Ipsos/Reuters Poll: August 2012

Washington, D.C. - These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters from August 2-6, 2012.

• The economy and jobs remains the #1 issue for Americans, with 45% selecting is as the most important problem facing the country.
• Last week's job report does not help significantly. 41% of Americans say the August unemployment data (8.3% +163k jobs) made them feel worse about the state of the US economy.
• Barack Obama is maintaining a small but significant lead over Mitt Romney in the race for the presidency. This month we have Obama at +7 over Romney (up from +6 last month) among registered voters.
• Obama's lead is buttressed by continued perception of this strength vis a vis Romney on foreign and (non-economic) domestic issues.
• On economic issues, the candidates are more closely matched. Currently Obama is up slightly (46 to 44) after trailing slightly last month. This metric will be the most important indicator of Romney's success in branding himself as an alternative to Obama on the most important issue of the day.
• Almost all Americans (83%) have seen some of the tv commercials about the 2012 race.
• Interestingly, Democrats have the highest recall of negative ads about Obama (68%) while Republicans have the highest recall of negative ads about Romney (72%). This indicates the "stickiness" of negative advertising with base voters.
• Independents are more aware of negative ads about both Romney (52%) and Obama (52%) than they are positive ads for either.

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters from Aug 2-6, 2012. For the survey, a nationally representative, randomly selected sample of exactly 1,168 adults aged 18 and older across the United States was interviewed by Ipsos via live telephone interviewing on landlines and cell phones. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population in the U.S. been polled.

All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to U.S. Census figures. Respondents had the option to be interviewed in English or Spanish. Please note that throughout this document, figures based on Independent voters are indicative only due to small sample size. Figures marked by an asterisk (*) indicate a percentage value of greater than zero but less than one half of a per cent. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding. Responses are based on the full sample of adults unless otherwise noted.

For more information on this news release please contact:

Chris Jackson Research Director Ipsos Public Affairs 202.420.2011 [email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In the U.S., UK and internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, and the Hispanic polling partner of Telemundo Communications Group, a division of NBC Universal providing Spanish-language content to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world.

Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

To learn more visit: www.ipsos-na.com

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.

Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.