Zone 3- Euro-Americas Summary, Week # 111

EAST EUROPE
Medvedev, Putin Early Favourites in Russia
Russia’s two main political leaders are also the top presidential contenders at this point, according to a poll by Bashkirova & Partners. 34 per cent of respondents would vote for current prime minister Vladimir Putin, while 26 per cent would support incumbent president Dmitry Medvedev.
March 15, 2010
Romanians Pessimistic About Country
A large majority of people in Romania think the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to a poll by CURS. 77 per cent of respondents share this opinion.
March 19, 2010
WEST EUROPE
Britons Doubt Afghanistan Will Be Stable in 2015
Many adults in Britain believe foreign soldiers will still be needed in Afghanistan five years from now, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 58 per cent of respondents think the Government of Afghanistan will not be able to run its affairs without the assistance of international troops.
March 17, 2010
Tories Keep Lead, Lib-Dems Gain in Britain
The opposition Conservative Party maintains a steady level of support in Britain, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 39 per cent of respondents would support the Tories in this year’s election to the House of Commons.
March 19, 2010
Just Over a Third of French Trust Sarkozy
Fewer adults in France hold a positive opinion of Nicolas Sarkozy, according to a poll by CSA published in Le Parisien. 36 per cent of respondents have confidence in their president to face the country’s problems, down four points since February.
March 16, 2010
Swedes Want Senior Monarch to Stay Put
Few people in Sweden believe the current monarch should abdicate after he turns 65, according to a poll by Synovate published in Dagens Nyheter. 62 per cent of respondents want King Carl XVI Gustaf to stay on.
March 14, 2010
Greek Cypriots Reject Rotating Presidency
Most people in Greek Cyprus oppose the idea of introducing a rotating presidency in the island, according to a poll by Symmetron Market Research published in Kathimerini. 59 per cent of respondents share this point of view, while 15 per cent would endorse the proposal.
March 17, 2010
NORTH AMERICA
Americans Expect Health Bill to Mainly Help Poor, Uninsured
The majority of Americans believe the healthcare bill Congress is currently considering will benefit those who lack health insurance and lower-income families. Americans tend to see more negative than positive effects on most other groups in society.
March 19, 2010
The Return of the Multi-Generational Family Household
This report documents major changes in family household living arrangements that have unfolded over the past three decades and accelerated during the Great Recession. Its principal focus is on the revival since 1980 of the multi-generational family household.
March 18, 2010
Obama Not Meeting Americans' Lofty Expectations on Issues
Americans' ratings of the job President Barack Obama is doing in three key areas are much less positive than their expectations were for him shortly after he took office. Americans give Obama the best review for protecting the environment and the worst for making America prosperous.
March 17, 2010
Americans Firm in Prioritizing Economy Over Environment
For only the second time in more than two decades and the second straight year, Americans are more likely to say economic growth should take precedence over environmental protection when the two objectives conflict (53%) than to say the reverse (38%).
March 18, 2010
In U.S., Many Environmental Issues at 20-Year-Low Concern
Americans are less worried about each of eight specific environmental problems than they were a year ago, and on all but global warming and maintenance of the nation's fresh water supply, concern is the lowest Gallup has measured. Americans worry most about drinking-water pollution and least about global warming.
March 16, 2010
82% of Public Believe Wall Street Should Be Regulated More Toughly
American attitudes towards Wall Street are ambivalent. Most people believe that Wall Street benefits the country and that what it does is "absolutely essential." However, attitudes towards the people who work on Wall Street are overwhelmingly negative and are far lower than they were before 2008 and the bail-out of large banks and other financial institutions, with little or no improvement over the last year. The net result? Fully 82% of all adults believe that Wall Street should be regulated more toughly.
March 11, 2010
Race for Control of Congress Remains Close
Gallup's weekly read on the race for Congress shows Democrats with a 47% to 44% edge over Republicans among registered voters, unchanged from last week. However, this represents a significantly smaller margin for the Democrats than the final Gallup estimate before the last midterm elections, in 2006.
March 16, 2010
Generational Differences on Abortion Narrow
Gallup analysis of U.S. public opinion trends on abortion shows that generational differences in support for broadly legal abortion have diminished over the past decade. In the mid-1970s, when Gallup started polling on the issue, adults aged 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 were the most supportive of legal abortion under any circumstances, and those 65 and older the least, with 50- to 64-year-olds falling in between. That pattern continued through the late 1990s. Since 2000, however, all age groups with the exception of seniors have shown similar levels of support for broadly legal abortion.
March 12, 2010
Americans' Weekly Spending Hits New High for 2010
With stocks at a new high for the year, pent-up demand from the snowstorms of prior weeks, and perhaps the arrival of some tax refunds, Americans' self-reported spending reached its highest level of the year during the week ending March 14.
March 17, 2010
Americans Split on Placing Reagan on $50 Bill
A proposal to place Ronald Reagan’s likeness on all $50 bills has divided views in the United States, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 41 per cent of respondents support the idea, while 39 per cent oppose it.
March 14, 2010
LATIN AMERICA
Chileans Expect a Good Piñera Government
People in Chile have high expectations for their new government, according to a poll by Adimark Gfk. 59 per cent of respondents expect the country to do well under new president Sebastián Piñera.
March 15, 2010
Chile’s Bachelet Leaves with Enviable Rating
A large proportion of adults in Chile are satisfied with the performance of their outgoing president, according to a poll by Adimark Gfk. 84 per cent of respondents approve of Michelle Bachelet’s performance.
March 13, 2010
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The complete detailed weekly reports of the project can be found on theGilani Research Foundation website.