American Pulse: Obama Wins on Economy But Race Isn't Over

McCain Leads Among Older Voters

 | Source: BIGresearch BIGresearch

COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - October 24, 2008) - It's no question when it comes to the struggling economy that Obama wins with voters. According to the October American Pulse, (n=4,048, including 3,345 likely voters surveyed 10/17-10/21/08), 34.3% of registered voters who plan to vote say their confidence in the economy would increase if Obama is elected in November. 26.1% say their confidence would increase if McCain is elected.

Although Obama leads overall among registered voters planning to vote in the November election, the Presidential race doesn't appear to be over just yet. In fact, among some groups of likely voters, McCain trumps Obama. When asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, McCain leads Obama among 35-54 year old likely voters (41.9% to 39.9%) and those 55+ (44.4% vs. 38.4%). Among registered voters who voted in 2004, and plan to vote this year, it is a virtual deadlock at 41.5% McCain vs. 41.5% Obama.

If the Presidential Election were held today, who would you vote for? 

                           Likely Voters*
                 All      18-34     35-54      55+
                -----     -----     -----     -----
John McCain     39.1%     26.6%     41.9%     44.4%
Barack Obama    43.8%     58.7%     39.9%     38.4%
Undecided       14.2%     13.1%     15.3%     13.7%
Other            2.8%      1.6%      2.9%      3.4%

*Likely Voters is defined as those who are registered and plan to vote
 in the November election.
Source: BIGresearch, American Pulse, Oct. '08. N=4,048

(For complimentary findings, click here: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com)

Other key findings about voters from the October American Pulse: 

--  47.7% of McCain voters vs. 23.6% of Obama voters strongly agree they
    are concerned with voter fraud.
--  38.4% of likely voters feel it is the 'American Way' to tax high wage
    earners in order to spread the wealth around to low wage earners; 23.8% say
    this is a socialist concept.
--  70.6% agree that they try to learn as much as they can about
    candidates' backgrounds.
--  Undecided voter makeup: 24% Democrat, 18% Republican, 48% Independent.
    47.7% are over 45 years old and 54% are female.

About American Pulse™

The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch every month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over 4,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights into how Americans really feel about issues they currently face. http://www.bigresearch.com.

About Survey Sampling International (SSI)

Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling consulting, and survey optimization. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing research clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in Shelton, CT with 14 additional offices worldwide. http://www.surveysampling.com

Contact Information: Contacts: BIGresearch Dianne Kremer 614.846.0146 SSI Diane Urso 203.567.7236

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