Near-Even Split on Ryan – But With Positive Movement (Seniors overwhelmingly favor him 46-28)
ABC News ^ | 08/14/2012 | Jason E. Miczek
Posted on Mon Aug 13 2012 13:04:14 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) by SeekAndFind
Americans split nearly evenly on Paul Ryan’s selection as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate, a divided response that nonetheless represents a sharp gain for Ryan compared with the negative tilt that preceded his pick, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll has found.
In weekend interviews 38 percent responded favorably to Ryan joining the Republican ticket, up from 23 percent in pre-selection interviews last week. Positive views rose among independents as well as among Republicans, and among women. And Ryan was notably well-received among senior citizens – a group of interest given his plan to reshape Medicare.
At the same time, 33 percent of adults – disproportionately Democrats – continue to see Ryan’s selection unfavorably, about the same after the announcement as it was before. The movement in his favor came among undecideds, 45 percent before the announcement, a still-substantial 30 percent after it. Enough are left to tilt the balance as they come to their judgment on the choice.
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AGE and SEX – As noted, seniors are of interest given Ryan’s proposal to revamp Medicare with a system in which the government would give older Americans a fixed sum with which to buy insurance. They moved in Ryan’s favor, from a 28-28 percent favorable-unfavorable view prospectively to 46-28 percent this weekend.
Again a sizable number, 26 percent, are undecided; debate over Ryan’s position on Medicare may inform their views.
Younger adults, age 18-39, also moved in Ryan’s favor, but from a more negative view before the announcement, 18-29 percent positive-negative, to a divided one, 34-36 percent.
Ryan also saw a gain among women, a weak group for Romney compared with Obama; favorable views of the choice rose from 19 percent of women last week to 37 percent this weekend.
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