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Taking Care of Business - President Obama, who campaigned on shared sacrifice, is topping poll charts in the U.S. and worldwide. And most Americans say they've benefited from government entitlement programs in tough times. Here are the statistics on these and other national and political polls. – Joyce Jones (Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

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World's Most Admired - President Obama is not only Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2012, he's also the world's most admired man. In a Gallup Poll survey, 30 percent gave him the thumbs up and 21 percent said that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the world's most admired woman. Nelson Mandela and Michelle Obama trailed in second place at 3 percent and 5 percent, respectively.  (Photo: AP Photo/Time Magazine)

Photo By AP Photo/Time Magazine

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The Best Years of Our Lives - Are you a glass half full or half empty kind of gal or guy? The answer — and your political affiliation — may color how one looks to the future. In a Gallup poll released Jan. 2, 50 percent of Americans said that the country's best years are behind us. But 69 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans said they have yet to come. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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No Spine - The percentage of Americans who like to crack open a good book is on the decline. A Pew Research Center survey published Dec. 27 shows that in 2012 the percentage of people age 16 and older who read e-books increased from 16 percent to 23 percent, while the percentage of those who read printed books fell from 72 percent to 67 percent.(Photo: dpa /Landov)

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A Helping Hand - During the nation's economic downturn, more people have had to rely on government programs to get by. Responding to a Pew Research Center survey released Jan. 2, 55 percent of Americans said they've received assistance from at least one of six well known federal entitlement programs, and 44 percent of Blacks, 33 percent of whites and 23 percent of Latinos said they've turned to two or more entitlements for assistance. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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What Empty Nest? - Should parents provide financial assistance to their adult children? A majority of adults of all ages think so. In a Pew Research Center poll published on Dec. 28, 52 percent said they have a responsibility to do so if the child needs it. In addition, 75 percent said that children have a responsibility to support aging parents if they need help. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

Photo By Monashee Frantz/Getty Images

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She's the Tops - President Obama is sitting pretty with an average job approval rating at 50 percent or higher. He's no match for First Lady Michelle Obama, however. According to a CNN/ORC International poll published on Dec. 27, 73 percent of Americans say they approve of the way she's handling her job. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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The Unthinkable - Once upon a time tragedies such as the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School were unthinkable. Today, 52 percent of Americans say it is very or somewhat likely that a similar event could happen in their own communities, a USA Today/Gallup poll published Dec. 28 shows.   (Photo: AP Photo/David Goldman)