Perry, Bachmann Generate More Positive Intensity Than Romney Newly announced presidential candidate Rick Perry and Iowa Straw Poll winner Michele Bachmann generate more intensely positive reactions from Republicans who know them than does front-runner Mitt Romney. Go to USA

Election Matters: The New GOP Field and Obama’s New Lows Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport and USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page assess the effect of the Iowa straw poll and Rick Perry’s official entrance into the GOP race, as well as new lows in President Obama’s job approval ratings. Go to USA

Congressional Job Approval Ties Historic Low of 13% Americans’ frustration with Congress has reached historic levels, with 13% approving and 84% disapproving of the job it is doing, tying the low approval rating and establishing a new high disapproval rating by one percentage point. Congressional approval is down five points from last month. Go to [...]

Obama’s Weekly Job Approval at 40%, Lowest of Administration President Obama’s job approval rating dropped to 40% during the week spanning Aug. 8-14, the lowest weekly average of his administration. Obama’s three-day average fell to a new low of 39% for Aug. 11-13, marking the first time this average has been below 40% since he [...]

Washington, D.C., Extends Its Lead in Economic Confidence The nation’s capital increased its lead in economic confidence during the first half of 2011, with the only positive Economic Confidence Index score (+11) in the U.S. Adjacent states Maryland and Virginia are also in the top 10 in confidence. Oil spill states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and [...]

As Economic Confidence Drops, Obama Approval Fairly Stable President Obama’s job approval rating for the first 10 days of August is down 4 percentage points from the first week of July, representing a 9% decline. That is significantly less than the 19 point — or 56% — drop in Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index over the [...]

Emotional Health Higher Among Older Americans Age is positively related to Americans’ emotional wellbeing. People in their 70s are more likely than those in their 30s to have high emotional health. Further, even among people in their eighth and ninth decades, emotional health remains high. Go to USA

Editor-in-Chief Insights: Voters’ Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport discusses the low percentage of registered voters who say most members of Congress deserve re-election. Go to USA

Small-Business Owners’ Revenue and Hiring Expectations Down Small-business owners turned less optimistic about future revenues and new hiring even prior to the events affecting the economy in recent weeks and the plunge in Americans’ economic confidence, according to the Wells Fargo-Gallup Small Business Index. Go to USA

Democrats Enjoy Slight Edge on 2012 Congressional Ballot Gallup’s first measure of the 2012 congressional elections shows Democrats with a slight lead over Republicans, 51% to 44%, among registered voters nationally — better than they generally fared in 2010 but worse than in the prior two congressional cycles. Go to USA