Hillary Clinton Edges Nancy Reagan as Best Recent First Lady in U.S.
Hillary Clinton Edges Nancy Reagan as Best Recent First Lady in U.S.
A majority of Americans continue to hold positive views on current first lady Michelle Obama.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is the top-ranked recent United States first lady, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,016 American adults, 21 per cent of respondents think Clinton has been the first lady of the U.S. since 1974, followed closely by Nancy Reagan with 19 per cent.
Michelle Obama is third on the list with 15 per cent, followed by Laura Bush with 12 per cent. Betty Ford, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter are all in single digits.
Nancy Reagan is the top choice for men (22%) and respondents aged 35-to-54 (23%), while Clinton gets the best marks with women (23%) and respondents over the age of 55 (19%). Independent voters place Reagan ahead of Clinton (24% to 21%).
Three-in-five Americans (60%) have a favorable opinion of Michelle Obama, including 67 per cent of respondents aged 18-to-34, 89 per cent of Democrats and 51 per cent of Independents. A majority of respondents (50%) believe it is important for first ladies in the U.S. to promote a specific cause during the presidency of their spouses. Democrats (76%) are more likely to support this notion than Republicans (56%) and Independents (57%).
Analysis
For the past three years, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Nancy Reagan have consistently been regarded as the best recent first ladies. In 2010, they were tied. Last year, Reagan edged Clinton by five points. This year, the current Secretary of State holds the upper hand.
The numbers for Michelle Obama have been remarkably consistent. For the past three years, her ranking on the best first! ladies question has been 15 per cent, and three-in-five Americans have said they have a favorable opinion of her.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion+877 730 3570mario.canseco@angus-reid.com
Methodology: From February 15 to February 17, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,016 randomly selected American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of errorwhich measures sampling variabilityis +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.