This Washington Post-Schar School of Policy and Government poll was conducted by telephone November 11-14, 2016, among a random national sample of 1,002 adults interviewed on landlines and cellular phones, including an oversample of respondents who supported Clinton or Trump in pre-election surveys. Overall results have a fourpoint margin of sampling error. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt-SRBI of New York. *= less than 0.5 percent (Full methodological details and sampling error margins for subgroups appended at the end.) 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president? 11/14/16 9/22/16* 9/8/16 8/4/16 7/14/16 6/23/16 5/19/16 3/6/16 1/24/16 12/13/15 11/19/15 10/18/15 9/10/15 7/19/15 5/31/15 3/29/15 1/15/15 12/14/14 10/26/14 10/12/14 9/7/14 6/1/14 4/27/14 3/2/14 1/23/14 12/15/13 11/17/13 10/20/13 9/15/13 7/21/13 5/19/13 4/14/13 3/10/13 1/13/13 -------- Approve -------NET Strongly Somewhat 56 37 19 55 34 21 58 34 24 55 34 22 56 33 24 56 34 21 51 30 21 51 31 20 50 31 18 45 24 22 46 24 22 51 28 23 49 27 22 45 26 20 45 22 23 47 26 21 50 24 26 41 21 20 43 21 22 40 20 20 42 24 18 46 23 23 41 23 19 46 25 22 46 23 23 43 23 20 42 22 21 48 28 20 47 25 22 49 25 24 51 32 20 50 27 23 50 29 21 55 32 23 ------- Disapprove -----NET Somewhat Strongly 40 12 28 41 9 32 40 9 30 42 10 32 42 9 33 41 8 33 46 11 35 43 11 33 46 11 36 51 12 39 50 10 40 45 10 35 46 9 37 50 13 37 49 11 38 47 11 36 44 9 35 54 13 41 51 12 39 51 12 39 51 12 39 51 14 37 52 12 40 50 12 38 50 9 41 55 14 41 55 11 44 49 10 39 47 11 37 44 12 32 44 10 33 45 10 35 46 11 36 41 8 33 No opinion 4 4 3 3 2 3 3 6 4 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 5 6 8 6 3 6 3 4 3 3 3 6 7 5 5 4 4 12/16/12 54 33 21 42 9 32 5 11/4/12 RV 52 33 10 46 10 36 2 11/3/12 RV 51 33 10 47 10 37 2 11/2/12 RV 51 32 11 47 11 36 2 11/1/12 RV 50 31 11 48 11 37 2 10/31/12 RV 50 30 11 48 11 37 2 10/30/12 RV 50 28 12 48 12 37 2 10/29/12 RV 50 28 11 48 11 36 2 10/28/12 RV 51 28 11 46 11 36 3 10/27/12 RV 50 28 11 46 11 36 3 10/26/12 RV 51 29 10 46 10 36 3 10/25/12 RV 50 29 9 47 9 37 3 10/24/12 RV 50 29 10 48 10 38 3 10/23/12 RV 50 29 21 47 9 37 3 10/22/12 RV 50 30 20 47 10 38 3 10/21/12 RV 51 31 20 47 10 37 2 10/13/12 50 30 21 44 10 34 6 9/29/12 50 26 24 46 12 34 4 9/9/12 49 29 20 45 11 35 6 8/25/12 50 27 23 46 13 33 4 7/8/12 47 24 24 49 15 34 4 5/20/12 47 26 21 49 13 36 3 4/8/12 50 30 20 45 10 35 6 3/10/12 46 28 18 50 11 39 4 2/4/12 50 29 22 46 11 36 3 1/15/12 48 25 23 48 11 37 4 12/18/11 49 25 24 47 13 34 4 11/3/11 44 22 22 53 15 37 3 10/2/11 42 21 21 54 14 40 4 9/1/11 43 21 22 53 16 38 3 8/9/11** 44 18 26 46 9 37 10 7/17/11 47 25 22 48 14 35 5 6/5/11 47 27 20 49 13 37 4 5/2/11*** 56 29 27 38 14 24 6 4/17/11 47 27 21 50 12 37 3 3/13/11 51 27 24 45 12 33 4 1/16/11 54 30 23 43 15 28 3 12/12/10 49 24 25 47 15 32 4 10/28/10 50 27 23 45 11 34 5 10/3/10 50 26 24 47 13 34 3 9/2/10 46 24 22 52 14 38 3 7/11/10 50 28 22 47 12 35 3 6/6/10 52 30 22 45 12 33 4 4/25/10 54 31 23 44 11 33 3 3/26/10 53 34 20 43 8 35 3 2/8/10 51 29 22 46 12 33 3 1/15/10 53 30 24 44 13 32 2 12/13/09 50 31 18 46 13 33 4 11/15/09 56 32 23 42 13 29 2 10/18/09 57 33 23 40 11 29 3 9/12/09 54 35 19 43 12 31 3 8/17/09 57 35 21 40 11 29 3 7/18/09 59 38 22 37 9 28 4 6/21/09 65 36 29 31 10 22 4 4/24/09 69 42 27 26 8 18 4 3/29/09 66 40 26 29 9 20 5 2/22/09 68 43 25 25 8 17 7 *9/22/16 and previous is Washington Post-ABC News trend unless otherwise noted **Washington Post ***Washington Post/Pew Research Center 2. As you may know, around half the public does not vote in presidential elections. How about you - did you vote in the presidential election that ended this past week, when Hillary Clinton ran against Donald Trump, or did you not have a chance to vote that time? 11/14/16 Yes 77 No 22 No opinion * 3. (ASK IF VOTED) Confidentially and for statistical purposes only which candidate did you vote for?* Clinton Trump Johnson Stein Other (vol.) 11/14/16 48 47 1 1 1 *Results weighted to match popular vote count as of Nov. 15. No opin./Refused * 4. What word or short phrase would you use to describe how you feel about the election of Donald Trump as president? (Open-ended) All adults 2016 voters Clinton voters Trump voters Results based on unweighted counts of mentions 1002 896 409 423 ***NET Happy/Excited*** 249 236 4 226 Happy/Pleased 61 58 - 58 Good/Very good 44 40 3 36 Great 32 31 - 29 Excited/Ecstatic 25 25 - 25 Wonderful/Excellent 19 19 - 19 Thrilled/Elated 19 18 - 18 Relieved 12 12 - 10 Satisfied 11 10 - 10 Awesome 6 5 - 5 Positive 6 6 - 5 14 12 1 11 ***NET Upset*** 199 187 176 4 Disappointed 81 77 73 1 Disgusted 25 23 20 3 Sad/Upset/Unhappy 23 22 22 - Devastated 20 19 19 - Don't like/Disapprove 15 14 11 - Disturbed 4 3 3 - Sick 8 7 7 - Other general negative emotion 23 22 21 - ***NET Hopeful/Hoping for best*** Other excitement/positive 75 65 8 51 Hopeful 18 17 1 15 Will be good/Good for America 18 17 - 16 16 16 4 10 14 10 2 8 Optimistic Hope Trump does good job/Hope for best 9 5 1 2 75 62 52 6 Terrible/Horrible 18 16 16 - Bad/Not good 12 10 8 - Catastrophic/Chaos/Apoplectic 10 8 6 2 Crazy 10 7 4 3 8 7 5 1 17 14 13 - 63 56 44 6 35 29 27 - We'll see what happens ***NET Terrible*** Disaster Other terrible ***NET Scared/Worried** Scared/Afraid 16 15 10 3 Anxious/Apprehensive 7 7 4 2 Other Scared/Worried 5 5 3 1 Shocked/Surprised/Unexpected 50 46 30 11 Comfortable/Okay 21 19 2 15 Best candidate/Lesser of two evils 21 19 - 17 Need a change/Great change 21 21 1 19 Criticism of Trump 20 17 16 - Ambivalent/Uncertain Electorate has decided/Have to accept result 20 15 8 6 14 12 7 5 Interesting 13 12 4 6 Expletive 10 7 7 - Amazing 8 7 - 6 Fair election 8 7 - 3 Other 112 91 43 36 No opinion/Refused 23 17 7 6 Worried/Concerned 5. (ASK IF DID NOT VOTE) What was the main reason you [(IF REGISTERED) did not vote]/ [(IF NOT REGISTERED) did not register to vote] this year? Were you too busy, not interested enough to vote, sick, disliked the candidates, forgot to vote, are not eligible to vote or something else? 11/14/16 Too busy 10 Not interested 12 Sick 4 Disliked candidates 27 Forgot to vote - Not eligible 25 Something else 23 No op - 6. (ASK IF DID NOT VOTE) Which candidate did you want to see win? [(Hillary Clinton the Democrat), Donald Trump the Republican)], [(Gary Johnson, the Libertarian) or (Jill Stein of the Green Party)]? 11/14/16 Hillary Clinton 45 Donald Trump 23 Gary Johnson 4 Jill Stein 1 Other (vol.) 7 None of these (vol.) 16 No opinion 4 7. Thinking back to the past few years or so, have you been satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things have gone in the country? 11/14/16 Satisfied 44 Dissatisfied 53 No opinion 4 7a. (ASK IF DISSATISFIED) Do you think the country needs (large scale changes) or (only minor changes) to get headed in the right direction again? 11/14/16 Large scale 89 Only minor 10 No opinion 1 7/7a NET Table -----------Dissatisfied-------------- 11/14/16 Satisfied 44 NET 53 Large-scales changes 47 Only minor changes 6 No opin. 1 No opinion 4 8. Thinking about the next 12 months, would you say you feel (optimistic) or (pessimistic) about [ITEM]? Is that very optimistic/pessimistic, or somewhat? 11/14/16 Summary Table a. the way things are going in this country b. the policies Donald Trump will pursue --- Optimistic --NET Very Smwht --- Pessimistic -NET Smwht Very No opinion 54 25 30 39 14 25 7 48 27 21 43 13 30 9 Trend: a. the way things are going in this country ----- Optimistic ------- Pessimistic ---NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very 11/14/16 54 25 30 39 14 25 8/4/16* 42 NA NA 52 NA NA 12/16/12 46 17 29 51 21 30 12/14/08 51 NA NA 46 NA NA 12/11/06 61 36 5/15/06 48 50 12/18/05 57 42 12/19/04 57 41 7/25/04 RV 67 30 6/20/04 62 36 1/18/04 69 " " 29 " " *8/4/16 and previous is Washington Post-ABC News trend No opinion 7 6 3 4 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 b. No trend Compare to Obama: ----- Optimistic ------- Pessimistic ---No NET Very Somewhat NET Somewhat Very opinion 1/13/13* 53 26 27 41 12 29 6 12/16/12* 55 26 29 41 14 26 5 12/14/08 68 NA NA 26 NA NA 6 *1/13/13 and previous is Washington Post-ABC News trend * "the policies Obama will pursue in his second term in office" Compare to Bush: Optimistic Pessimistic No opinion 12/11/06 47 47 6 5/15/06 43 53 4 12/18/05 53 43 4 12/19/04** 51 45 5 *12/11/06 and previous is Washington Post-ABC News trend ** "... in his second term in office" 9. Thinking about people you talk with, whether in person, over the phone or online, how often did you discuss the presidential election with others? Nearly every day, a few times a week, a few times a month or less often? 11/14/16 Nearly every day 48 Few times a week 27 Few times a month 7 Less often 18 No opinion 1 10. During the presidential election campaign, did you ever [ITEM], or not? 11/14/16 Summary Table a. feel stressed out by campaign news b. have an argument about the election c. feel angry about something you heard during the campaign Yes 55 35 No 45 65 73 26 No opinion * * * 11. Do you think the United States is basically okay after this year’s presidential election, or do you think the election has done real damage to the country? 11/14/16 United States basically okay 45 Real damage to the country 45 No opinion 10 12. (ASK IF DONE REAL DAMAGE) Do you think (Clinton) is more to blame for damage to the country, (Trump) is more to blame, or do they both deserve equal blame? 11/14/16 Clinton 8 Trump 53 Both 29 Neither (vol.) 7 No opinion 3 13. When he takes office, how confident are you that Donald Trump will [ITEM] – very confident, somewhat confident, not so confident, or not at all confident? 11/14/16 Summary Table a. serve effectively as president b. show respect for people he disagrees with c. make wise decisions about war and peace d. make significant changes in how Washington works e. improve the nation’s economy f. improve Americans’ standard of living --- Confident --NET Very Smwt 52 26 25 ----- Not confident ----NET Not so Not at all 45 16 29 No op. 3 43 19 23 54 15 39 3 47 24 23 51 16 35 3 62 59 35 32 27 27 34 38 13 13 20 25 4 3 52 28 24 44 15 29 4 14. Do you think Trump has a mandate to carry out the agenda he presented during the presidential campaign, or should he compromise on the things the Democrats strongly oppose? 11/14/16 Has mandate 29 Should compromise 59 No opinion 13 Compare to Obama/Republicans: Has mandate Should compromise No opinion 12/16/12 1/16/09 34 50 56 46 11 4 Compare to: Bush/Democrats 4/22/01 1/15/01 Has mandate 35 41 Should compromise 60 52 No opinion 5 7 15. Overall do you think Obama has done more to (unite the country), or has done more to (divide the country)?* Unite Divide the country the country 11/14/16 50 43 *Order of questions 15/16 randomized No opinion 7 Overall do you think Obama has done more to (unite the country), or has done more to (divide the country)? [obamaunite] 9/7/14 5/19/13 Unite 38 47 Divide 55 45 No opinion 7 8 Bush: 6/5/05 9/8/04 RV 8/29/04 RV 4/18/04 3/7/04 12/21/03 Unite 43 48 47 50 48 58 Divide 55 44 48 48 49 36 No opinion 2 8 5 2 3 6 16. Do you think Trump will do more to (unite the country) or will he do more to (divide the country)?* Unite Divide the country the country 11/14/16 44 49 *Order of questions 15/16 randomized No opinion 6 15. Do you think Trump will (go too far) in carrying out his agenda, will he (not go far enough), or do you think he will handle it about right? 11/14/16 Go too far 30 Not go far enough 13 Handle it about right 48 No opinion 10 18. Do you think [ITEM] share(s) your views on most issues, share(s) your views on some issues, or hardly any issues? 11/14/16 Summary Table ---Most/some---a. b. c. d. Hillary Clinton Donald Trump Democrats in Congress Republicans in Congress NET 57 55 62 61 Most 24 27 21 17 Some 33 28 40 44 ---Hardly any/none--Hardly None NET any (vol.) 40 34 6 42 37 5 35 31 4 35 32 3 No Opinion 3 3 3 4 On another subject, 19. When he becomes president, do you think Trump should or should not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton’s use of e-mail as secretary of state? 11/14/16 Should 36 Should not 57 No opinion 6 20. (IF VOTED) Thinking about your close friends, how many would you say [ITEM], lot, some, just a few or none at all? A 11/14/16 Summary Table a. Supported Donald Trump b. Supported Hillary Clinton ------ More -----NET A lot Some 59 41 17 60 43 18 -------- Fewer -------NET Just a few None 39 22 18 36 23 13 No opinion 2 4 21. Did you get the most news about the election this year form watching television, on the internet, listening to the radio, or by reading newspapers and magazines? 11/14/16 Television 56 Internet 30 Radio 6 Newspapers and magazines 6 Other (vol.) 3 No opinion * 22. (ASK IF GOT NEWS ON INTERNET) When you got election news over the Internet, where do you turn to most for news about the election online? Websites for major national news organizations, social media such as Facebook or Twitter, google or another search website, emails from friends and groups you belong to, local news websites, or somewhere else? Websites for major national news organizations Social media such as Facebook or Twitter Google or another search website Emails from friends and groups you belong to Local news websites Or somewhere else? No opinion 11/14/16 29 32 15 1 8 13 * Party ID. Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as (a Democrat), (a Republican), an independent or what? 11/14/16 10/13/16 9/22/16 9/8/16 8/4/16 7/14/16 6/23/16 5/19/16 3/6/16 1/24/16 12/13/15 11/19/15 10/18/15 Democrat 32 33 33 34 33 33 36 33 34 34 33 33 30 Republican 27 25 23 24 23 23 24 25 25 23 23 23 24 Independent 33 33 36 33 36 35 33 35 32 34 34 36 39 Other (vol.) 5 5 6 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 4 4 No opinion 3 4 3 3 3 3 2 3 5 4 5 4 2 *** END*** METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS This poll was jointly sponsored and funded by The Washington Post and the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government. The poll is a random sample of the continental United States, not including Alaska and Hawaii, with interviews in English and Spanish. This questionnaire was administered with the exact questions in the exact order as they appear in this document. Demographic questions are not shown. If a question was asked of a reduced base of the sample, a parenthetical preceding the question identifies the group asked. Phrases surrounded by parentheticals within questions indicate clauses that were randomly rotated for respondents. A dual frame landline and cellular phone telephone sample was generated using Random Digit Dialing (RDD) procedures. Interviewers called landlines and cellular phone numbers, first requesting to speak with the youngest adult male or female at home. The RDD sample was supplemented with re-contact interviews with 451 likely voters who supported Clinton or Trump national pre-election tracking survey conducted by The Post and ABC News from Oct. 20-Nov. 6. The total unweighted sample included 423 respondents who reported voting for Trump and 409 who supported Clinton. The overall sample included 351 interviews completed on landlines and 651 interviews completed via cellular phones, including 387 interviews with adults in cell phone-only households. This survey uses statistical weighting procedures to account for deviations in the survey sample from known population characteristics, which helps correct for differential survey participation and random variation in samples. The overall adult sample is weighted to correct for differential probabilities of selection among individuals who are landline-only, cell phone-only or dual users. Results are also weighted match the demographic makeup of the population by sex, region, age, education and race/ethnicity according to the latest Current Population Survey Social and Economic Supplement by age, race/ethnicity, sex and education. The sample of voters was weighted to reflect Clinton and Trump’s share of the presidential vote as of Nov. 15, according to AP Vote Count. All error margins have been adjusted to account for the survey’s design effect, which is 1.6 for this survey. The design effect is a factor representing the survey’s deviation from a simple random sample, and takes into account decreases in precision due to sample design and weighting procedures. Surveys that do not incorporate a design effect overstate their precision. Group All adults Voters Unweighted sample size 1,002 896 Error margin +/- 4 points 4.5 The Washington Post is a charter member of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, which recognizes organizations that disclose key methodological details on the research they produce. Contact polls@washpost.com for further information about how The Washington Post conducts polls.