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CNN Live At Daybreak
'America's Voice'
Aired January 27, 2004 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we want to start today's America's Voice segment with a topic many New Hampshire voters may be thinking about.
Live now to Princeton, New Jersey and Gallup Editor-In-Chief Frank Newport.
Frank, it seems the economy is a big story today. The Fed is meeting and the voters in New Hampshire are considering it.
How do Americans view the state of the economy right now?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Well, the state of the economy good in general. It was down a little in our consumer confidence measures a little earlier this month. But we've noticed something very interesting in the entrance polls, mind you, not exit polls, that came out of Iowa a week ago. It wasn't Iraq that those Democratic voters said was most important to them, it was the economy, along with costs of health care.
Now, we've been asking the same question of the New Hampshire Democratic primary voters going to the polls today -- what's the most important thing you're going to take into account in making your decision on which of these Democratic candidates you want to vote for?
Look at the answers here. Again, Iraq got a lot of big visibility, of course, earlier on in the campaign. But look at taxes. And New Hampshirites don't like taxes, but that's so low. It's the economy again. Thirty-eight percent of the voters up there say it's the economy.
So we're seeing a recurrent theme here. We also find it nationally when we ask people what's the most important problem. Americans still very fixated on the economy as the major problem, not all this foreign policy that we hear about.
Now, a little bit, you asked how Americans were feeling, Fredricka. This is our January just released UBS/Gallup Index of Investor Optimism. It's quite fascinating. These are people with $10,000 or more of investible assets. So it's a little more of the upscale part of the American population. And it's still up. Last month it was high, 104 -- and this is indexed to 100 way back in the '90s -- 107 this month, up a little higher. That's actually the highest as we've seen it since March in 2002.
So the things are looking pretty good as far as Americans are concerned, but kind of paradoxically, the voters out there still say tell me what you're going to do about the economy -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, another big story a lot of folks are going to be watching, the Martha Stewart trial, which begins today.
And your poll numbers also show how Americans are feeling about her these days.
NEWPORT: Indeed. You know, the judge -- from what I was hearing this morning, the judge admonished the juries in the trial to forget everything you knew about Martha Stewart or what you've heard about this, start with a fresh slate as you begin to hear the evidence in the trial. But what jurors probably had thought about Martha Stewart, based on her national numbers, wouldn't be all that great.
Notice we asked in 2002 and then we updated it again. Fifty-five percent, more recently, of Americans say an unfavorable opinion of Martha Stewart, which is too bad. Her whole empire built on her image, of course. But over the last year or two, really troubles for Martha Stewart.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Frank Newport, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 27, 2004 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we want to start today's America's Voice segment with a topic many New Hampshire voters may be thinking about.
Live now to Princeton, New Jersey and Gallup Editor-In-Chief Frank Newport.
Frank, it seems the economy is a big story today. The Fed is meeting and the voters in New Hampshire are considering it.
How do Americans view the state of the economy right now?
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Well, the state of the economy good in general. It was down a little in our consumer confidence measures a little earlier this month. But we've noticed something very interesting in the entrance polls, mind you, not exit polls, that came out of Iowa a week ago. It wasn't Iraq that those Democratic voters said was most important to them, it was the economy, along with costs of health care.
Now, we've been asking the same question of the New Hampshire Democratic primary voters going to the polls today -- what's the most important thing you're going to take into account in making your decision on which of these Democratic candidates you want to vote for?
Look at the answers here. Again, Iraq got a lot of big visibility, of course, earlier on in the campaign. But look at taxes. And New Hampshirites don't like taxes, but that's so low. It's the economy again. Thirty-eight percent of the voters up there say it's the economy.
So we're seeing a recurrent theme here. We also find it nationally when we ask people what's the most important problem. Americans still very fixated on the economy as the major problem, not all this foreign policy that we hear about.
Now, a little bit, you asked how Americans were feeling, Fredricka. This is our January just released UBS/Gallup Index of Investor Optimism. It's quite fascinating. These are people with $10,000 or more of investible assets. So it's a little more of the upscale part of the American population. And it's still up. Last month it was high, 104 -- and this is indexed to 100 way back in the '90s -- 107 this month, up a little higher. That's actually the highest as we've seen it since March in 2002.
So the things are looking pretty good as far as Americans are concerned, but kind of paradoxically, the voters out there still say tell me what you're going to do about the economy -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, another big story a lot of folks are going to be watching, the Martha Stewart trial, which begins today.
And your poll numbers also show how Americans are feeling about her these days.
NEWPORT: Indeed. You know, the judge -- from what I was hearing this morning, the judge admonished the juries in the trial to forget everything you knew about Martha Stewart or what you've heard about this, start with a fresh slate as you begin to hear the evidence in the trial. But what jurors probably had thought about Martha Stewart, based on her national numbers, wouldn't be all that great.
Notice we asked in 2002 and then we updated it again. Fifty-five percent, more recently, of Americans say an unfavorable opinion of Martha Stewart, which is too bad. Her whole empire built on her image, of course. But over the last year or two, really troubles for Martha Stewart.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Frank Newport, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
