Who is the Tea Party?

September 19, 2010

A CBS/New York Times poll earlier this year -- surveying 1,580 Americans --881 of whom identified themselves as Tea Party supporters -- found:

* 18 percent of Americans identify as Tea Party supporters.

* 89 percent are white.

* 3 in 4 are age 45 or older; 29 percent are over 65.

* 36 percent are from the South, 25 percent are from the West, 22 percent are from the Midwest and 18 percent are from the Northeast.

* 37 percent are college grads (compared with 25 percent of Americans overall.)

* They have a higher-than-average household income, with 56 percent making more than $50,000 per year.

* 54 percent say they are Republicans; 41 percent call themselves independents; 5 percent say they are Democrats.

* 38 percent attend weekly religious services.

* Almost 6 in 10 keep a gun in their house.

* 75 percent of listeners to broadcasters Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck identify themselves as Tea Party supporters.

How are they feeling?

* 92 percent of Tea Party supporters say America is on the wrong track.

* 53 percent describe themselves as "angry" about the way things are going in Washington, compared with 19 percent of Americans overall who say they are angry.

* What are Tea Party people angry about? Health care reform bill (16 percent), government not representing the people (14 percent), government spending (11 percent) and unemployment and the economy (8 percent).

President Obama

* 88 percent disapprove of the job he is doing.

* 92 percent believe Obama's policies are moving the country toward socialism.

* 64 percent believe that Obama has increased taxes for most Americans. (The vast majority of Americans actually have seen a federal tax cut under the Obama administration.)

* About 30 percent think Obama was born in another country; 41 percent believe he was born in the U.S.

The issues

* 82 percent say immigration is a serious problem.

* Three in four said the federal bailout of the banks was unnecessary.

* More than three in four say lowering the federal government debt is more important than government spending to create jobs.