Do you feel things in this country are generally going in the right direction, or do you think things are seriously off on the wrong track?

I'm going to read you some plans for United States policy in Iraq. Please tell me which one comes closest to your own position:

The US should withdraw all troops from Iraq as soon as possible.

The US should set a deadline for withdrawing its troops if the Iraqi government doesn't show definite progress.

The US should keep its troops in Iraq until a stable government is established.

All in all, do you think the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over, or not?

I'm going to read you some options about federal income taxes. Please tell me which one comes closest to your view on what we should be doing about federal income taxes:

Taxes should be cut.

Taxes should be kept pretty much as they are.

Taxes should be raised if necessary in order to maintain current federal programs and services.

Please tell me which of the following statements about abortion comes closest to your own view:

Abortion should be available to anyone who wants it.

Abortion should be available, but with stricter limits than it is now.

Abortion should not be permitted except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the woman is at risk.

Abortion should not be permitted under any circumstances.

I'm going to read you a proposal some have made regarding immigration. Please tell me whether you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose it: provide a path to citizenship for some illegal aliens who agree to return to their home country for a period of time and pay substantial fines.

Which comes closer to your view when it comes to increasing access to affordable health care in the United States: the country should increase competition in the health insurance market or increase regulation of the insurance industry?

There has been much talk recently about whether gays and lesbians should have the legal right to marry someone of the same sex. Which of the following options comes closest to your position on this issue?

I support full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

I support civil unions or domestic partnerships, but not gay marriage.

I do not support any form of legal recognition of the relationships of gay and lesbian couples.

Do you favor or oppose the federal government in Washington negotiating more free trade agreements like NAFTA?

[If favor:] Do you strongly favor or somewhat favor this? [If oppose:] Do you strongly oppose or somewhat oppose this?

I am going to read you a pair of statements. Please tell me which of the two statements comes closest to your opinion:

Protecting the environment should be a top priority, even if that means higher consumer prices.

Protecting the environment is important, but it is more important to keep the economy growing.

Do you favor or oppose federal funding of embryonic stem cell research?

[If favor:] Do you strongly favor or somewhat favor this? [If oppose:] Do you strongly oppose or somewhat oppose this?

Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or something else?

Do you consider yourself a strong or not a very strong ([party named in Q18_r:] Republican / Democrat / Independent)?

Do you think of yourself as closer to the Republican or Democratic Party?

Generally speaking, would you describe your political views as very conservative, somewhat conservative, moderate, somewhat liberal, or very liberal?

How closely did you follow the 2008 presidential campaign: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not closely at all?

By Election Day, were you registered to vote in your precinct or election district, or not?

In talking with people about politics and elections, we often find that they do not get a chance to vote. Did you happen to vote in the November election?

By Election Day, were you registered to vote in your precinct or election district, or not?

Some states allow individuals to vote before Election Day, that is vote early at a polling station or by filling out an absentee ballot. How about you? Did you vote early in the November election or did you vote on Election Day?

Is this the first time you voted in a general election?

How did you cast your ballot? [Read response options 1 – 8 as necessary.]

When did you cast your ballot early in the general election?

In the 2008 presidential election who did you vote for: John McCain and Sarah Palin, the Republicans; Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the Democrats; Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez, the Independent candidates; Bob Barr and Wayne Allyn Root, the Libertarians; or Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, the Green Party candidates?

Would you say you voted for McCain for president more because you are for McCain or more because you are against Obama?

Would you say you voted for Obama for president more because you are for Obama or more because you are against McCain?

You were able to vote for a member of Congress, that is the US House of Representatives in Washington. Who did you vote for? Was it the Republican or Democrat?

You were also able to vote for US Senate. Who did you vote for? Did you vote for the Republican or Democrat?

If you voted at the polls on Election Day, would your vote for president have been different than it was on your early ballot?

Who would you have voted for instead?

[As necessary:] John McCain, the Republican; Barack Obama, the Democrat; Ralph Nader, the Independent; Bob Barr, the Libertarian; or Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate?

When did you make up your mind about how you would vote for president in the November general election: on Election Day, in the last three days before the election, sometime in the last week before the election, earlier in October, sometime in September, or before that?

Did John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate make you more likely to vote for McCain, less likely to vote for McCain, or did it make no difference in your decision to vote for president?

Did Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden as his vice presidential candidate make you more likely to vote for Obama, less likely to vote for Obama, or did it make no difference in your decision to vote for president?

Was there ever a time when you thought you would vote for Obama for president?

Was there ever a time when you thought you would vote for McCain for president?

Thinking about one year ago, in your opinion, were the economic conditions in this country much better than they are right now, somewhat better, the same, somewhat worse, or much worse?

Thinking about one year ago, was your personal economic situation much better than it is right now, somewhat better, the same, somewhat worse, or much worse?

Which was more important to you in choosing a candidate for president: their personal qualities, such as experience and judgment, or their positions on specific issues, such as energy policy and Iraq?

How often do you think Obama will keep his campaign promises once he is in office: always, most of the time, some of the time, rarely, or never?

This fall there were four debates: three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. How many, if any, did you watch or listen to?

During the general election campaign, did anyone you know personally try to show you why you should vote for or against a candidate?

On average, which of the following best describes how often you are on the Internet: several hours per day, almost every day, at least once per week, a few times per month, every month or so, rarely, or never?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you receive email from either the Obama or McCain campaigns? [If yes:] Which campaign?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you talk to any people and try to show them why they should vote for or against one of the presidential candidates?

Was that by telephone, in person, by regular mail, or by email or other online method?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you do any work for one of the presidential candidates?

Was that by telephone, in person, by regular mail, or by email or other online method?

For which candidate did you do work?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you give money to any of the presidential candidates?

Please tell me which of the following ways you donated money to the candidate during the presidential general election campaign: through the mail, an online donation through the Internet, or in person at a fundraiser or other campaign event.

Which candidate did you contribute to?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you go to any political meetings, rallies, speeches, dinners, or things like that in support of a particular presidential candidate?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you wear a presidential campaign button, put a campaign sticker on your car, or place a sign in your window or in front of your house?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you visit a website of a presidential campaign?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you forward any emails, audio, or video about presidential candidates or campaigns to friends, families, co-workers, or other people you know?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you view video on sites like YouTube about the presidential candidates or campaign?

During the presidential general election campaign, did you discuss politics online with people over email, in chat rooms, or using message boards, forums, or instant messaging services?

Which of the following shows do you regularly watch: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live, both, or neither?

Now that that Barack Obama has been elected president, what concerns you more about his handling of problems with other countries: that he might move too quickly to take military action and not spend enough time on diplomacy, or that he might spend too much time on diplomacy and not move quickly enough to take military action?

Do you feel John McCain is too old to be president, or not?

Do you feel Barack Obama is too young to be president, or not?

Last year, what was the total income before taxes of all the people living in your house or apartment? Just stop me when I get to the right category [read response options 1 – 10]:

Is the house, apartment, or mobile home where you live owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan; owned by you or someone in this household free and clear, without a mortgage or loan; rented for cash rent; or occupied without payment of cash rent?

Which type of health insurance do you now have: a plan through your employer or your spouse's employer, a plan that you purchase on your own, Medicare or Medicaid, some other government program, insurance from somewhere else, or do you not have health insurance?