Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who reappeared earlier this month to voice his views on the impending trial of the alleged 9/11 conspirators, has surpassed other potential Republican presidential hopefuls in the United States, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion survey has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,003 American adults, 32 per cent of respondents believe Giuliani would make a good president.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is second on the list of presidential hopefuls with 28 per cent, followed by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with 27 per cent, and former Alaska Governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Among Republicans, Huckabee is in first place with 49 per cent, followed by Giuliani and Palin (each with 47%), Rice with 37 per cent, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney with 32 per cent.

A majority of Americans (53%) believe Palin would make a bad president—the highest score on this particular question for the 11 Republican politicians included in the survey.

“Going Rogue”

Earlier this month, Palin released her memoir, “Going Rogue”. While 75 per cent of respondents claim that they do not plan to either read or buy the book, supporters of the GOP hold very different views. Four per cent of Republicans have either already read or bought “Going Rogue”, 13 per cent plan to buy it, and 27 per cent intend to read it.

Representation

More than half of respondents believe that women (51%) and African Americans (56%) are well represented in the leadership of the Democratic Party. The Republican Party gets a lower score on both of these issues (38% for women, and 30% for African Americans). The Democrats (38%) also lead the GOP (21%) in being a party where Latinos are well represented.

Analysis

Sarah Palin remains a polarizing figure for Americans. The former Alaska Governor is seen as a bad president by a majority of respondents, and three-in-ten Republicans also appear to question her capabilities.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

Economic Polls from Angus Reid.

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+604 647 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Most adults in the United States remain satisfied with the performance of Barack Obama, while the U.S. Congress maintains markedly lower numbers, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,003 American adults, 51 per cent of respondents approve of Obama’s performance, while 42 per cent disapprove.

It is important to note that the level of strong approval for the U.S. President (15%) is ten points lower than the level of strong disapproval (25%).

Democrats (80%) are overwhelmingly supportive of Obama, while Republicans (70%) remain dissatisfied. Independents are almost evenly divided (46% approve of the president’s actions, 48% disapprove).

In stark contrast, only 27 per cent of respondents approve of the way Congress is handling its duties, while 62 per cent disapprove. Strong approval for Congress’ actions stands at a dismal three per cent, while a third of respondents (34%) are strongly dissatisfied.

While 44 per cent of Democrats approve of the way Congress is acting, the proportion dwindles to 20 per cent amongst Independents and 16 per cent amongst Republicans.

Analysis

While Obama remains above the 50 per cent mark, the survey shows that Independents—a key component of his victory in November 2008—are now divided in their assessment of his actions.

For Congress, the key challenge will be to reduce the high level of strong disapproval that is voiced by a third of respondents across the country—including 19 per cent of Democrats.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+ 1 604 647 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

On April 23, 2009 Apple announced that the one-billionth application (commonly referred to as “apps”) had been downloaded from the App Store. This was a significant achievement, as it took only nine months for Apple to hit one-billion app downloads. As a point of comparison, it took three years for Apple to reach one-billion song downloads. This is not a true apples-to-apples comparison (pun unintended) as most song downloads would have been purchased while a significant proportion of app downloads would have been free. Regardless, it certainly makes it very clear that there was a high level of pent-up demand for a more engaging mobile Internet experience.

Those of us who have been tracking technology trends for an extended period of time can remember the promise of the mobile web over a decade ago. However, execution on basic mobile phones in those days was clumsy at best, and the user experience was quite poor – to put it mildly.

But the combination of increased incidence of smartphones, faster wireless networks, and consumers who are becoming increasingly tech savvy – perhaps without even realizing it – is causing a fundamental shift in North American Internet behavior. We are increasingly relying on our mobile devices to engage in activities that were previously limited to the traditional desktop or laptop Internet experience.

As a heavy Internet user who likes to beta test every site out there, the most common request I’ve seen of websites and Internet applications released over the last couple of years is “when will the iPhone/Blackberry/Android be released?” And when the developers of the site don’t have a definitive answer to this question, it reflects poorly on their level of preparedness.

The trend for where this is going is pretty obvious. As per usual all we need to do is cast an eye towards teenagers and how they are engaged with the latest technology. In this case, a recent Pew Internet study found that in early 2008, almost three-in-four American teens (12 to 17) had a mobile phone, compared to 45% in 2004. The net result of the increased usage of mobile phones among teens is a generation of users who have little use (or time) for sitting down at a desktop to send an email when they can simply update their Facebook status on their mobile phone. Download a music file and save it to a hard drive? Why bother? They can simply stream their favorite songs on their smartphone thanks to Pandora and other music streaming apps.

This is not to suggest that the traditional desktop Internet experience is going to disappear anytime soon. Quite frankly, there is still much to be desired about from a mobile Internet experience. And certain categories of Internet user are always going to want the desktop experience (creatives, music downloaders, and gamers come to mind). Plus there is the work aspect to consider – word processing, multitasking, saving/editing and the physiology of a keyboard and mouse will ensure that desktops and laptops maintain a prominent role in the workplace. Consequently, so too will the traditional Internet experience. But don’t be too surprised if a generation from now those who are using the Internet at home on a desktop are looked at the same way as those who refused to upgrade from vinyl to CD. Sure, they have their reasons – but they aren’t relevant for most of us anymore.