Poll results

About the poll

Winthrop University conducted polling in South Carolina and 10 other Southern states to gauge voter attitudes.

The survey was conducted Oct. 24-Nov. 7 by telephone.

Poll respondents are 18 and older from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

There were 866 respondents, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. Subsets of the sample have a higher margin of error.

Data are weighted by state population, race, age and sex.

Telephone numbers for both wireless phone customers and those who maintain land lines were called by the surveyors.

Phone calls were made during weekday evenings, all day Saturdays, and Sunday afternoons and evenings. Weekday daytime calls are not made to avoid oversampling those who are more likely to be at home during the day, such as retirees and stay-at-home-moms.

The Winthrop poll is a long-term survey initiative designed to keep public policymakers across the country in touch with the attitudes and opinions of Southern residents.

Skeptical about the stimulus

Southerners are divided on whether the $787 billion federal stimulus package is helping them. Democrats are far more likely to think the stimulus is working, according to a Winthrop University poll of the South.

Is the stimulus working?

About 30 percent of Southerners think the stimulus is working, while 56 percent think the stimulus is working very little or not at all. The stimulus is viewed differently among Democrats, Republicans and independents. Forty-six percent of Democrats and 32 percent of independents think the stimulus is working, while only 14 percent of Republicans think positively of the stimulus. Even among Democrats, there is a strong belief the stimulus is not working. Thirty-seven percent of Democrats think the stimulus is has worked "very little" or not at all.

Where is the stimulus going?

Forty-four percent of Southerners are not sure if the stimulus benefits are going to all regions of the country equally or if the South is getting a greater or lesser share of benefits comparatively. This uncertainty is shared almost equally among Republicans (44.9 percent), Democrats (42 percent) and independents (43.4 percent).

Source: Winthrop University

So Wilson was wrong?

Southerners mainly disagree with U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson's "you lie" outburst, even though many agree with Wilson's opposition to health care reform being pushed by President Obama, according to polling conducted in 11 Southern states by Winthrop University.

QUESTION: In September, President Obama gave a speech to a joint session of Congress on health care reform. During the speech, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson shouted, "You lie!" in response to part of the speech.

Poll respondents chose from the following answers:

Do you support or oppose what Joe Wilson did during the speech?

Would you say you are thrilled by what Joe Wilson did, or you support it but are not thrilled?

Would you say you are outraged by what Joe Wilson did, or you oppose it but are not outraged?

Poll results

Support Wilson - thrilled

All: 8.5%

Democrat: 3.7%

Republican: 13.2%

Independent: 6.6%

Support Wilson - not thrilled

All: 18.3%

Democrat: 6.2%

Republican: 29.9%

Independent: 21.1%

Oppose Wilson - outraged

All: 29.2%

Democrat: 48.4%

Republican: 11.1%

Independent: 30.2%

Oppose Wilson - not outraged

All: 35.6%

Democrat: 34.1%

Republican: 35.9%

Independent: 37.6%

Don't know, not sure

All: 7.7%

Democrat: 7.7%

Republican: 8.5%

Independent: 4.1%