The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior
The Guide provides immediate access to tables and graphs that display the ebb and flow of public opinion, electoral behavior, and choice in American politics over time. It serves as a resource for political observers, policy makers, and journalists, teachers, students, and social scientists.
Summary Evaluations
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Presidential Candidates 1968 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Vice-Presidential Candidates 1968 - 2020
Candidate Affect
Has Democratic Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Angry 1980 - 2016
Has Democratic Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Afraid 1980 - 2016
Has Democratic Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Hopeful 1980 - 2016
Has Democratic Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Proud 1980 - 2016
Has Republican Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Angry 1980 - 2016
Has Republican Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Afraid 1980 - 2016
Has Republican Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Hopeful 1980 - 2016
Has Republican Presidential Candidate Made Respondent Feel Proud 1980 - 2016
Candidate Traits
Democratic Presidential Candidate Provides Strong Leadership (4-Point Scale) 1980 - 2008
Democratic Presidential Candidate Provides Strong Leadership (5-Point Scale) 2008 - 2020
Democratic Presidential Candidate Provides Strong Leadership 1980 - 2020
Democratic Presidential Candidate Really Cares About People Like You (4-Point Scale) 1984 - 2008
Democratic Presidential Candidate Really Cares About People Like You (5-Point Scale) 2008 - 2020
Democratic Presidential Candidate Really Cares About People Like You 1984 - 2020
Democratic Presidential Candidate Is Knowledgeable (4-Point Scale) 1980 - 2008
Democratic Presidential Candidate Is Knowledgeable (5-Point Scale) 2008 - 2020
Democratic Presidential Candidate Is Knowledgeable 1980 - 2020
Democratic Presidential Candidate Is Honest 2008 - 2020
Republican Presidential Candidate Provides Strong Leadership (4-Point Scale) 1980 - 2008
Republican Presidential Candidate Provides Strong Leadership (5-Point Scale) 2008 - 2020
Republican Presidential Candidate Provides Strong Leadership 1980 - 2020
Republican Presidential Candidate Really Cares About People Like You (4-Point Scale) 1984 - 2008
Republican Presidential Candidate Really Cares About People Like You (5-Point Scale) 2008 - 2020
Republican Presidential Candidate Really Cares About People Like You 1984 - 2020
Republican Presidential Candidate Is Knowledgeable (4-Point Scale) 1980 - 2008
Republican Presidential Candidate Is Knowledgeable (5-Point Scale) 2008 - 2020
Republican Presidential Candidate Is Knowledgeable 1980 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer rating Toward House Candidates 1978 - 2020
Net Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward House Candidates 1978 - 2020
Approval of Congressional Incumbent Running for Re-Election 1980 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward House Incumbents and Challengers 1978 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Senate candidates 1978 - 2020
Net Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Senate Candidates 1978 - 2020
Presidential Vote Choice
Presidential Vote: 2 Major Parties 1948 - 2020
Presidential Vote: 2 Major Parties and Wallace/Anderson/Perot 1948 - 2020
Timing of Respondent's Presidential Vote Decision 1948 - 2020
Congressional Vote Choice
Congressional Vote: 2 Major Parties 1952 - 2020
Split Ticket Voting: Presidential vs Congressional vote 1952 - 2020
Split Ticket vs Straight Ticket 1952 - 2020
Voted for Democrat or Republican for US Senate 1952 - 2020
Gubernatorial Vote Choice
Political Engagement
General Interest in Public Affairs 1960 - 2008
Follow Information about Politics 2008 - 2020
Interest in Current Campaign 1952 - 2020
Expected Closeness of Presidential Race 1952 - 2020
Care Who Wins Presidential Election (2-Point Scale) 1952 - 2012
Care Who Wins Presidential Election (5-Point Scale) 2016 - 2020
Care Who Wins Congressional Election 1966 - 2008
Discussed politics with family and friends 1984 - 2020
How often in the last week did respondent discuss politics 1984 - 2020
Registration and Turnout
Voter Turnout (without midterm years) 1948 - 2020
Voted on election day or before 1994 - 2020
Voting seen as duty or choice 2012 - 2020
Campaign Participation
Tried to Influence How Others Vote 1952 - 2020
Attended Political Meeting 1952 - 2020
Worked for a Party or Candidate 1952 - 2020
Wore a Button or Put a Sticker on the Car 1956 - 2020
Gave Money to Help a Campaign 1952 - 2020
Mobilization
Contacted by Either Major Party 1956 - 2020
Contacted by Democratic Party 1956 - 2020
Contacted by Republican Party 1956 - 2020
Contacted by someone other than the parties 1980 - 2020
Contacted to Register or Vote 1984 - 2020
Other Civic Activity
Volunteer work in the last 12 months 1992 - 2020
Worked with others in the community 2000 - 2020
Attended meeting about issue in community or schools 2000 - 2020
Partisanship
Party Identification: 7-Point Scale 1952 - 2020
Party Identification: 3-Point Scale 1952 - 2020
Strength of Partisanship 1952 - 2020
Evaluation of the Parties
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Parties 1978 - 2020
Net Affect Toward Parties 1978 - 2020
Affective Polarization of Parties: Own-party and rival-party feelings 1978 - 2020
Which Party would best Handle Most Important Problem 1972 - 2020
Which party better at economy 1990 - 2020
Which party better at environment 1990 - 2020
Important Differences Between 2 Parties 1952 - 2020
Ideology and Scope of Government
Liberal-Conservative Self-Identification: 7-Point Scale 1972 - 2020
Liberal-Conservative Self-Identification: 3-Point Scale 1972 - 2020
Ideological Extremity 1972 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Liberals and Conservatives 1964 - 2020
Net Affect Toward Liberals and Conservatives 1964 - 2020
Affective Polarization of Ideologues: In-group and out-group feelings 1972 - 2020
Power of the Federal Government 1964 - 2000
Less govt better or more things govt should do 1990 - 2020
Values
Adjust view of morality to changes 1986 - 2020
Fewer problems if more emphasis on traditional family ties 1986 - 2020
Do what's necessary for equal opportunity 1984 - 2020
Country would be better if we worried less about equality 1984 - 2020
Not a big problem if some people have more of a chance 1984 - 2020
If people treated equally, we'd have fewer problems 1984 - 2020
Social Welfare, Healthcare, and Education
Government Support for Health Care 1956 - 1968
Government vs Private Health Care (7 point scale) 1970 - 2020
Government vs Private Health Care (3 point scale) 1970 - 2020
Government Guaranteed Job and Standard of Living (7 point scale) 1972 - 2020
Government Guaranteed Job and Standard of Living (3 point scale) 1972 - 2020
Government Services and Spending (7 point scale) 1982 - 2020
Government Services and Spending (3 point scale) 1982 - 2020
Federal spending on Social Security 1984 - 2020
Federal spending on public schools 1984 - 2020
Federal spending on child care 1988 - 2016
Federal spending to aid the poor 1992 - 2020
Economy, Budget, and Taxes
Retrospective Economic Evaluation (last year) 1980 - 2020
Prospective Economic Evaluation (next year) 1980 - 2020
Economy good or bad 2012 - 2020
Retrospective Evaluation of Personal Finances (last year) 1962 - 2020
Prospective Evaluation of Personal Finances (next year) 1956 - 2020
How worried about personal finances? 2012 - 2020
Unemployment gotten better or worse 1986 - 2020
Inflation gotten better or worse 1986 - 2008
Gap between rich and poor getting wider? 2004 - 2020
Favor/oppose gov't trying to reduce income differences 2012 - 2020
Favor/oppose increased taxes on millionaires 2012 - 2020
Importance of reducing budget deficit 2012 - 2020
Social and Cultural Issues
Equal Role for Women 1972 - 2008
When should abortion be allowed 1972 - 1980
By law, when should abortion be allowed 1980 - 2020
Protect gays & lesbians from discrimination 1988 - 2020
Allow gays & lesbians to adopt 1992 - 2020
Same-sex marriage views 2012 - 2020
School Prayer should be allowed (yes/no) 1964 - 1984
School Prayer should be allowed (4 point scale) 1986 - 1998
Guns and Crime
Federal spending on crime 1984 - 2020
Favor/oppose death penalty 1988 - 2020
Make it easier/harder to buy a gun 2000 - 2020
Importance of gun control to respondent 2000 - 2020
Military and Foreign Policy
U.S. Should Not Concern Itself with World Problems 1956 - 2020
US position grown weaker or stronger 1958 - 2020
Cut Military Spending (yes/no) 1972 - 1976
Increase/Decrease Military Spending (7 point scale) 1980 - 2020
Increase/Decrease Military Spending (3 point scale) 1980 - 2020
Immigration, Trade, and Globalization
Immigrants should be decreased/increased 1992 - 2020
Immigrants take away jobs 2004 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating Toward Illegal Immigrants 1988 - 2020
Federal spending on border security 1996 - 2020
Favor/oppose limits on imports 1988 - 2020
Race
Aid to Blacks/Minorities (7 point scale) 1970 - 2020
Aid to Blacks/Minorities (3 point scale) 1970 - 2020
Affirmative action in hiring/promotion 1986 - 2020
Change in Situation of Blacks 1964 - 1994
Pace of Civil Rights Leaders' Actions 1964 - 1992
Favor Desegregation or Segregation 1964 - 1978
Federal Government Ensure School Integration 1962 - 2000
Busing to Achieve School Integration 1972 - 1984
Government See to Fair Treatment in Jobs 1964 - 2012
Environment
Tougher environmental regulations, or regulations a burden? (7 point scale) 1996 - 2020
Tougher environmental regulations, or regulations a burden? (3 point scale) 1996 - 2020
Trust in Government
Trust the Federal Government (4-point Scale) 1958 - 2012
Trust the Federal Government (5-point Scale) 2012 - 2020
Is the Government Run for the Benefit of All 1964 - 2020
Are Government Officials Crooked 1958 - 2012
How many Government Officials are Corrupt 2012 - 2020
Do People in Government Waste Tax Money 1958 - 2020
Trust in Government Index 1958 - 2020
Efficacy
Politics Too Complicated (agree/disagree) 1952 - 2012
Politics Too Complicated (how often) 2008 - 2020
Understand Political Issues 2008 - 2020
People Don't Have a Say in What the Government Does 1952 - 2020
Public Officials Don't Care What People Think 1952 - 2020
External Political Efficacy Index 1952 - 2020
Government Responsiveness and Democratic Integrity
How Much Does the Government Listen to the People 1964 - 2004
Elections Make the Government Pay Attention 1964 - 2020
Government Responsiveness Index 1964 - 2020
Makes a big difference who is in power 2008 - 2020
How satisfied with way democracy works 2004 - 2020
How often are votes counted fairly 2016 - 2020
Approval and Evaluations of Government
Things in this country on Right track/wrong track 1992 - 2020
Approval of President 1972 - 2020
Approval of Presidential handling of economy 1984 - 2020
Approval of Presidential handling of foreign affairs 1984 - 2020
Approval of Presidential handling of health care 1996 - 2020
Approval of Congress 1980 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward Congress 1980 - 2020
Approval of House incumbent 1980 - 2020
How well does House incumbent stay in touch with district 1986 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward US Supreme Court 1980 - 2020
Group Feelings
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward Racial/Ethnic Groups 1964 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward Religious Groups 1964 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward Gender/Sex-related Groups 1984 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward Social Movements 1970 - 2020
Average Feeling Thermometer Rating toward Various Societal Groups 1964 - 2020
Importance of American identity 2012 - 2020
Perceived Discrimination
How much discrimination against whites 2012 - 2020
How much discrimination against blacks 2012 - 2020
How much discrimination against hispanics 2012 - 2020
How much discrimination against asians 2016 - 2020
How much discrimination against women 2012 - 2020
How much discrimination against gays and lesbians 2012 - 2020
Conditions make it difficult for blacks to succeed 1986 - 2020
Blacks should not have special favors to succeed 1986 - 2020
Blacks must try harder to succeed 1986 - 2020
Blacks gotten less than they deserve over the past few years 1986 - 2020
Social Characteristics
Household Union Membership 1948 - 2020
Social Class (Self-Identification): MIddle or Working Class? 1956 - 2020
Religion
Religion, 4 categories 1948 - 2020
Religion, 5 categories 1960 - 2020
Religion, 6 categories 1960 - 2020
Attitudes about the Origin of the Bible, 3 categories 1990 - 2020
Attitudes about the Origin of the Bible, 2 categories 1964 - 2020
Religion an Important Part of Life 1980 - 2020
Religious Guidance in Day-to-Day Living 1980 - 2016
Church Attendance, 4 categories 1952 - 1968
Church Attendance, 5 categories 1970 - 2020
Personal Experiences and Outlook
How often does respondent trust other people 2008 - 2020
does respondent trust other people 1964 - 2008
How much racial or ethnic discrimination have you faced 2012 - 2020
Political Knowledge
Which Party Had Most Members of Congress Before the Election 1958 - 2020
Which party had the most members in the Senate before election 1982 - 2020
Know Speaker of the House 1992 - 2020
Important Note on Retired Charts: Several charts in the old version of the Guide have been retired and thus are not included in this version. These charts feature trends that are no longer updated (because ANES stopped asking the question in its Time Series surveys) and/or are likely to be of less interest to contemporary users. Email us at [email protected] about these retired charts in the old version of the Guide.