. wins the Gulf War. It sinks to 50% by December and bottoms out in 1992 at 29%. | |
1992 | 3rd Party Candidate | Ross Perot makes polling history by leading the presidential race briefly in June as a third-party candidate with 39%. He winds up with 19% of the popular vote. | |
1993 | Waco | FBI assault on a Waco, Texas, religious cult goes awry, and more than 75 cult members die. 83% say it was appropriate for FBI to take action against the cult. | |
1994 | GOP Sweep | GOP wins control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. 37% say they expect the Republicans to bring real reform to Congress, 56% don't think so. | |
1995 | The O.J. Simpson Case | O.J. Simpson is found not guilty of killing his ex-wife. Only 33% agree with the verdict, but 75% say the jury did "the best job they could in the circumstances." | |
1996 | Welfare | 68% of registered voters favor a wide-ranging welfare bill that ends federal guarantees of subsidies to poor people with children. | |
1997 | Death of Princess Diana | In reaction to the death of Britain's Princess Diana, 27% of Americans say they are as upset as if someone they knew personally had died. | |
1998 | Impeachment | A week after President Clinton is accused of having a sexual affair with a White House intern, the public gives him the highest approval rating of his presidency - 67%. Ultimately only 36% favored impeaching Clinton on the eve of the House vote in December. | |
1999 | A Strong Economy | The percentage of Americans describing the U.S. economy as "excellent" or "good" reached 74% in June, compared to a low of 10% in 1993. |
Timeline Of Polling History: Events That Shaped the United States, and the World
The Â鶹´«Ã½AV Poll: 65 Years of Polling History