This Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Nov.

12-15, 2015, among a random

sample of 1,005 adult residents of the District of Columbia reached on conventional
and cellular phones by live interviewers. The margin of sampling error for overall
results is four percentage points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Abt
SRBI, Inc of New York, NY.
(Full methodological details appended at the end.)
* = less than .5 percent
RV=Registered voters
1. First, do you think things in the District of Columbia are generally going in the
right direction, or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong
track?
Right
Wrong
Neither
direction
track
(vol.)
11/15/15
57
32
NA
11/15/15 RV
56
36
NA
3/23/14 RV
62
29
5
1/12/14 RV
59
33
5
1/12/14
59
32
5
7/17/12
40
45
8
5/31/11*
46
36
11
8/26/10
56
29
9
1/28/10
52
29
11
1/8/08
56
31
8
7/18/06
42
46
7
5/19/02
54
33
8
2/7/00
69
22
6
8/27/98**
47
46
NA
5/18/98
31
58
4
5/4/97
20
71
6
5/19/96
14
78
NA
2/29/96
16
80
NA
3/02/95
15
80
NA
12/21/93
11
83
NA
7/86
42
47
NA
*Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation

No
opinion
10
8
4
3
4
6
7
6
8
5
5
5
3
7
6
2
2
4
5
6
12

2. What is the biggest problem facing the District today, the one you want the mayor
to work the hardest to solve?
11/15/15
Crime/violence
Housing costs/
low income housing/
more affordable housing
ECONOMY NET
Jobs/employment/
Opportunities
Economy/Econ development/
improving quality of life/
cost of living
Taxes
Education/improving schools
TRANSPORTATION NET
Traffic/parking problems
Other transportation/Metro
Poverty/homelessness
Want DC to be self-governing/

5/31/11*

34

12

18
11

4
22

16

5
1
9
8
6
2
6

5
1
25
NA
5
NA
2

representation in Congress/
Congressional oversight
2
Race issues/income inequality/
Gentrification
2
CITY GOVERNMENT NET
2
Improve city government/
increase efficiency/
less corrupt
1
Balanced budget/
improve finances
1
Mayor/issues involving Mayor
*
Improving city services
1
Drugs/marijuana
1
Improving soc. services/
health care
NA
Nothing
NA
Other
5
Don't know
4
*Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation

2
NA
13
6
5
1
NA
2
*
4
4

-------------- Among Registered Voters -------------11/15/15

5/31/11* 8/26/10 7/18/06 5/19/02 2/7/00
33
10
13
38
22
21

Crime/violence
Housing costs/
low income housing/
more affordable housing
19
ECONOMY NET
10
Jobs/employment/
Opportunities
5
Economy/Econ development/
improving quality of life/
cost of living
5
Taxes
1
Education/improving schools
9
TRANSPORTATION NET
6
Traffic/parking problems
4
Other transportation/Metro
2
Poverty/homelessness
7
Race issues/income inequality/
Gentrification
2
Want DC to be self-governing/
representation in Congress/
Congressional oversight
2
CITY GOVERNMENT NET
2
Improve city government/
increase efficiency/
less corrupt
1
Balanced budget/
improve finances
1
Mayor/issues involving Mayor
1
Improving city services
1
Drugs/marijuana
1
Improving soc. services/
health care
NA
Nothing
NA
Other
5
Don't know
4
*Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation

4
23

4
26

16
5

15
14

2
12

16

18

6
1
26
NA
3
NA
2

8
*
34
NA
2
NA
2

2
1
24
NA
1
NA
2

3
2
18
NA
1
NA
2

4
2
17
NA
3
NA
3

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

4
15

1
4

1
2

3
3

3
6

6
1
4
NA

2
NA
2
NA

1
NA
4
NA

1
NA
8
NA

2
NA
14
NA

2
*
3
4

NA
0
10
3

1
NA
3
3

3
*
7
4

3
5
8
3

3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Muriel Bowser is handling her job as
Mayor? Do you approve strongly or somewhat?

11/15/15
11/15/15 RV

-------Approve--------NET Strongly Somewhat

58
17
41
57
16
41

-------Disapprove------NET Somewhat Strongly

25
14
10
29
16
13

No
opin.
18
14

4. Now Im going to mention some issues that face our community, and for each, please
tell me whether you think Mayor Bowser is doing an excellent job, good, not-so-good or
poor job in dealing with this issue.
11/15/15 Summary table
a.
b.
c.
d.

reducing
held for
held for
held for

crime in the city

release.
release.
release.

--Excellent/Good--NET
Excel.
Good
33
3
30

--Not-so-good/Poor-NET
Not Good
Poor
63
37
26

No
op.
5

5. Generally speaking, how would you rate the job (ITEM): excellent, good, not so good
or poor?
11/15/15 Summary table
a. that District police are doing
b. held for release.
c. held for release.

- Excellent/Good NET
Excel. Good
63
10
53

-- Not Good/Poor -NET Not Good Poor

34
24
11

No
opin.
3

Trend:
a. The job that district police are doing
--Excellent/Good----Not Good/Poor--NET
Excel. Good
NET Not Good Poor
11/15/15
63
10
53
34
24
11
1/12/14
71
12
59
27
17
10
5/31/11*
76
15
61
21
16
5
1/28/10
73
12
61
25
17
8
1/8/08
61
8
53
37
27
10
7/18/06 RV
53
6
47
43
30
13
5/19/02
65
8
57
31
21
10
2/7/00
63
9
54
33
23
10
5/18/98
49
7
42
45
29
16
5/4/97
68
15
53
30
21
9
5/21/90
65
13
52
26
20
6
*Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation

No
opin.
3
2
3
2
2
4
4
4
5
2
9

Questions 6-15 held for release.

On another subject,
16. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Cathy Lanier is handling her job as D.C.
police chief?
11/15/15
9/16/14

Approve
61
71

Disapprove
25
14

No opinion
14
15

Compare to: For each of the following people, please tell me if you have a favorable
or unfavorable impression of that person, or perhaps you dont know enough to say. a.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier

1/28/10
1/8/08

------- Favorable ------NET

Strongly
Somewhat
68
33
36
69
NA
NA

------ Unfavorable -----NET

Somewhat
Strongly
10
5
5
15
NA
NA

No
opinion
21
16

17. These days, how safe from crime do you feel in your neighborhood? Would you say
you feel very safe from crime, somewhat safe, not too safe, or not safe at all?
-------Safe---------------Not safe-------NET Very Somewhat
NET Not too Not at all
11/15/15
74
23
52
26
18
8
5/31/11*
82
26
55
18
13
5
1/28/10
79
27
52
21
15
6
1/8/08
74
24
50
26
16
11
7/18/06 RV
72
15
57
28
19
8
5/19/02
74
27
47
25
16
9
2/7/00
80
24
56
20
15
5
5/18/98
67
15
52
32
20
12
12/93
57
11
47
43
23
20
*Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation

No
opinion
*
*
*
1
*
1
*
-

18. Do you think the response of the District police to the rise in murders this year
has been too tough, not tough enough, or has it been about right?

11/15/15

Too
tough
5

Not tough
enough
51

About
right
36

No
opinion
8

19. Do you support or oppose making it against the law to own any gun in the District?
11/15/15

Support
51

Oppose
47

No opinion
3

20. Do you think outlawing all guns would make the District more safe, less safe or
wouldnt it make a difference?

11/15/15

More
safe
42

Less
safe
12

Wouldnt make
a difference
43

No
opinion
2

Questions 21-30 held for release.

901. Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as:
11/15/15
7/17/12
5/31/11
1/28/10
1/28/10 RV
1/8/08

Democrat
67
65
68
67
70
68

Republican
6
7
7
7
6
6

Independent
20
23
23
22
21
22

Other
5
2
1
2
2
3

No op.
2
3
2
2
2
1

1/8/08 RV
7/18/06 RV

71
69

5
7

20
21

3
2

1
1

***END***
METHODOLOGICAL DETAILS
This poll was sponsored and funded by The Washington Post. The questionnaire was
administered with the exact questions in the exact order as appears in this document.
Interviews were conducted English. If a question was asked of a reduced base of the
sample, a parenthetical preceding the question identifies the group asked. Questions
that contain parenthetical phrases indicate clauses that were randomly rotated for
respondents. Trended references to results with LV or RV indicate results among
likely voters or registered voters.
A dual landline and cell phone telephone sample was generated using Random Digit
Dialing procedures by Survey Sampling International (SSI). A supplemental sample of
non-202 area code cell phone numbers was drawn from Aristotle, and screened to
identify individuals who were cell phone-only. The survey was conducted with 452
respondents reached on landline phones, 553 reached on cellular phones including; 395
respondents were cell phone owners with no landline phone at home, including 202
sampled from the registered voter list.
Interviewers called landlines and asked to interview the youngest male or youngest
female who is at home at the time, with the male requested 75 percent of the time.
Interviewers calling cellular phones interviewed the respondent if they were eligible
to participate.
This survey uses statistical weighting procedures to account for differential chances
of selection depending on phone ownership and to match known demographic benchmarks.
The overall adult sample is weighted using a raking procedure to match the demographic
makeup of the population by sex, city wards, age, education, race/ethnicity, voter
registration status and the share of cell phone only/landline only/dual service
household.
Sources for weighting targets include the 2009-2013 American Community Survey (age,
sex, education, race, city wards), the 2014 Current Population Survey (voter
registration) and the 2013 National Health Interview Survey (telephone use).
All error margins have been adjusted to account for the surveys design effect, which
is 1.65 in this survey. The design effect is a factor representing the surveys
deviation from a simple random sample, and takes into account decreases in precision
due to sample design and weighting procedures. Surveys that do not incorporate a
design effect overstate their precision.
Contact polls@washpost.com for further information about how The Washington Post
conducts polls.