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USA Presidential Race 2012 By Battleground States
Date Range: October 6 – October 12, 2012
9% 13%
8%
31%
18%
5% 16%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
All Eight States
2
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
The vice presidential debate made the issues
“Abortion/Choice” and “Foreign Policy” boost in
share of voice by 5.9% and 8.4% respectively.
However, “Jobs/Economy” remained the most
discussed issue with 31.1% in share of voice.
• Obama: This week, Obama led in volume in
all of the eight states. His overall Sentiment
Score decreased by 5.4. While he had a
positive score in New Hampshire, he led in
sentiment in Virginia, North Carolina, New
Hampshire, and Nevada, but with negative
scores.
• Romney: Romney’s Overall Sentiment
Score, which stayed at -6.2, was slightly
better than Obama’s. He had, however, no
positive scores in any states this week.
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 9.0% 3.1% 5.9%
Medicare/Social
Security 13.3% 17.9% 4.6%
Protecting the
middle class 8.3% 11.8% 3.5%
Jobs/Economy 31.1% 34.2% 3.1%
Budget deficit 17.3% 18.6% 1.3%
Obamacare 4.9% 6.7% 1.8%
Foreign Policy 16.1% 7.7% 8.4%
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -7.2 -1.8 5.4
Romney -6.2 -0.3 5.9
7%
11%
15%
41%
9% 2%
15%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
Wisconsin
3
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
“Jobs/Economy” continued to be the most
discussed issue in Wisconsin this week
(40.8%). After having a boost of 10.8% in share
of voice, “Foreign Policy” became the second
most discussed issue. Meanwhile, “Budget
deficit” dropped by 15.8% in share of voice.
• Obama: Obama led in volume this week
with over 5,000 mentions. His Sentiment
Score, however, decreased by 3.7. He
continued to be blamed for the increase in
the budget deficit and heavily criticized for
his weak foreign policies.
• Romney: The number of conversations
about Romney was about 3,500. He led in
sentiment this week with a slightly higher
score (-5.7) than Obama’s. Wisconsinites
were negative about his Medicare and
Social Security plans.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -6.8 -3.1 3.7
Romney -5.7 -2.6 3.1
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 6.7% 5.4% 1.3%
Medicare/Social
Security 11.2% 14.1% 2.9%
Protecting the
middle class 14.8% 13.4% 1.4%
Jobs/Economy 40.8% 33.8% 7.0%
Budget deficit 8.8% 24.6% 15.8%
Obamacare 2.3% 4.1% 1.8%
Foreign Policy 15.4% 4.6% 10.8%
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
Virginia
4
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
Virginians mostly talked about “Jobs/Economy”
this week. One of the main issues in the vice
presidential debate, “Foreign Policy”, generated
many discussions this week in Virginia, making
it increase by 8.5% in share of voice. However,
the other issue, “Medicare/Social Security”,
dropped by 10.2%.
• Obama: Obama led in volume with over
8,000 mentions. He also led in sentiment
with a score of -7.6. There were many
negative comments saying that his new jobs
report was a lie. Others complained about
Obama putting the country further in debt.
• Romney: Romney had about 7,000
mentions this week. His score, which stayed
at -9.4, was worse than Obama’s. Most of
the Virginians criticized Romney on his
“cruel” health care plans.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -7.6 -1.2 6.4
Romney -9.4 -0.3 9.1
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 7.8% 2.8% 5.0%
Medicare/Social
Security 8.7% 18.9% 10.2%
Protecting the
middle class 6.2% 12.1% 5.9%
Jobs/Economy 39.8% 35.1% 4.7%
Budget deficit 17.7% 17.7% 0%
Obamacare 2.7% 4.8% 2.1%
Foreign Policy 17.1% 8.6% 8.5%
8% 9%
6%
40%
18%
2% 17%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
North Carolina
5
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
“Abortion/Choice” and “Foreign Policy” were the
only two issues that saw a boost in their share
of voice, 7.0% and 10.3% respectively.
“Jobs/Economy” continued to be the most
discussed issue, while “Foreign Policy” became
the second most discussed.
• Obama: Obama continued to lead in
volume this week with over 10,000
mentions. His Sentiment Score improved to
a score of -0.6, making him lead in
sentiment as well. North Carolinians still
criticized him for the high unemployment
rate and the budget deficit, but they believed
in Obama’s intent to support all Americans,
rather than just a few like what they believed
Romney truly intended.
• Romney: Romney had about 8,000
mentions this week. His Sentiment Score
dropped by 4.4, as North Carolinians
believed Romney’s tax plan only benefited
the rich. They also said that he did not truly
care about the middle class like he said he
did.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -0.6 -2.8 2.2
Romney -5.3 -0.9 4.4
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 10.0% 3.0% 7.0%
Medicare/Social
Security 15.5% 18.6% 3.1%
Protecting the
middle class 8.6% 11.7% 3.1%
Jobs/Economy 28.7% 35.1% 6.4%
Budget deficit 13.9% 16.1% 2.2%
Obamacare 5.3% 7.8% 2.5%
Foreign Policy 18.0% 7.7% 10.3%
10%
15%
9%
29%
14%
5% 18%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
8% 12%
7%
32%
19%
6% 16%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
Florida
6
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
Like in North Carolina, “Abortion/Choice” and
“Foreign Policy” had significant increases this
week, by 5.0% and 8.7% respectively. This was
mainly because they were talked about in the
vice presidential debate. “Jobs/Economy”
remained the most discussed issue with 32% in
share of voice.
• Obama: Obama led in volume this week
with over 17,000 mentions. However, he did
not perform well in sentiment, as his score it
dropped by 7.6 (the vice presidential debate
did not help to improve his sentiment score.
Instead, Floridians criticized Biden and the
Obama Administration on the fact that they
did not explain how the budget deficit
increased by trillions over three and a half
years.
• Romney: The number of conversations
about Romney was about 15,000. His
Sentiment Score also dropped by 7.3, due to
North Carolinians criticizing him for his pro
life stance and for his health care plans.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -8.3 -0.7 7.6
Romney -4.7 2.6 7.3
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 7.7% 2.7% 5.0%
Medicare/Social
Security 12.2% 18.7% 6.5%
Protecting the
middle class 7.0% 11.9% 4.9%
Jobs/Economy 32.0% 35.4% 3.4%
Budget deficit 18.8% 17.2% 1.6%
Obamacare 6.3% 6.8% 0.5%
Foreign Policy 16.0% 7.3% 8.7%
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
Ohio
7
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
This week, Ohioans talked less about
“Jobs/Economy” and more about
“Abortion/Choice”, “Budget deficit”, and “Foreign
Policy”. “Budget deficit” became the most
discussed issue with 23.4% (+4.8%).
• Obama: Obama remained in the lead in
volume this week with over 8,000 mentions.
However, his Sentiment Score dropped by
8.5. The main topics of criticisms towards
Obama in Ohio this week were focused on
how bad the economy was under Obama
and how the budget deficit had gotten
worse.
• Romney: Romney had about 7,000
mentions this week in Ohio and led in
sentiment with a score of -7.5. Romney
received many negative comments on his
health care plan, as people stressed that he
would cut the Medicaid budget by a third if
he was elected.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -10.4 -1.9 8.5
Romney -7.5 -1.7 5.8
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 12.6% 3.7% 8.9%
Medicare/Social
Security 10.2% 16.7% 6.5%
Protecting the
middle class 9.9% 8.2% 1.7%
Jobs/Economy 20.2% 34.9% 14.7%
Budget deficit 23.4% 18.6% 4.8%
Obamacare 6.3% 8.4% 2.1%
Foreign Policy 17.4% 9.5% 7.9%
13% 10%
10%
20% 24%
6% 17%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
Colorado
8
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
Coloradoans discussed much more about
“Medicare/Social Security” this week, making
the issue increase by 9.7% in share of voice.
“Jobs/Economy” remained the most discussed
issue with 29.5% in share of voice.
• Obama: Obama led in volume with over
5,000 mentions. However, he lost in
sentiment as his Sentiment Score dropped
by 5.8. Coloradoans criticized him for the
high unemployment rate, and some stated
that he took ten million dollars’ worth of
taxpayer funded vacations.
• Romney: Romney had over 4,000 mentions
this week. His Sentiment Score increased
slightly by 0.7 but he did not win any favors
with Coloradoans for his health care plans.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -9.9 -4.1 5.8
Romney -2.8 -3.5 0.7
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 8.6% 3.0% 5.6%
Medicare/Social
Security 27.1% 17.4% 9.7%
Protecting the
middle class 8.2% 10.9% 2.7%
Jobs/Economy 29.5% 31.2% 1.7%
Budget deficit 11.5% 24.2% 12.7%
Obamacare 4.2% 6.3% 2.1%
Foreign Policy 10.9% 7.0% 3.9%
9%
27%
8%
30%
11% 4%
11%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
New Hampshire
9
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
This week, people in New Hampshire shifted
their attention from “Protecting the middle class”
to “Jobs/Economy”. As a result, the issue
“Protecting the middle class” plummeted by
30.2% in share of voice, and the issue
“Jobs/Economy” boosted by 13.5% in share of
voice, making it the most discussed issue.
• Obama: Obama led in volume this week
with over 1,000 mentions. He also led in
sentiment, after seeing an increase of 4.0 in
his Sentiment Score. People in New
Hampshire believed in the jobs and budget
deficit reports from the Obama
Administration, therefore giving him positive
comments.
• Romney: The volume of mentions about
Romney was about 600. His Sentiment
Score increased by 3.7, but still stayed
negative at -7.9. People in New Hampshire
criticized Romney for his aggressive foreign
policies and his health care plans.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama 6.5 2.5 4.0
Romney -7.9 -11.6 3.7
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 7.0% 1.4% 5.6%
Medicare/Social
Security 19.9% 14.5% 5.4%
Protecting the
middle class 5.8% 36.0% 30.2%
Jobs/Economy 38.4% 24.9% 13.5%
Budget deficit 17.8% 13.0% 5.8%
Obamacare 3.1% 5.4% 2.3%
Foreign Policy 8.0% 4.8% 3.2%
7%
20%
6% 38%
18%
3% 8%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
*Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments *
100%
Nevada
10
Share of Voice – Key Issues
Candidate Sentiment – Obama (D) vs. Romney (R)
KEY FINDINGS:
“Abortion/Choice” and “Foreign Policy” received
much more attention this week by Nevadans,
and they increased by 9.7% and 9.4% in share
of voice respectively. “Budget deficit” also saw
an increase of 4.4% and became the most
discussed issue.
• Obama: Obama led in volume with over
2,500 mentions. He also led in sentiment
with a score of -6.7, which dropped by 4.5
from last week. There were some opinions
saying that Obama was only making money
for himself through Obamacare. Nevadans
also criticized him for the increase in the
budget deficit.
• Romney: Romney had about 2,000
mentions this week. His Sentiment Score
dropped by 5.7 to a score of -11.0, as a
result of negative comments on his plans for
the middle class and his foreign policies.
Candidate Current Week Previous Week Change
Obama -6.7 -2.2 4.5
Romney -11.0 -5.3 5.7
Current
Week
Previous
Week Change
Abortion/Choice 12.1% 2.4% 9.7%
Medicare/Social
Security 12.6% 20.1% 7.5%
Protecting the
middle class 7.8% 15.5% 7.7%
Jobs/Economy 18.5% 25.1% 6.6%
Budget deficit 27.7% 23.3% 4.4%
Obamacare 3.9% 5.6% 1.7%
Foreign Policy 17.4% 8.0% 9.4%
12%
13%
8% 18% 28%
4% 17%
Abortion/Choice Medicare/SS
Middle Class Jobs/Economy
Budget/Deficit Obamacare
Foreign Policy
Candidate Sentiment Score* by State
11
State Obama Romney
Current Week Previous Week Change Current Week Previous Week Change
Wisconsin -6.8 -3.1 3.7 -5.7 -2.6 3.1
Virginia -7.6 -1.2 6.4 -9.4 -0.3 9.1
North Carolina -0.6 -2.8 2.2 -5.3 -0.9 4.4
Florida -8.3 -0.7 7.6 -4.7 2.6 7.3
Ohio -10.4 -1.9 8.5 -7.5 -1.7 5.8
Colorado -9.9 -4.1 5.8 -2.8 -3.5 0.7
New Hampshire 6.5 2.5 4.0 -7.9 -11.6 3.7
Nevada -6.7 -2.2 4.5 -11.0 -5.3 5.7
• Obama only had a positive score in New Hampshire, while his Sentiment Scores in North Carolina and
New Hampshire were the only scores that increased this week. He led in sentiment in Virginia, North
Carolina, New Hampshire, and Nevada.
• Romney had no positive scores this week. His score only increased slightly in Colorado and New
Hampshire. *Sentiment Score = (number of Positive Comments – number of Negative Comments)/Total Comments * 100%
Share of Voice for Key Issues by State
12
State Abortion/
Choice
Medicare/
Social
Security
Protecting
the middle
class
Jobs/
Economy
Budget
deficit Obamacare
Foreign
Policy
Wisconsin 6.7% 11.2% 14.8% 40.8% 8.8% 2.3% 15.4%
Virginia 7.8% 8.7% 6.2% 39.8% 17.7% 2.7% 17.1%
North
Carolina 10.0% 15.5% 8.6% 28.7% 13.9% 5.3% 18.0%
Florida 7.7% 12.2% 7.0% 32.0% 18.8% 6.3% 16.0%
Ohio 12.6% 10.2% 9.9% 20.2% 23.4% 6.3% 17.4%
Colorado 8.6% 27.1% 8.2% 29.5% 11.5% 4.2% 10.9%
New
Hampshire 7.0% 19.9% 5.8% 38.4% 17.8% 3.1% 8.0%
Nevada 12.1% 12.6% 7.8% 18.5% 27.7% 3.9% 17.4%
• “Jobs/Economy” continued to be the most popular issue in all states, except for in Ohio and Nevada
where “Budget deficit” had the lead. Meanwhile, “Medicare/Social Security” was most popular in
Colorado, and “Protecting the middle class” was most popular in Wisconsin.
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