Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary, Week # 101

January 03-09, 2010

EAST EUROPE

Yeltsin Right to Appoint Putin, Say Russians
Two-thirds of adults in Russia re satisfied with the last decision taken by former president Boris Yeltsin, according to a poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 66 per cent of respondents think Yeltsin was right in stepping down and appointing Vladimir Putin as his successor.
January 05, 2010

Few Russians Want a New Stalin in Charge
Few people in Russia would welcome a leader with the characteristics of former Soviet strongman Josef Stalin, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 58 per cent of respondents disagree with the notion that modern Russia needs someone like Stalin, up six points since 2005.
January 04, 2010

WEST EUROPE

Turkish Cypriots Would Shun Unity in Referendum
Most people in Turkish Cyprus would not endorse a plan to unify the island with Greek Cyprus, according to a poll by Redborder Research Company. 51.2 per cent of respondents would vote down a proposal resembling the so-called Annan plan, which a majority supported in a 2005 referendum.
January 08, 2010

NORTH AMERICA

Americans Divided Over Health Care Reform
People in the United States are split over the health care reform bill passed by the Senate last month, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 36 per cent of respondents support the legislation, while 39 per cent oppose it.
January 09, 2010

Democratic Support Dips Below Majority Level in 2009
The year 2009 marked the end of a three-year run of majority Democratic support among U.S. adults. Last year, an average of 49.0% of Americans identified as Democrats or said they leaned Democratic, the party's first yearly average below 50% since 2005. Still, Democrats maintained an average eight-point advantage in support over Republicans last year, as 40.7% of Americans identified as Republicans or leaned Republican.
January 6, 2010

Obama Starts 2010 With 50% Approval
President Barack Obama begins his second year as president with 50% of Americans approving and 44% disapproving of his overall job performance. This is well below the 68% approval rating Obama received in his first few days as president, and matches his average for all of December -- which included many days when public support for him fell slightly below that important symbolic threshold.
January 6, 2010

More Americans Went Uninsured in 2009 Than in 2008
While President Obama works with House and Senate leaders to hammer out a final healthcare bill before the State of the Union address, the legislation's goal of expanding coverage to the uninsured will need to cover a larger pool of Americans who are without health insurance. According to the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index, an average of 16.2% of American adults lacked health insurance coverage in 2009, up from 14.8% in 2008.
January 8, 2010

Stock Owners More Positive About Market in Coming Year
Stock owners in the U.S. have become somewhat more optimistic about the stock market over the last 20 months. In December, 55% said it was a good idea to invest in the market -- a turnaround from April 2008, when 55% said it was a bad idea. A majority of stock owners also at this point believe that stocks will be higher a year from now.
January 4, 2010

Canadians Disagree With Prorogation of Parliament
Many people in Canada believe their federal government was wrong to prorogue Parliament, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion published in the Toronto Star. 53 per cent of respondents share this view.
January 08, 2010

LATIN AMERICA

Most Argentines Reject Same-Sex Marriage
Many people in Argentina are against same-sex marriage, according to a poll by Poliarquía Consultores. 60 per cent of respondents disagree with allowing homosexual couples to get married.
January 05, 2010

AUSTRALASIA

A Third of Australians Unhappy with Rudd in 2009
About one third of people in Australia say the government led by Kevin Rudd underperformed in 2009, according to a poll by Essential Research. 31 per cent of respondents say the prime minister’s administration did somewhat worse or much worse than expected last year.
January 07, 2010

MULTI-COUNTARY POLLS

Three Countries OK with New Airport Scanners
People in three countries would prefer to go through an airport scanner than to be patted-down by an officer before boarding a flight, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 78 per cent of respondents in the United States, 73 per cent of Britons and 67 per cent of Canadians feel this way.
January 08, 2010

Few People Expect Legally Binding Climate Deal
People in three countries hold low expectations on the future of the Copenhagen Accord on climate change, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. Only 19 per cent of respondents in the United States, 16 per cent in Britain and 12 per cent in Canada expect the document to become a legally binding treaty.
January 06, 2010

Mixed Expectations For the New Decade by Adults in the Five Largest European Countries and the U.S
Thinking ahead ten years, pluralities of adults 64 and under in the U.S. (43%) and Spain (41%) as well as 37% of Germans are optimistic about the new decade while 44% of French adults and 36% of Britons are pessimistic. Two in five Italians (41%) are neither optimistic nor pessimistic.
December 30, 2009

The Western Balkans –a suitable case for “Shock Integration”
Support for EU accession has remained high in all countries of the region except Croatia. More than half of the people interviewed in the other countries thought that EU membership would be a good thing. In Macedonia and Serbia, however, this share has declined over the past three years. Croats continued to see the EU critically – nearly 4 in 10 thought of EU membership as being neither good nor bad – and a relative majority (43%) would vote against accession in a referendum.
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The complete detailed weekly reports of the project can be found on theGilani Research Foundation website.