On Election Day, 9 percent of voters in the Los Angeles Times exit poll checked abortions as one of the issues that mattered most to them in casting their votes. Thirty-four percent of this group supported Bill Clinton, and 60 percent voted for Bob Dole. These results, like those from past national exit polls, confirm that abortion is a plus for the GOP in national-level voting

In 1984, in the CBS News/New York Times national exit poll, 7 percent said abortion was one of the most important issues to them in casting their vote. Seventy-one percent of these people voted for Ronald Reagan, 28 percent for Walter Mondale. In 1988, 7 percent in the CBS News/New York Times exit poll selected abortion as one of the most important issues to them. This group voted 65 percent for George Bush, 33 percent for Michael Dukakis. In the Voter Research Service exit poll from 1992, 12 percent selected abortion as the issue that mattered most to them. Once again, the group tilted decisively Republican, with 55 percent casting ballots for Bush, 36 percent for Clinton, and 9 percent for Ross Perot.

Rating Past Presidents

In July, CBS News/New York Times pollsters asked, “Looking back on past American presidents, which one would you want to have running the country today?” John Kennedy was the top pick at 28 percent, followed by Reagan at 13 percent. No other former president was mentioned by more than 10 percent of those surveyed.

Retrospective overall job assessments for Presidents Bush, Reagan, and Ford found that two-thirds approved of the way Bush handled the job when he was president (27 percent disapproved), 58 percent approved of Reagan (35 percent disapproved), and 46 percent approved of Gerald Ford (24 percent disapproved).

Women’s Voices, Women’s Earnings

In August, the Center for Policy Alternatives released a poll conducted by Lake Research, American Viewpoint, and Buffalo Qualitative Research. The surveyors explored women’s concerns about work, family, government policy, and business practices. The sample was large enough to allow survey designers to look at white, black, and Latina women’s opinions.

The survey produced many interesting findings, but also some misleading ones. The press release accompanying the survey touted the results of one question about women’s earnings, claiming that two-thirds of all working women and a majority of married women said they earned about half or more of their family’s income. Earlier this year, the Whirlpool Foundation released the results of a survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates in November 1994 that found that 55 percent of employed women (ages 18 to 55) provided about half or more of their family’s income, and 44 percent less provided than half.

Both questions are imprecise and misleading, and, not surprisingly, the results differ from one another and also from government data. The government’s Current Population Survey finds that married women contribute slightly more than 30 percent of their households’ income, though there are substantial differences by work status (full-time versus part-time, etc.).

In the Center’s survey men and women with children were equally worried about having enough time to do everything and still spend time with the family. Men were a bit more likely than women (49 to 42 percent) to say in another question that government is the problem, not the solution. Forty-five percent of women, compared with 41 percent of men, chose the response “government can help people and needs to be made to work for average families.”

Seventy-five percent of older women, compared with 62 percent of younger women, agreed that women are generally paid much or somewhat less than men.

Yet, in another question, only a quarter of women said equal pay for equal work was the biggest problem facing women at work today. Thirty-four percent said combining work and family was the major problem.

When women were given a choice between a job that pays “somewhat” more but does not have benefits such as family leave, flexible hours, and help with child care, and one that supply “somewhat” less pay but did supply the benefits, 80 percent of women opted for the lower pay/greater benefits; only 15 percent wanted the position with higher pay but no benefits.

Moral High Ground

In August, when CBS News/New York Times interviewers asked whether “most members of Congress share the moral values most Americans try to live by,” 39 percent said representatives did, but 52 percent said they did not. “Most members of the news media” fared slightly better, with 44 percent saying this group shares the values of most Americans, and 48 percent disagreeing.

Hollywood executives fared much worse than the others. Only 10 percent thought the executives shared the values of most Americans; 83 percent did not.

The First Lady

In an early December, Opinion Dynamics/Fox News poll about Hillary Clinton, 17 percent said they wanted the First Lady to “disappear completely” over the next four years, 29 percent wanted her to be “more active” in setting White House policy, and a near majority, 47 percent, wanted her to focus on being a more traditional First Lady.

In its new poll, CBS News finds that 41 percent believe the First Lady has too much influence on the decisions the President makes, 44 percent think she has about the right amount, and 5 percent think she has too little influence.