According to the New York Times website, Exit Polls data from the 2008 General Election yielded data reflecting 78% of Jewish Voters voted for candidate Barack Obama. Why is that of any significance, Pardu?
Today I saw a Chis Cillizza article about the Jewish Vote as we look to November of this year. Cillizza’s article piqued my interest.
The 2008 Exit Poll results for the 2008 General Elections is a point of reference that I occasionally visit. I find the New York Times Exit Poll Results web page as the most definitive, easily accessible, and usefully interactive. One can point a cursor on a particular demographic and take a peep at a pop-up view with additional detail.
When I read information about voting blocks, I also go back to see how that block voted in 2008. Cillizza’s piece took me to a review of the Jewish vote in 2008. The real story is how the Jewish vote is looking as we moved toward November of this year. The following ”Jewish Values” survey gave me a bit of insight into the Jewish community and its possible 2012 voting preference. Unfortunately, the survey does not reveal state voting preferences, where the Tea Party won big in 2010.
Take a look, you might find the survey very interesting, I surely found it interesting.
A survey from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that most Jewish voters are sticking with President Obama despite concerted efforts from Republicans to woo this voting bloc. Sixty-two percent of Jewish voters would like to see Obama reelected, about the same as at this point in the 2008 campaign. Only 7 percent of those who backed him in 2008 would like to see a Republican win.
I visited the survey site. The survey was conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and it is an exhaustive piece of research. I cannot think of any area of the Jewish experience (being non-Jewish) that was not covered. Of course, Jewish people will find areas that are not included, but I feel the survey is a great piece of work. It provides great insight into how a segment of our population feels about the American experience; note the emphasis on values.
Americana as viewed buy a large religious/cultural/ethnic group
Two categories of 13 plus categories.
The Influence of Jewish Values and Political Activity. At least 8-in-10 American Jews say that pursuing justice (84%) and caring for the widow and the orphan (80%) are somewhat or very important values that inform their political beliefs and activity.
- More than 7-in-10 also say that tikkun olam, healing the world (72%), and welcoming the stranger (72%) are somewhat or very important values.
- A majority (55%) say that seeing every person as made in the image of God is somewhat or very important in informing their political beliefs and activity.
Politically and consideration of President Obama
The 2012 Presidential Vote. Eight months before the 2012 election, 62% of Jewish voters say they would like to see Obama re-elected in 2012, more than twice the number who say they would prefer that a Republican candidate win the election (30%).
- Current support for Obama among Jewish voters is significantly higher than the general population and nearly identical to levels of support for Obama among Jewish registered voters at a comparable point in the 2008 campaign.
- Among Jewish voters who prefer that a Republican candidate win the 2012 election, Mitt Romney has the greatest support (58%), followed by Rick Santorum (15%), Newt Gingrich (13%), and Ron Paul (12%).
- Among Jewish voters who say they supported Barack Obama in 2008, an overwhelming majority (86%) say they would like to see the President re-elected; only 7% of Jewish voters who supported Obama in 2008 say they would prefer to see a Republican candidate win the 2012 election.
- Jewish voters who supported John McCain in 2008 demonstrate similar loyalty in their voting preferences, with 92% reporting that they would prefer it if a Republican candidate won the election.
Favorability and Approval of President Obama. Although American voters overall are more likely to have a favorable view of Obama personally than to rate his job performance positively, Jewish voters evaluate Barack Obama roughly the same on these two metrics. More than 6-in-10 Jewish voters report having a very favorable (15%) or mostly favorable (46%) view of Barack Obama. Roughly 6-in-10 (58%) Jewish voters also say they approve of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President, compared to 34% who disapprove.
The complete survey is available via the linked website. it is a set of data very much worthy of viewing.
