December 15, 2016 - Obama Gets Highest Grade Ever In Virginia, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Divided On Flag-Burning PDF format Additional Trend Information Sample and Methodology detail Virginia voters approve 59 - 38 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing, his highest grade ever in the Old Dominion and one of his highest grades ever in the states surveyed by the Quinnipiac University Poll. President Obama's previous high approval in Virginia is a 52 - 44 percent grade in a January 10, 2013, survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll, as he started his second term. Approval is 97 - 1 percent among Democrats and 58 - 37 percent among independent voters. Republicans disapprove 84 - 14 percent. Virginia voters are optimistic, 55 - 40 percent, about the next four years with Donald Trump as president. Men are optimistic 63 - 32 percent, while women are divided 48 - 47 percent. Optimism by age group is highest, 60 - 39 percent, among voters 18 to 34 years old, and lowest, 51 - 45 percent, among voters 35 to 49 years old. Despite the optimism, Trump gets a negative 39 - 53 percent favorability rating. Men are negative 42 - 48 percent and women are negative 36 - 58 percent. White voters are divided with 48 percent favorable and 45 percent unfavorable. Non-white voters are negative 19 - 72 percent. "There may be no political figure in the history of Virginia who is more responsible for the state's political transition from solid Republican to a swing state with a Democratic lean in presidential elections than President Barack Obama," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "He leaves office with strongly positive approval ratings. President Obama not only carried the state twice fairly comfortably, but also leaves office with a model for future Democratic White House nominees on how to carry the state. "The question now is whether the Democrats can continue their winning streak in the Old Dominion by electing a second consecutive governor?" Brown added. Virginia voters approve 62 - 22 percent of the job U.S. Sen. Mark Warner is doing. Warner gets a split 42 - 42 percent approval rating from Republicans. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine gets a 58 - 32 percent job approval rating. Flag-Burning Virginia voters are divided on the issue of flag-burning as a form of political protest, as 48 percent say it should be legal and 47 percent say it should be illegal. There are deep partisan, age and gender divisions: Flag-burning should be legal, Democrats say 61 - 33 percent and independent voters say 55 - 41 percent. Republicans say 70 - 28 percent that flag-burning should be illegal. Women say 51 - 44 percent that flag-burning should be against the law, but men say 53 - 43 percent that it should be legal. Flag-burning should be legal, voters 18 to 34 years old say 53 - 44 percent and voters 35 to 49 years old say 54 - 40 percent. It should be illegal, voters 50 to 64 years old say 50 - 46 percent and voters over 65 years old say 56 - 41 percent. White and non-white voters are evenly divided and virtually identical. Virginia voters oppose 62 - 34 percent amending the U.S. Constitution to make flag- burning illegal. The only listed group to support such an amendment are Republicans, 52 - 46 percent. "Virginians clearly understand the difference between passing a law and changing the U.S. Constitution. They are split down the middle when it comes to outlawing flag-burning as a legal method of protest. But almost two-thirds oppose amending the Constitution to do so," Brown said. From December 6 - 11, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,098 Virginia voters with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. Live interviewers call landlines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia and the nation as a public service and for research. Visit poll.qu.edu or www.facebook.com/quinnipiacpoll Call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter @QuinnipiacPoll. 11. Is your opinion of Donald Trump favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Favorable 39% 86% 4% 34% 42% 36% 38% 58% Unfavorable 53 9 91 56 48 58 56 34 Hvn't hrd enough 4 3 2 7 6 3 3 4 REFUSED 3 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Favorable 29% 37% 44% 47% 51% 46% 48% 19% Unfavorable 64 58 47 46 39 50 45 72 Hvn't hrd enough 5 3 5 3 5 2 4 6 REFUSED 2 2 4 5 5 2 3 3 14. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Mark Warner is handling his job as United States Senator? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 62% 42% 81% 60% 58% 65% 66% 55% Disapprove 22 42 6 24 28 17 22 30 DK/NA 16 17 13 16 14 17 12 15 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Approve 53% 61% 69% 66% 56% 65% 61% 65% Disapprove 23 23 20 22 32 21 26 13 DK/NA 24 16 11 12 12 14 13 22 15. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Tim Kaine is handling his job as United States Senator? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 58% 24% 89% 55% 52% 63% 58% 44% Disapprove 32 64 2 37 39 25 34 46 DK/NA 11 12 9 8 9 12 8 10 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Approve 57% 57% 62% 55% 43% 59% 52% 72% Disapprove 29 32 28 38 48 32 40 14 DK/NA 14 11 9 6 9 9 9 14 16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Approve 59% 14% 97% 58% 53% 64% 55% 38% Disapprove 38 84 1 37 44 33 42 59 DK/NA 3 2 1 4 3 3 3 3 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Approve 73% 60% 54% 49% 42% 51% 47% 86% Disapprove 27 38 41 47 56 45 50 11 DK/NA 1 2 5 4 2 4 3 3 17. Are you generally optimistic or pessimistic about the next four years with Donald Trump as president? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Optimistic 55% 92% 24% 54% 63% 48% 50% 69% Pessimistic 40 5 69 42 32 47 48 25 DK/NA 5 3 6 4 5 4 2 6 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Optimistic 60% 51% 56% 52% 67% 52% 59% 45% Pessimistic 39 45 38 38 29 44 37 48 DK/NA 2 4 6 10 4 4 4 7 24. Should burning or destroying the American flag as a form of political protest be legal or should it be against the law? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Legal 48% 28% 61% 55% 53% 44% 59% 38% Against the law 47 70 33 41 43 51 36 60 DK/NA 4 2 5 4 4 4 5 2 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Legal 53% 54% 46% 41% 55% 44% 49% 48% Against the law 44 40 50 56 42 53 48 47 DK/NA 3 6 4 3 4 3 3 6 25. If the only way to make flag destruction illegal was to change the Constitution, would you support or oppose a Constitutional amendment making it illegal to destroy the flag for political reasons? WHITE...... COLLEGE DEG Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Yes No Support 34% 52% 23% 28% 34% 34% 31% 41% Oppose 62 46 74 68 64 61 64 57 DK/NA 4 3 3 4 2 6 4 2 AGE IN YRS.............. WHITE..... Non- 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ Men Wom Wht Wht Support 27% 31% 35% 44% 33% 38% 36% 30% Oppose 72 64 62 52 65 57 61 66 DK/NA 1 5 3 4 2 4 3 4
