Raleigh, N.C. – Much like nationally and in the states where PPP has asked about the movement so far, Badger State voters are not thrilled about Occupy Wall Street, but they do see it better than the Tea Party movement. Here, 39% support O.W.S.’s goals, and 38% oppose them, compared to 40-47 for the Tea Party. Asked of which group they have a higher opinion, voters side narrowly with Occupy, 42-40. The Democratic slant of the state’s electorate makes a difference here, as Republicans more emphatically prefer the Tea Party (81%) than Democrats O.W.S. (75%), while independents split 39-38 for the Tea Party.
With his budget plan which would essentially end Medicare out of the limelight for months, Rep. Paul Ryan is seen better on his home turf than when PPP last asked about him here in May. But a lot of voters have also either forgotten about him or fallen back on the fence. In February, 36% had a favorable opinion of Ryan, and 35% an unfavorable one. That deteriorated to 41-46 in May, and now it is back up to 40-35. Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike see him less unfavorably than before. Unlike in May, Republicans now see him more favorably than Democrats unfavorably.
Some of Sen. Herb Kohl’s retirement bump has faded a bit. In May, 56% approved and only 29% disapproved of his job performance. The spread is now only 51-31, and he is down slightly across the board, like Ryan. But that mark still puts him in the upper quartile of the 87 senators on which PPP has polled, and he still pulls 21% approval across the aisle, something most politicians only dream of. Independents approve, 51-32.
Ron Johnson has still not made much of a mark as a senator yet. 37% approve and 34% disapprove, not much different than the 35-33 found in May or the 32-28 in February. His name identification is slowly on the rise, but voters are falling about evenly on either side of the equation as they learn more about him.
PPP surveyed 1,170 Wisconsin voters from October 20th to 23rd. The margin of error for the survey is +/-2.9%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews. PPP is a Democratic polling company, but polling expert Nate Silver of the New York Times found that its surveys in 2010 actually exhibited a slight bias toward Republican candidates.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Ron
Johnson’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .37%
Disapprove…………. .34%
Not sure …………….. .29%
Q2 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator Herb
Kohl’s job performance?
Approve …………….. .51%
Disapprove…………. .31%
Not sure …………….. .18%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Paul Ryan?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 40%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 35%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 25%
Q4 Do you support or oppose the goals of the
Occupy Wall Street movement?
Support ………………………………………………….. 39%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 23%
Q5 Do you support or oppose the goals of the Tea
Party movement?
Support ………………………………………………….. 40%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 47%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q6 Do you have a higher opinion of the Occupy
Wall Street movement or the Tea Party
movement?
Occupy Wall Street ………………………………….. 42%
Tea Party ……………………………………………….. 40%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 18%
Q7 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 10%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 19%
Moderate………………………………………………… 30%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 25%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 17%
Q8 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%
Man……………………………………………………….. 48%
Q9 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 37%
Republican……………………………………………… 31%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 32%
Q10 If you are white, press 1. If other, press 2.
White …………………………………………………….. 89%
Other……………………………………………………… 11%
Q11 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 12%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 26%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 39%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 23%
