Part 2: High Hopes

By Andrew Kohut, published in The New York Times

Andrew Kohut is the president of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (Full biography.)

Barack Obama won only 53 percent of the vote on Election Day, but he is getting a landslide greeting from the American public. Indeed, recent polls by Gallup and the Pew Research Center find the public exuberant about Mr. Obama and optimistic that he will solve the nation’s problems.

A Pew post-election poll taken last weekend finds the voters giving Mr. Obama better grades for his conduct during the campaign than any presidential candidate since 1988. Seventy-five percent of the sample gave Mr. Obama a grade of A or B grade for his performance, while 24 percent gave him a C, D or F.

Source: Pew Research Center

The Gallup Poll also showed Mr. Obama getting a higher post-election favorable rating (68 percent) than either George W. Bush in 2000 (56 percent) or Bill Clinton in 1992 (60 percent).

Looking ahead, Pew found 67 percent of its national sample of voters saying they thought that Mr. Obama would have a successful first term, as many as 39 percent of those voters supported John McCain. The Gallup Poll asked a broader question about the state of the country four years from now, but found a similar result: 65 percent said the country will be better off. In comparison, only 50 percent thought the country would be better off following George W. Bush’s victory in 2000, and about the same number (51 percent) thought the country would be better off following Bill Clinton’s success in 1992.

When Gallup asked about specific problems confronting the new administration, it found majorities saying they expected the new administration to succeed in dealing with 13 of 16 problem areas they tested. Notably large numbers expected that Mr. Obama will increase respect for the United States abroad; improve education, the environment and conditions for minorities and the poor; create a strong economic recovery; and succeed in getting troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan in a way that is “not harmful” to the United States.

The polls also showed the public anticipating a better political environment as well. The Pew survey showed somewhat more voters thinking relations between Republicans and Democrats in Washington would improve under Mr. Obama compared with a survey following the 2006 mid-term election (37 percent versus 29 percent). And Gallup found as many as 80 percent of its respondents thinking that Mr. Obama will make a sincere effort to work with Republicans to find solutions.

Of course, the higher expectations for his presidency are probably a function of the current public concern about the state of the nation. But at least some of that hope has to do with the president-elect emerging from a tough and often negative campaign with his image intact, if not enhanced.

Source: Pew Research Center

The Pew survey found Mr. Obama eliciting far more positive reaction from voters than he did prior to the general election campaign. Sixty-five percent of voters now say Mr. Obama makes them feel proud, up from 42 percent in March. Voters were also much more likely to say the president-elect makes them feel hopeful (69 percent versus 54 percent in March).

And that positive response is not confined to Democrats. Considerably more Republican voters now say Mr. Obama makes them feel proud and hopeful, and many fewer say Mr. Obama makes them angry (17 percent now versus 37 percent in March.)

This is all good news for the new administration. Mr. Obama may have a sweeter and longer honeymoon than most new presidents, but given the problems he confronts he’ll need it. Most Americans expect him to repair the economy, deal successfully with the wars and make progress on key domestic issues.

How long will impatient Americans be hopeful about Mr. Obama as he struggles to deal with the many problems he inherits? That may be the important political question of 2009. Barack Obama will have to summon all of his extraordinary ability to connect and communicate with American citizens to buy himself the time he needs to solve the huge problems that he will confront on Jan. 21.