Poll: Men and women are equally ‘Pro-Choice’, education is bigger factor than gender

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Abortion may be considered a top “women’s” issue but when it comes to support or opposition for the legality of the procedure education, not gender, is more the deciding factor.

Since 1975, two years after the landmark Supreme Court ruling in the Roe v. Wade case, Gallup has been tracking nationwide opinions on the issue. What they have found is education as more a consistent barometer than gender in predicting views of Americans. Over a period of 35-years the level of support and opposition toward the abortion topic has fluctuated modestly. Majorites of the public have consistently placed themselves in the grouping of “legal only under certain circumstances” as to which best describes their opinion. Other options through the years have included “legal under any circumstances” and “illegal in all circumstances.”

Support for the legality of abortion under any circumstance has always been highest among college graduates. Those percentages ranged from the mid to upper-30 percentiles in the late-70s to late-80s and again from the mid-90s through the mid-2000s. It peaked in the early 90s when 44% of college graduates from either gender claimed to support a women’s right to choose in all instances. Recently that number has fallen however, as between 2005-09 just 31% of the most highly educated claimed to be on board with abortion being legal in any circumstance.

Trailing college graduates are those individuals with some college experience. There are nearly identical percentages from the mid-70s through the mid-2000s with the exception of that same 1990-94 period when 37% believed in the right for an abortion under any circumstance. More consistent over this time period were those with the lowest level of education. Individuals with a high school degree or less have supported the right to choose around 20% of the time through the past three and a half decades. Never did that figure exceed 25% or fall below 17%.

Looking at side by side comparisons between men and women through the years reveals just how similar abortion views are between genders. Since the beginning of the debate in 1975 around 52% of women and 57% of men have agreed that abortion ought to be legal only under certain circumstances. Another 27% of women and 24% of men on average believe the practice should be legal and available under any circumstances. Women (18.7%), perhaps surprisingly, actually believe abortion ought to be illegal at a higher rate than men (16.2%). The bottom line however is the two genders mirror each other’s opinions on the issue through the decades and at present.

The most supportive subgroup toward abortion are female college graduates. Currently 35% of that group supports a women’s right to choose in all instances, compared with 28% who’ve had some college experience and just 18% holding a high school degree or less. Men are a bit more narrowly divided yet college grads still trump those with less education on the topic of support for the legality of the issue. This includes 28% of college graduates, 25% with some college and 18% having no more than a high school education.

Opposition to abortion appears to have strengthened amongst most subgroups in recent years. Whether it be those with higher or lower levels of education or women versus men the percentages of those holding pro-choice views appears to be noticeably smaller than they were at their peak in the early-90s. Still the totals remain fairly consistent with averages from the past three

Poll: 56% of Pennsylvanians hold negative view of Ben Roethlisberger, most agree with suspension

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It’s not a good month to be a big time NFL quarterback in the state of Pennsylvania.

Donovan McNabb, a polarizing athletic figure in Philadelphia, was dealt to division rival Washington after eleven-seasons at the helm of the Eagles. Even bigger news of late comes out of Pittsburgh however where league commissioner Roger Goodell has chosen to suspend Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. “Big Ben” will not be eligible to return for at least four weeks and could possibly be out up to six games from the start of the 2010 regular season. The 28-year old Roethlisberger has been hailed for his on the field successes just as a string of off the field exploits has garnered him decidedly negative press.

The most recent episode comes from the allegation a young college student who claims the quarterback sexually assaulted her in a Georgia bar last month. Although Roethlisberger has not ultimately been convicted of any wrongdoing commissioner Goodell scolded one of the game’s most prolific passers for his conduct and levied the suspension. In lieu of these events two new surveys depict harsh views being cast on Roethlisberger by the public and a majority of football fans agreeing with his punishment.

Just 24% of Pennsylvanians view Roethlisberger favorably against 56% who hold a mostly negative view. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows an even wider disparity in the number of those with strong feelings towards the Steelers quarterback. Whereas 22% have a “very” unfavorable impression of Roethlisberger only one in twenty (5%) now view “very” favorably.

In terms of favorables there isn’t a wide gender gap. 27% of men continue to view “Big Ben” favorably as do 23% of women and a majority of both sexes express unfavorable opinions. Perhaps surprisingly the Rasmussen poll did find a large gap between men and women on the topic of his suspension however. In polling conducted before his suspension 55% of men thought Roethlisberger should be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time but only 31% of women agreed. Overall 47% of Pennsylvanians felt the quarterback’s conduct warranted a suspension against 28% who disagreed with that sentiment and another quarter (25%) of those who remained uncertain.

Nearly 250,000 sports fans also made their opinion heard on ESPN.com. While the polling itself is unscientific the harsh tones toward Roethlisberger are clear depicted. 51% of the country agreed with Roger Goodell’s decision to suspend the Steelers QB for 4-6 weeks. With another 28% also believing the penalty to be too soft nearly eight in ten American sports fans (79%) are of the opinion that “Big Ben” is deserving of some sort of suspension. Only 21% who chimed in on ESPN.com are of the opinion that Roethlisberger’s suspension is too long or the penalty too harsh.

Not surprisingly Pennsylvanians were most critical of the Roethlisberger suspension although only one in four (25%) think his punishment was too harsh. 34% of Washington residents do not think commissioner Goodell went far enough in his suspension. Anti-Roethlisberger sentiment in the state of Washington could stem in part from the Seattle Seahawks controversial loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL over four years ago. Utah meanwhile was the most supportive of the decision made by Goodell with 56% of their resident sports fans agreeing with the suspension.

The Steelers organization has been rumored to be shopping their star QB around the NFL. Santonio Holmes, another Steeler' with a checkered past, was recently traded for a 5th round pick in this season's draft. Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP in 2009 in part for his spectacular game winning touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter, compliments of the arm of one Ben Roethlisberger. Should "Big Ben" be traded away in the coming weeks or months both Pennsylvania NFL teams would have parted ways with potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the same offseason.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Gene J. Puskar

Poll: Corbett retains lead in race for PA Governor, Gov. Christie gets positive early marks in NJ

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Tom Corbett is still the front runner in the race to become Pennsylvania’s next Governor. In neighboring New Jersey meanwhile fellow Republican Chris Christie gets a passing grade for his job performance through three months.

Today’s new poll release compliments of Rasmussen Reports shows State Attorney General Corbett holding a large lead over three other Democratic hopefuls. While Corbett’s numbers haven’t improved since last month’s polling the new figures indicate a lead of twenty-percentage points over Congressman Joe Hoeffel and a 21% advantage over State Auditor Jack Wagner. That said Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato appears to be gaining ground. Although he still trails Corbett 45-36% that figure is a marked improvement from March polling that saw him trailing 46-29% and a considerable bump from February when Rasmussen showed Onorato behind by a two-to-one margin, 52-26%.

Tom Corbett is viewed “very” favorably by 19% of Pennsylvanians with another 14% holding a “very” unfavorable opinion. Dan Onorato receives split support, 16-15%, from those with strong feelings. Joe Hoeffel and Jack Wagner meanwhile and mired in the negatives. Hoeffel’s very favorable to very unfavorable margin is 7-11% with Jack Wagner fairing even worse to the tune of a 5-11% split.

Moving the political spotlight from the Keystone State to the Garden State Rasmussen finds Governor Chris Christie off to a decent start with New Jersey voters. His approval to disapproval margin is a respectable 53-45%, a total that includes 32% who strongly approve and 30% who strongly disapprove of the job the Governor has done just three months in. There is a considerable party divide with 80% of Republicans and 64% of independents giving Christie positive marks but 70% of Democrats issuing an early failing grade.

Other New Jersey polling shows that well more than half of voters (57%) believe incumbents at all levels in the state should be defeated in the midterm elections this November. Locally speaking those figures are more evenly split with 31% of the opinion that their representative should be reelected against 32% who believe they should be defeated.

Chris Christie defeated the widely unpopular sitting Governor Jon Corzine last November in one of the more reliably Democratic states in the country. At the time he took office voters held a 57-35% favorable to unfavorable view of the new Governor meaning that despite his solid approval numbers at present they do represent something of a modest decline in popularity since January.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / MEL EVANS

Poll: Specter and Sestak race now a dead heat, both Senate hopefuls trail Republican Toomey

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Just over a month until Pennsylvania’s Democratic Primary and Rasmussen Reports has dropped something of a bombshell on Arlen Specter’s campaign to retain his Senate seat.

Two new polls indicate that Senator Specter has fallen to his lowest level of support yet among Democrats and he continues to lag well behind with the general electorate. In his battle for the party nomination he now leads 7th District Congressman by a mere two-percent while trailing Republican Pat Toomey by ten-points.

Since one in ten Pennsylvania Democrats remain unsure of their preference for either Specter or Sestak the incumbent Senator’s 44-42% lead is now being depicted as a dead heat. Although he has been losing ground since the beginning of the year these new developments have to come as something of a surprise for Specter. Last month he enjoyed a 48-37% lead over Sestak and registered as high as 53% support as of January.

Arlen Specter still captures the strong support of quarter of Pennsylvania Democrats (25%) but 15% view him “very” unfavorably. The lesser known Sestak does better with those holding strong feelings. He registered a 17% very favorable against just a 4% very unfavorable rating according to Rasmussen. The health care issue is a divisive one amongst Democrats in the Keystone State just as it is for virtually all voters nationally. 60% of Democrats in Pennsylvania believe the health care bill passed last month to be a good thing for the country with 29% thinking it will have a negative impact. With 54% support Specter does better with those holding positive views of the reform bill. Sestak meanwhile does considerably better (59%) with those Democrats who oppose the bill meanwhile.

Regardless of who comes out on top of this heated primary battle they will face an uphill climb against Republican Pat Toomey. Running with a strong wind at his back during this favorable election cycle for the GOP, Toomey has jumped out to a 50-40% lead over Specter and an equally solid 47-36% advantage on Sestak. In the Toomey versus Specter matchup only 6% of voters are uncertain of whether they’d support either candidate while 4% suggest they’ll vote for someone else. Those figures grow to 12% and 5% respectively when looking at the potential matchup of Toomey against Sestak.

Most Pennsylvanians (53%) are against the recently passed health care bill through congress and six in ten voters (60%) would like to see it repealed. Senator Specter is being tied to the bill having voted for it and expressing vocal public support for its passage during a highly publicized series of town hall meetings last August. 84% of those favoring repeal not surprisingly support Pat Toomey’s campaign whereas 82% of the 37% minority of those Pennsylvanians against repeal side with Specter.

Senator Specter’s support bottomed out at around 36% during the town hall meeting debates last year. Although he has campaigned heavily in the months since his numbers have not increased past the 42% mark. Congressman Sestak meanwhile has been wedged between 35% and 38% support in Rasmussen surveys dating back to last October. Toomey leads either candidate by a wide margin among men, independents and narrowly among women. The Republican is viewed very favorably by 18% of the electorate in Pennsylvania with 10% holding a very unfavorable view. More than twice as many voters (33%) have a strongly unfavorable than favorable opinion (16%) of Arlen Specter. Joe Sestak is now in the negatives as well earning a very favorable opinion from 10% of Pennsylvanians against 12% who view him very unfavorably.

The narrow range of support for either Democratic potential corresponding to a consistent lead for Toomey gives the impression of a race that is stabilizing. This could make things difficult for a marked incumbent like Arlen Specter or a political upstart like Joe Sestak to change the minds of a large enough number of voters for victory in the fall.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / MATT ROURKE

Poll: Public is critical of Supreme Court, wants a younger and more moderate bench

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An already tumultuous political environment is being stirred up again, this time by the Supreme Court. Soon to be 90-year old Justice John Paul Stevens will be retiring at the end of June opening the door for President Obama’s second nomination in just his second year in office.

Two polls from Rasmussen Reports and Fox News indicate that Americans are both dissatisfied with the current makeup of the court and think it to be too liberal. Like David Souter before him the Stevens retirement won’t do much to shake up the ideological balance of the court. Both were liberal judges stepping down at a time with a Democratic President in office. Still it appears that most of the public would prefer a justice with more conservative or mainstream leanings.

According to the Fox poll 52% want a more conservative appointment against just 29% who’d like the next justice to be more liberal than the general makeup of the court. That reflects the general tone of the electorate as measured by Rasmussen where 39% of voters find the Supreme Court to be too liberal for their liking. One-quarter (25%) think it too conservative and another 27% believe the current ideological balance to be about right. The public is split on what route President Obama will take in deciding his nominee. 45% believe he’ll choose a judge that is too liberal for their liking but 41% think the new justice will be within acceptable parameters.

Not surprisingly there is a party divide on the topic with better than three-quarters of Republicans (76%) thinking the President’s choice will be too liberal and the same percentage of Democrats believing he’ll pick a judge that reflects mainstream values. Non-affiliated voters however lean more conservative on the topic with just 27% believing Obama will be appoint a moderate judge against 56% who suggest his nominee with lean too far to the left. The public perception of President Obama certainly affects this notion. While twice as many voters believe Supreme Court justices should be guided by what is written in the Constitution rather than rest upon their own laurels of fairness, justice and equality, by a 44-32% margin more voters think Obama holds the opposite view.

Voters express some measure of dissatisfaction with the overall job performance of the current Supreme Court. Again according to Rasmussen just 35% think the judicial branch is doing either a “good” or “excellent” job against 62% who would rate their performance as either “fair” or “poor”. Those holding strong opinions lean even heavier toward the negative. Just one in twenty (5%) think the court if doing an excellent job and 22% rate the current body as poor. Americans also believe mandatory age or term limits should be imposed to curb the influence, or perhaps improve the effectiveness, of the Supreme Court. The Fox survey finds that nearly two-thirds of voters (65%) want a mandatory retirement age for justices with only 30% approving of the current standard for lifetime appointments.

In the event that such a mandatory age was to be set however what would it be? Nearly half of poll responders (48%) liked the idea of a forced retirement falling between the 65-74 year old age brackets. An additional 16% believe 75-79 is the correct cap on a justice’s age. 10% believe a justice should be able to serve past the age of 80 against 12% who think they should be forced out of their position before they turn 65. Of course there are certain problems with age restrictions that have not been addressed by this sort of polling. Most notably an age cap would encourage Presidents to nominate younger judges who would be able to spend more years on the bench. If the current age was capped at 70, for instance, what would stop President Obama from backing a candidate under the age of 40 and neglect anyone over 50? Still the broader polling done by Rasmussen and Fox on the topic points to an electorate displeased by both the current ideological composition and function of the Supreme Court.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Charles Dharapak

Analysis: Republicans currently on track to pick up between three and nine Senate seats

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Seven months out from the midterm elections and the dynamics remain the same. The Republican Party is primed to make significant gains in both the House and Senate but with their pace stalling to some degree it is unlikely they’ll carry enough autumn momentum for a takeover of either.

Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball analysis released their April update this morning, focusing attention on the Senate. Although there have been subtle shifts in particular races since last month the overall picture indicating a likely GOP pickup of 7-seats in the Senate and 27 in the House remains the same from March to April.

The Republicans are protecting 18-seats in the Senate this election season. Ten of those eighteen are labeled by the Crystal Ball as “safe” for the GOP. Four additional states (Florida, Iowa, Louisiana and North Carolina) are being depicted as “likely” holds for the party. In Florida the big story is the primary challenge between former House Speaker Marco Rubio and sitting Governor Charlie Crist. Rubio is polling ahead of Crist and either Republican is likely to defeat Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meet in the fall. In Iowa Charles Grassley is the likely winner over Democratic Roxanne Conlin and Republicans David Vitter and Richard Burr appear to have the decided advantage in their races out of Louisiana and North Carolina respectively.

The GOP is clearly vulnerable in four other states; Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio. All of which are labeled as “toss-up” races by Sabato. Chastened Senator Jim Bunning is retiring after 2010 and there is quite an ideological battle for the Republican nomination as his successor. Secretary of State Ted Greyson is the establishment candidate but Ron Paul’s son Rand has strong backing from moderates in the state favoring his more libertarian political slant as well. On the Democratic side Leiutenant Governor Dan Mongiardo is in a tussle with Attorney General Jack Conway. While either candidate, particularly against Paul, has opportunity for a victory in November it’s clearly uphill sledding for the Democratic Party in Kentucky during this political season.

Missouri has tilted toward the GOP in recent years as demonstrated by President Obama’s narrow loss here in 2008 despite a national popular vote margin of better than seven-percentage points. House Republican Roy Blunt is favored to win the race against Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. In New Hampshire former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte is banking on the Republican wave to help usher her in as the victor in the Granite State. She’ll have her hands full with popular Congressman Paul Hodes however who looks to pull off the modest upset for the Democrats. Lastly the bellwether state of Ohio features an interesting primary battle between Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on the Democratic side. The winner will go on to face the favored former GOP Congressman Rob Portman.

Not surprisingly the Democrats head into the 2010 election season with a far more difficult task in protecting their majorities. This is reflected by numerous competitive Senate races amongst the 18-seats they are looking to hold onto after this November. Only in half of those races however can the Democrats truly bank on victory. This includes “safe” territory such as Hawaii, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin as well as “likely” wins in the New York special election and Connecticut. Elsewhere danger lurks around every corner.

Senator Barbara Boxer is in the fight of her life in California. While the Crystal Ball predicts the left-leaning electorate could result in a narrow victory for her in the fall Republican’s Tom Campbell and Carly Fiorina are both capable of giving the embattled Senator a fight in a state that seems sick and tired of pretty much everything relating to politics. Colorado is a pure toss-up between two possible Democrats facing off against presumptive GOP candidate and Lietenant Governor Jane Norton. A far messier battle is underway in Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias has corruption charges swirling around campaign but Republican Mark Kirk doesn’t seem content to run as conservative or moderate in this decidedly “blue” state.

Two other states with fascinating battles on their hands are Indiana and Pennsylvania. Brad Ellsworth has the difficult choir off trying to succeed popular Senator Evan Bayh who was successful for years in typically “red” Indiana. However Republican Dan Coats is running a lackluster campaign and while he still has the edge Indiana should be a battle down to the wire. In the Keystone State meanwhile the high profile fight for the Democratic nomination seems to be leaning in Senator Arlen Specter’s direction. Interestingly it is Congressman Joe Sestak who seems to so better against Republican nominee Pat Toomey in general election polling. Specter is banking on his experience and Toomey’s conservative politics in a left of center state to guide him to victory. Never the less Toomey and the GOP appear to have the edge in Pennsylvania.

Much to the Democrats dismay four other states show the likihood of Republican pickups in November. North Dakota is a no brainer for the GOP with retiring Democratic Senator Byron Dorgon giving way to Republican Governor John Hoeven. Three other states (Arkansas, Delaware and Nevada) meanwhile represent fertile territory for the GOP.

Even if Blanche Lincoln is able to defeat liberal challenger Bill Halter in next month’s primary the chances of retaining her post in Arkansas look fairly slim. Lincoln has been railed against nationally and in her home state by Republicans like Congressman John Boozman, her likely opponent. In Delaware the absence of Joe Biden to the office of Vice President and the refusal of his son Beau to run for the open Senate seat means it is more than likely that popular Congressman and former Governor Mike Castle is heavily favored to defeat Democrat Chris Coons. Lastly one of the more talked about Senate races is in Nevada where embattled Majority Leader Harry Reid is effectively behind any and all Republican challengers vying for his seat. Public anger towards Reid over health care and a strong grassroots movement by conservatives in his home state have made reelection unlikely. However with millions of dollars at his disposal and no powerful names in the Republican field to oppose him it’s a little early to count out Harry just yet.

As the Crystal Ball details the lay of the land it seems there are still a variety of possibilities remaining that could wind up with the seven-Republican Senate victories as predicted or a better or worse showing by the GOP. The ceiling for the GOP seems to be a pickup of nine-seats. This would include held seats by Republicans in all races where they lead decisively or the advantage swings their direction plus pick ups in all five incumbent Democratic toss ups and those races where the GOP has on outright lead. The worst reasonable expectation for Republicans would likely result in the Democrats holding on to a majority of those toss up races in their column plus two or three “steals” in races that current lean in the GOP’s direction. This could mean a pickup of just three Senate seats for the Republican Party. Averaging the two would ensure a safe estimate of six Republican pickups. Factoring at least one more for the GOP simply through the anti-incumbent, anti-Democratic wave that is blowing through this political season would place seven new Republicans in the Senate for 2011.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / JOSE SANCHEZ

Poll: Only 7% of baseball fans pick Phillies to win World Series, public critical of McNabb trade

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Just 7% of baseball fans think the Phillies will win their second World Series title in three years this season. Joe Torre is the early favorite to be the new baseball commissioner, Duke is narrowly favored to win their fourth ever NCAA championship and fans react to the Donovan McNabb trade.

With the Major League season underway as of last night Rasmussen Reports surveyed baseball fans on their championship picks and who they would like to see succeed Bud Selig as the league’s commissioner. An additional poll asked adults to predict who will win tonight’s NCAA Championship Game in men’s basketball, as well as share their preferences for either Duke or Butler. Turning the attention to unscientific fan polling on ESPN Sunday’s Donovan McNabb trade from Philadelphia to Washington is being viewed, by and large, as a mistake for the Eagles and an upgrade for the Redskins.

The New York Yankees who defeated the Phillies last season to capture their 27th World Series title are the pick of 29% of MLB fans to win it all again in 2010. Following the “Bronx Bombers” in second place are the Boston Red Sox (17%) who defeated New York 9-7 to open the season last night. Despite not winning a single playoff game in 2009 the popular St. Louis Cardinals are the pick of 11% of baseball fans. The Phillies meanwhile capture just 7% of the public’s confidence in spite of their great success from recent seasons.

Baseball insiders seem to like the Phillies chances of winning it all more than the general pool of big league fans. Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci picked the Phillies to win the World Series in the magazine’s feature article and baseball preview from last week. ESPN the Magazine meanwhile is picking Philadelphia to advance to the “Fall Classic” for the third straight season but lose to the Red Sox in the Series. Of the 36-analysts who made their season predictions on ESPN.com no team was given a better chance to win their division (33-picks), reach the playoffs (34), capture their league’s pennant (20), or win the World Series (11) than the Phillies.

What is particularly interesting about the fairly low percentage of baseball fans thinking Philadelphia will win another title is the lack of confidence coming from Phillies fans themselves. Whereas Yankees (83%) and Red Sox (82%) loyalists are overwhelmingly confident about their team’s chances barely more than half (52%) of Phillies fans think their favorite team will be the last standing this fall. Prior to last season the Boston Red Sox at 22% were the team most predicted to win the World Series. Boston reached the playoffs but they were ousted in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels.

Fewer baseball fans are rooting for the Yankees (21%) to succeed in their quest for back-to-back championships than those who think they will win. 15% are pulling for the Red Sox meanwhile, 12% the Cardinals, 6% for both the Phillies and Minnesota Twins and an additional 5% are rooting for the Atlanta Braves.

In another polling done by Rasmussen on the topic of baseball 30% of fans would like to see former player and current manager Joe Torre succeed the aging Bud Selig as MLB commissioner. Former home run king and baseball legend Hank Aaron is the next most popular choice at 23%. Former President George W. Bush (14%) also receives consideration. Bush was the former owner of the Texas Rangers. Senator George Mitchell who released a report in 2007 detailing his 21-month investigation of steroids in baseball is the pick of 8% of the public for the job. Lastly Hall of Fame journalist and longtime ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons receives 6% of the support from fans.

Switching gears to college basketball Friday polling from Rasmussen showed that the Duke Blue Devils were favored to win the NCAA Championship Game even before they defeated West Virginia to reach the Finals. Duke earned the confidence of 31% of the public while their opponent Butler attracted 13%. Recently ousted West Virginia came in second with 28% meanwhile and Michigan State, the other defeated Final Four team, was third with 15%. The Duke-Butler matchup does represent the most attractive final game scenario involving any of the four teams. 33% would like to see Butler, a relatively low number five seed in the tournament, come away as winners. Duke earns the support of 24% of the public while 18% were previously cheering for either West Virginia or Michigan State to win the championship.

Lastly we head to ESPN.com and check out some fan polling on the subject of the recent Donovan McNabb trade from the Eagles to their division rival Washington Redskins.

Over 53,000 votes were cast as of earlier today on the question of who is the best team in the NFC East. Even with the McNabb acquisition by Washington a large plurality (46%) believes the Dallas Cowboys, last season’s division champions, are still the team to beat. The Redskins who finished in last place in 2009 have spring boarded into second position at 24%. The New York Giants are in third place meanwhile attracting 17% of the vote with the Eagles lingering in last at 13% despite tying the Cowboys with eleven-wins last season. The Redskins were the most popular choice in the states of Maryland, Virginia and Wyoming as well as Washington D.C. The Cowboys meanwhile were the top choice in every other state including Pennsylvania where, not surprisingly, the Eagles did their personal best attracting 33% of the early predictions.

In other polling a whopping 80% of the sports public on ESPN thinks the Eagles will come to regret their decision to trade McNabb to a division rival. There was no question that asked whether the Eagles would regret trading McNabb in general as it appeared before the weekend that the out of conference Oakland Raiders were the front runners to obtain the veteran quarterback. Personally McNabb is viewed as a borderline Hall of Fame QB by most. 39% believe him to be good enough for induction to Canton already but 43% thinks he needs to make at least one more Super Bowl appearance to solidify his position as an all-time great. Just 19% don’t consider him Hall worthy either way.

Kevin Kolb will take over the reigns as the Eagles starting QB heading into the 2010 season. Kolb has already had periodic success playing in place of an injured McNabb in the past but much of the sports world remains skeptical as to whether the Eagles can continue to have success under his guidance. Envisioning the rest of his career in Philadelphia 39% of the public actually believes Kolb will never be able to lead the Eagles back to the postseason. 37% think he more or less will match McNabb’s recent production as having “minor postseason successes”. Just one in four (25%) think the Eagles will eventually reach the conference championship or Super Bowl again so long as the new QB Kolb is at the helm.

PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / SHARON ELLMAN

Poll: Job creation is best in the south and out west, underemployment remains high nationally

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Following today’s Labor Department report of 162,000 new jobs created in the month of March Gallup has released some survey data indicating what areas of the country are most at work.

While the positive new figures were hailed by the White House today as a sign that economic conditions are turning for the better Gallup is quick to point out that there is something of an illusory effect when its comes to job creation data. Underemployment not unemployment may be the best barometer for tracking the current state of the national job force. For the month of March the underemployment rate as measured by Gallup ticked up half a percentage-point to 20.3%. This means that more than one of every five American adults is currently either out of work or is relegated to a part-time position while seeking full-time work. The underemployment figure as reported through a sample size of 20,000 responders each month has remained fairly steady since late last year and dwarfs the more nationally acknowledged 9.7% unemployment statistic.

The Gallup survey also asked 16,778 U.S. employees to describe the hiring and firing activities of their current employer. Reponses were categories by those who saw an expansion of the work forces in their company, a reduction in the number of jobs, or an essentially unchanged number of those hiring and letting go over the past month. National data suggests that companies are again hiring at a slightly greater rate than letting go. 26% according to the survey are in a hiring phase against 24% of companies who are cutting jobs. This an improvement year over year from last January when those totals were essentially reversed, but a steep decline from January of 2008 when 40% of companies were said to be hiring against just 14% reducing their workforces.

Jobs of course are not evenly distributed throughout all regions of the United States. Manufacturing exports and a slight rebound in the housing market are thought to be the main factors in a sudden improvement in the job market out west. For the first time since November of 2008 more companies are said to be hiring (26%) than firing (24%) in the region. It is also a notable improvement from January when job creation was decidedly negative to the tune of a 21-29% hiring to firing rate in the American west.

Despite impressive gains made by many western states the south remains the best region for employment in the country. Increased oil prices have steadily improved the region’s fortunes over the past few months up to its current 28% hiring rate against 23% letting go. Lack of consistency meanwhile defines the job picture in the Midwest of recent months. An improved manufacturing sector has helped keep the overall market stabalize in the region yet the Midwest still barely breaks even at a 24-23% hiring to firing rate.

Even with renewed confidence on Wall Street the east continues to lag behind the rest of the country in job creation. Slower population increases in certain northern states could play an important factor in the lack of positive data coming out of the region. Since late last year the number of adults reporting their companies are letting employees go has been surging upward. The current data suggest an even number are now hiring (25%) as firing (25%) which is a noticeable decline from September 2009 figures that had the east at 27-23% creation to reduction in jobs.

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The March job creation data, which was the highest in three years, can only be viewed positively by a nation in the midst of prolonged economic downturn and thirsting for work. Yet as is the case with most economic indicators over the past year and half modest gains are often met with tepid enthusiasm. The White House has publically stated that it does not envision the overall unemployment rate to drop under 9% before the end of the year and the underemployment figures should too remain high for the rest of 2010. All regions of the country are feeling the effects of the poor job market but the recent upswing in the west and stabilizing figures from the south offer hope that a broader economic turnaround is underway.