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Majority of Uninsured American Will Buy Insurance

In a recent report from Gallup Healthcare by Frank Newport and Kyley McGeeney, it was found that 65% of uninsured Americans plan to buy insurance as directed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) while 25% plan not to buy insurance but to pay the associated fine. Less than half of uninsured Americans (48%) say that they will seek insurance in health insurance exchange programs offered by either their state government or the federal government while 36% of the uninsured said that they will make their insurance purchase through one of the government programs.

In this round, the Gallup Daily Tracking Survey asked Americans about their awareness of provisions in the the ACA, which goes into effect on January 1, 2014. and how they plan to respond to those provisions. Gallup surveyed a nationally representative sample of 5,099 insured and uninsured American adults via landline and cell phone from September 17, 2013 through September 26, 2013.

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http://www.gallup.com/poll/164696/two-three-uninsured-americans-plan-buy-insurance.aspx

Importance of Career Advancement by Age

In a recent report of the Gallup survey, “Work and Education Survey,” by Frank Newport, it was found that “young men and women value their careers similarly which is different than older men and women.” The annual survey was conducted August 7-11, 2013, by cell or landline telephones, of a random sample of 1,039 adults who were employed either full or part time, and lived in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A little more than half of American workers (54%) said that it is “extremely or very important” that they advance in their careers over time, with young workers (67%) much more likely to say so than those who are older (30%).

http://www.gallup.com/poll/164048/young-men-women-value-career-similarly-unlike-elders.aspx

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In 2013, Americans Exercise Less

In a recent report from the Gallup and Healthways survey, Well-Being Index, which tracks well being in the US, it was found that fewer Americans engaged in frequent physical activity in 2013 than in 2012. The report is based on the Well-Being Index that was fielded from June 1 through June 30, 2013 and surveyed 15,235 American adults from all parts of the country.

Gallup and Healthways have been monitoring US adults’ exercise habits since January, 2008, and over time, have found that exercise is seasonal and tends to decline when the weather gets cold, such as in the fall and winter. However in 2012, more Americans reported exercising frequently than previously. This seemed to relate to last year’s unusually warm temperatures. The report proposes that Americans’ exercise behaviors may have returned to normal along with the temperatures.

Approval Rates of Black and White Marriage

A recent article from Gallup based on their Minority Rights and Relations poll, conducted June 13-July 5 which surveyed 4,373 Americans, including 1,010 non-Hispanic Blacks reports one of the largest shifts of public opinion in Gallup history, 87% of Americans now favor marriage between Blacks and Whites, up from 4% in 1958. The report explained its findings:

Approval of marriages between Blacks and Whites is up one percentage point from 2011, when this attitude was last measured. Approval has generally increased in a linear fashion from Gallup's first measure in 1958, reaching the majority threshold in 1997, and crossing the three-quarters line in 2004. Eleven percent of Americans today say they disapprove of Black-White marriage, compared with 94% who disapproved in 1958.

Blacks' approval of Black-White marriage (96%) is now nearly universal, while Whites' approval is 12 percentage points lower, at 84%. Blacks' approval has consistently been higher than Whites' over the decades, although attitudes among both racial groups have generally moved in a parallel manner since 1968, when Gallup was first able to report reliable estimates of each group's opinion. The gap between Black approval and White approval in recent years has been smaller than it was prior to 1997.

Read the full article here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/163697/approve-marriage-blacks-whites.aspx

Smoking Ban Support Increases in US

In a recent article on the Web site, Gallup Wellbeing, by Andrew Dugan, based on the Gallup Daily Tracking Survey that interviews a random sample of 2,027 adults, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia by telephone that was conducted July 10-14, 2013, it was found that 22% of respondents say that they would support a complete smoking ban today, up from 12% in 2007. Additionally, this article reports that 55% of respondents support a smoking ban in all public places.

Though support is growing, the percentage of Americans wanting to ban smoking entirely remains relatively low. Nonwhites (39%) back a complete smoking ban and those with no more than a high school diploma (29%) are more likely than those with more education to say they want to make smoking illegal. In a previous survey, it was found that respondents with no college education were generally the most likely to smoke. Not surprisingly, less than 10% of smokers support the ban and only 12% of Midwesterners compared to 25% of respondents in other regions of the country are supportive of the ban. Republicans support (19%) mostly aligns with the overall support of the ban while Democrats support (26%) is slightly higher.

Half of Iranians Lack Adequate Money for Food, Shelter

According to a recent Gallup Poll of based on telephone surveys of Iranian adults during 2011 through 2012, half of respondents say there have been times in the past year when they had trouble paying for adequate shelter and food for their families. The 50% figure is the highest among 19 populations in the Middle East and North Africa region that Gallup surveyed in 2012 and 2013.

Iranian’s election of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani to the presidency has been widely interpreted as evidence of their desire for meaningful change in the country. Widespread economic hardship among the Iranian people carries mixed implications for the future of relations between Washington and Tehran under President Rouhani. Some Western leaders may take the effects of the international sanctions on the Iranian people as a sign that the sanctions are working and should be maintained. However, U.S. officials claim that the Iranian people are not the target of the sanctions. Almost half of Iranians (46%) say they hold the U.S. responsible for the international sanctions against their country, while 13% blame their own government. What's more, Gallup finds that most Iranians (68%) still support the country's efforts to develop its nuclear capabilities. Additionally, the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently reported no signs that sanctions have slowed down Iran's nuclear program.

Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is -8 for June, similar to -7 in May

According to a recent Gallup Poll, Americans' confidence in the economy held steady in June, despite U.S. stock prices registering a monthly decline for the first time this year. The results for June are based on Gallup Daily tracking interviews, conducted by landline and cellphone, with more than 15,000 Americans.

Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is based on two components: Americans' assessments of current economic conditions in the United States and their perceptions of whether the economy is getting better or worse. Americans remain more negative than positive toward the U.S economy's current state and future momentum.

Gallup's Economic Confidence Index averaged -8 in June, on par with -7 in May -- the highest monthly score since Gallup began tracking economic confidence daily in January 2008.

While U.S. stock prices declined in June, the Dow and S&P still had their best performances in the first half of the year since the late 1990s. Higher stock prices this year and increased optimism about housing prices have likely contributed to Americans' growing confidence.

Young Americans Oppose Internet Sales Tax

In a recent Gallup poll, the majority of Americans (57%) say they would vote against a law that would allow each state to collect sales taxes on purchases its residents make online over the Internet. Young adults (73%) voice the most widespread opposition to such a law.

The Senate passed an Internet sales tax bill, the Marketplace Fairness Act, last month on a bipartisan basis, but it has yet to pass the House. This legislation would allow states to require online sellers to collect sales taxes, which would go to state and local governments. The legislation would apply to online retailers earning at least $1 million in sales outside of states where they have brick-and-mortar locations. Currently, online retailers do not have to collect sales taxes on Internet purchases unless they have a physical presence in the state.

This legislation faces more opposition in the House than it did in the Senate, with numerous members, including House Speaker John Boehner, criticizing it. The White House has announced that the president supports the legislation.

Age largely shapes Americans' views on taxing Internet sales. Younger Americans are much more likely than older Americans to oppose such a law. If Republicans in the House oppose the Internet sales tax bill, that may help the GOP's appeal to younger Americans, a key demographic in the party's plans to build support before the 2014 and 2016 elections.

World Remains Glum About Job Prospects

A 2012 Gallup poll of approximately 1,000 adults in each of 141 countries, it was found that Europe continues to lead the world in job market pessimism. Fifty-seven percent of adults worldwide said it was a bad time to find a job in their local communities last year, unchanged from 2011. One-third said it was a good time to find a job, also mirroring the 2011 figure.

European countries, and particularly those that use the euro, dominate the list of places where residents are most pessimistic about the job market. Greece, Italy, and Spain were among the worst places to find a job last year, according to their citizens.

In Greece, a country that saw its economy shrink a cumulative 20.1% between 2007 and 2012, residents were nearly unanimous in assessing job prospects as bad (98%). The percentage of Greeks saying it is a bad time to find a job has soared 30 points over that same time span.

Spain has suffered and continues to suffer from depression-like unemployment rates, so it is small surprise that 94% of residents considered it a bad time to find a job in 2012. Italy, weighed down by a massive debt load and a contracting economy, also had an astronomical percentage of its citizens (95%) expressing job pessimism.

The former Soviet Union saw the largest increase last year in the percentage of adults saying it was a good time to find work, with 27% saying this, up four points from the year before.

Notably, no country from Sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East/North Africa appears on the list of the worst countries to find a job. This does not signal uncommonly high job optimism in those areas, rather, it speaks to the depth of job pessimism haunting Europe.

Job perceptions across the world did not improve in 2012, even as most countries continued to recover from the global financial crisis. Countries where residents were most optimistic about their ability to find work are largely resource-based economies that have the benefit of selling an always-in-demand product, such as oil. The world's largest or most advanced economies, on the other hand, are among the places residents are most pessimistic about the job market. In particular, job pessimism has blanketed nearly every part of Europe, the world's second-richest continent.

U.S. Investors' Worries

According to a recent Gallup poll, from which the Wells Fargo/Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism Index is based, the top worries of investors in the US are a politically divided government and the budget deficit. Fifty-four percent of investors say now is a good time to invest in the financial markets, up from 51% in March and 39% in November 2012. Still, in a separate question, 62% of investors anticipated a market correction that would take back significant market gains later this year. Despite that expectation, only 16% of those who expected a correction say they shifted into safer investments, while 80% made no changes to their portfolio's composition.

From a list of 10 specific issues, investors are most likely to say the greatest challenge they are facing is "a politically divided federal government," with 73% saying it is hurting the current investment climate "a lot." This item has been near or at the top of investors' concerns since September 2011. The federal budget deficit is investors' second-greatest concern, with 67% saying it is hurting the investment climate a lot; this has been near the top of investors' worries over the past 2 1/2 years.

Investors' concerns about a politically divided federal government are also consistent with Gallup's recent polling concerning the problems facing the country.

The Wells Fargo/Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism Index, conducted quarterly, is a broad measure of investor perceptions that tends to be a precursor of economic activity. The current survey, conducted May 16-27, included a random sample of 1,426 investors.

The index peaked at 178 in January 2000, just before the dot-com bubble burst, and hit a low of -64 in February 2009, just before the equity markets bottomed out in March 2009.

U.S. Hispanic Adults Twice as Likely to Identify or Lean Democratic

According to Gallup, a compilation of daily tracking data for 2012 shows that 51% of Hispanic adults identify as or lean Democratic, with 24% of Hispanic respondents identifying as or leaning Republican. Upon further probing of initial responses, 20% of Hispanics were true independents and did not have a party preference.

This trends holds true across age groups for the Hispanic population. 50% of the 18-34 and 35-54 age group identified or leaned Democratic, while the 59% of the 55+ age group identified similarly. While similar across age groups, the Hispanic population is not as identified with the Democratic Party as the Non-Hispanic Black population, but more likely than the Non-Hispanic White population to identify with the Democratic Party. In addition, an earlier Gallup analysis reveals that U.S.-born Hispanics were more likely to be Republican than their foreign-born counterparts.

Little Progress Made in Reducing Obesity Levels

Gallup reports that despite public campaigns aimed at encouraging healthy eating habits and reducing high levels of obesity, it appears that much more work is needed to combat the current health crisis. There were small changes in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012, with obesity increasing by 0.7% from 2011 to 2012. It is estimated that as of 2012, 26.2% of Americans are obese, 36.1% are overweight, and a little more than a third were a normal weight. These results are especially troubling, since obesity rates were expected to decline given that a higher percentage of Americans claimed to exercise frequently and more believed that obesity was a paramount public health issue.

Obesity levels varied by socioeconomic status, race, region, and gender. According to Gallup's study, 20.4% of those with incomes under $36,000 identified as obese. Among those with annual incomes above $90,000, only 21.2% were obese. African Americans continue to have the highest levels of obesity, with 34.9% reporting that they are obese. This is 8% higher than obesity levels among Hispanics, and nearly 10% higher than obesity levels among whites. Obesity levels are also highest in the South, with 28.1% surveyed reporting that they are obese, followed by 27.4% among people in the Midwest, 25% in the East, and 23.2% on the West Coast. Lastly, obesity levels were higher among men, with roughly 27.3% reporting that they are obese compared to 25% of women.

Police Presence and Mental Health are Key Concerns Regarding School Violence

In response to the school shooting in Newton, Connecticut, Gallup asked Americans what they thought would be the most effective in a series of options to curb similar violence. The top three choices show that the majority of respondents think that increasing police presence, increasing mental health screening and treatment, and decreasing gun violence in the media should be key concerns of policymakers that are responding to the tragedy in Connecticut.

The ensuing debate has centered on gun control and this poll reveals more contention on this issue, as compared with the top three responses. 42% believe that banning the sale of assault and semi-automatic guns would be "very effective," while only 21% think it would be "somewhat effective" and 36% see such control as "not effective."

This contention carries into partisan lines, as 61% of Democrats view gun control as very effective, while only 26% of Republicans feel similarly. Similarly, mental health carried partisan trends, with Democrats more strongly supporting mental health screening and treatment than Republicans (67% to 35%). Republicans on the other hand tended to support decreasing depictions of violence in the media and having at least one school official carry a gun (55% and 49%, respectively), when compared with Democrats (44%, 27%).

Positive Momentum in Economic Confidence

A recent report released by Gallup Economy indicates that Americans' confidence in the US economy is the highest it has been in four years. The monthly average of economic confidence in November (-13) is significantly improved from confidence levels recorded during the onset of the Great Recession in January 2008 (-32). Throughout the month of November, Economic Confidence was relatively stable, ranging from a high (-10) in the week leading up to the presidential election and dropping slightly toward the end of the month (-15) as the fiscal cliff approaches.

The Gallop Economic Confidence Index determines monthly averages of economic confidence by averaging Americans' interpretation of current economic conditions and their future expectations for the US economy. Although in November more Americans viewed the economy as "poor" (38%) than "excellent" or "good" (17%) and the net score of Americans' opinions of the current US economy was negative (-11), the average rating of the current US economic conditions in November was the highest it had been since March 2008 (-20). Additionally, while more Americans believe that the US economy is getting worse (50%) rather than better (45%) for an economic outlook net score of (-5), the economic outlook score is steadily improving. Therefore, while Americans' assessment of the current economy and their economic outlook is bleak, it is the best it has been nearly five years.

Certain subgroups of the American population are more confident in the US economy. Notably, Democrat (30), Black (30), Hispanic (6), and 18-29 year old (3) Americans reported the highest levels of confidence in the US economy, whereas married (-20), elderly (-23) White (-23) and Republican (-59) Americans expressed the least confidence in the US economy.

American Perception of Job Climate at Highest Since Financial Crisis

According to a survey conducted by Gallup, 24% of Americans think of now as a good time to find a quality job. Out of context 24% may seem low, but this number reflects the highest the workplace outlook has been since the financial crisis began in March in 2008.

Perceptions differ from region to region, with people in the Midwest and South viewing their prospects more negatively, at 22% and 19% respectively, with Americans from the West (31%) and East (28%) tend to view their job climates more favorably.

These more positive perceptions occur in tangent with two indexes created by Gallup that are currently experiencing upticks, the Job Creation Index and the Economic Confidence Index, which can be seen here.

Deteriorating Jobs Outlook Across the EU

Across the European Union, the jobs outlook is steadily worsening. According to a Gallup report, over 90% of citizens in Greece (98%), Italy (95%), Spain (94%), and Ireland (92%) think that it is a "bad time" to find a job in their area. The majority of citizens in 25 of the 27 countries in the European Union report a pessimistic job outlook. This finding coincides with Eurostat's findings that the EU is currently experiencing some of the highest unemployment levels ever recorded in Europe. Countries with the most staggering unemployment rates include Spain (23.8%), Greece (25.1%), Latvia (15.9%), Portugal (15.7%), Ireland (15.1%), and Slovakia (13.9%). The jobs outlook across the EU has worsened since 2011, and in recent months (August 2012-September 2012), unemployment levels have continued to decrease. Since 2011, the jobs outlook has gotten significantly worse in Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden, France, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.

It is important to note that since 2011, there have been improvements in the jobs outlook in Latvia and Estonia. Additionally, the majority of Germans (46% compared to 43%) and approximately 1/3 of Swedes (32%) and Austrians (35%) feel that it is a "good time" to find a job in their country. Comparatively, 25% of Americans feel it is a "good time" to find jobs in their area. Also, the estimated percentage of the population that is employed by a full time employer has remained stable in most EU countries in 2012.

However, the countries that have severely pessimistic jobs outlooks also have the lowest percentage of full-time employees. Less than 1 in 3 adults are employed full time in Greece, Romania, Italy, Belgium, Spain, and Ireland. Because of the decreasing percentage of the population that is employed full time, the tax-base is shrinking. Therefore, countries across the EU are not just facing high unemployment levels and dismal job outlooks; they are facing long-term economic instability.

National Job Creation Remains Steady

The Gallop Job Creation Index averaged around +19 in October. The Job Creation Index is obtained from surveying employees’ perceptions of workplace hiring and firing. The percentage of employers who are firing is subtracted from the percentage of employers who are hiring. For the month of October, 35% of respondents said that their employers were expanding their workforce and 16% of respondents indicated that their employers were reducing their workforce. These estimates of hiring and firing nationwide have remained steady in recent months, as the Job Creation Index has stayed in between +16 and +20 for the majority of 2012.

Regionally, employers in the Midwest (+23) and the South (+19) are consistently hiring and expanding more than employers in the East (+16) and West (+16). In addition, nongovernment employers continue to score higher on the Job Creation Index (+22) than public-sector employers (+4). However, in October, federal government employers (+8 percentage change) and state government employers (+5 percentage change) showed a significantly greater increase in Job Creation Index scores than private sector employers (+1 percentage change).

Ultimately, nationally, the Gallop Job Creation Index remains steady and positive. However, the nation’s net-hiring score has not yet been restored to its pre-Recession 2008 peak (+26). It is predicted that in response to the 2012 election, hiring and firing averages will fluctuate. If government leaders are able to effectively respond to economic challenges and implement national policies that boost employers’ confidence in the economy, it can be expected that the nation’s net-hiring score will improve.

Gallup Poll: Better Off This Year, but Not by Much

In an extremely close poll conducted by Gallup, Americans were asked about their opinion regarding their personal financial situation this year as compared with last; are things better, worse, or the same?

38% of Americans described their financial situations as better than last year, jumping for the first time since 2008 over Americans who considered themselves worse off. Considering the 4% points separating the two opinions, the finding is not abrupt, but signals questionably positive public opinion regarding the economy.

However, this sentiment splits down partisan lines. 62% of Democrats consider themselves better off this year, while only 16% of Republicans describe themselves similarly. Conversely, 9% of Democrats find themselves worse off this year, while 55% of Republicans responded likewise. Independents hover somewhere in the middle, with 40% sharing a worse off response and 34% self-describing as better off. With opinions regarding present situations minimally optimistic, future predictions are quite high; 66% of respondents predict that next year will be better than this one, pulling in 57% of Republicans, 62% of Independents, and 80% of Democrats.

The Number of Uninsured Americans Age 18-25 Continues to Decline

A report on Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index indicates that the amount of uninsured 18-25 year-old Americans is decreasing. The number of uninsured 18-25 year-old Americans began to decline (from 28% to 26.3%) in the fourth quarter of 2010, after the passage of the Affordable Care Act. This act allowed Americans up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ healthcare plan. Currently, 23.2% of 18-25 year-old Americans are uninsured. While the passage of the Affordable Care Act had a significant impact on reducing the number of uninsured 18-25 year-olds, the number of uninsured 24-64 year-olds (20%) is increasing and the amount of uninsured Americans over 65 (3%) has not changed significantly. The increasing amount of 26-64 year-old uninsured Americans can be attributed to high levels of unemployment and the decreasing employee benefits. For instance, currently only about 44.8% of Americans receive employer-based coverage whereas 49.8% received employer-based coverage in January, 2008. In accordance, since January 2008, more Americans receive their health insurance coverage from a government plan (25.3% compared to. 22.9%) and more Americans are uninsured (16.9% compared 14.6%). But, it is important to note that that number of uninsured Americans over 26 can be expected to decrease once additional ramifications of the Affordable Care Act go into effect in 2014.

3.4% of Americans Identify as LGBT

In the largest single survey that targets LGBT Americans, Gallup finds that 3.4% of the adult population in the United States identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. This survey of more than 120,000 US adults is consistent with smaller research studies that found 3.8% self-identified as LGBT.

One salient trend in the data reveals the marked difference in sexual orientation within different age groups. As seen in the graph, 6.4% of the youngest age group (18-29) identified as LGBT, while each successive age group was less likely to do so (only 1.9% of those 65 and older identified as LGBT). In addition, men and women have interesting disparities, with women ages 18-29 being much more likely to identify as LGBT (8.3%) than men of the same age (4.6%).

Another salient part of the research comes from race and ethnicity; Hispanics, Asians, and African-Americans are much more likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to identify as LGBT. 3.2% of non-Hispanic whites identify as LGBT, with 4% Hispanic, 4.3% Asian, and 4.6% African-American responding likewise.

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