Exit poll: Many still blame Bush for bad economy



Only a fourth thought they were better off financially than four years ago when Obama was elected in the midst of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. Voters were most likely to say their families were doing about the same, and Obama led among that group.

A third felt worse off, and they were voting heavily for Romney.

The survey of voters as they left polling places showed 6 in 10 ranked the economy the top issue, way ahead of health care, the federal budget deficit or foreign policy. The majority who don't yet see economic improvement were roughly divided over whether things were getting even worse or just stuck in place.

About 4 in 10 blamed Obama for the nation's economic woes, and almost all of them voted for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.




Three-fourths said the economy is poor or not so good, and they mostly backed Romney. Still, many voters like William Mullins of Lansing, Mich., felt Obama needed more time to fix things.


Only a quarter of voters were feeling enthusiastic about Obama's administration; at least as many were angry about it.

Romney's voters were a bit more likely to say they had reservations about their man. About a fourth felt that way.

Overall, most voters felt strongly about their choice, however, with Obama's supporters somewhat more enthusiastic.




The Obama campaign's insistence that the multimillionaire Romney would do more for well-heeled Americans seems to have taken hold in many voters' minds. Half said they think the former Massachusetts governor's policies generally favor the rich and barely any thought he favors the poor.


In contrast, only about 1 in 10 said Obama, who has pushed higher taxes for the wealthy, favors rich Americans. The biggest group - 4 in 10 - said Obama's policies help the middle class, with the poor coming in second.

Voters tended to think the U.S. economic system as a whole favors the wealthy.

About half said taxes should be raised on income over $250,000 per year, as Obama wants. Yet voters gave a resounding "no" when asked whether they wanted taxes raised to help cut the spiraling budget deficit.


In a race that's been neck-and-neck for months, about 1 in 10 voters said they'd only settled on their presidential choice within the last few days or even on Election Day. They were closely divided between Obama and Romney.



Associated Press writers David Dishneau in Hagerstown, Md., and Todd Richmond in Sun Prairie, Wis., contributed to this report.