The Week in Polls — Feb. 16

Obama leads 2012 race, interracial dating, plus more.

Americans Weigh In - Congress loses a popularity contest, the number of interracial marriages in the United States reaches all-time high, President Obama gets kudos for fiscal cliff dealings, plus more national polls. – Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

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National Numbers - Obama leads 2012 presidential race, young African-Americans keep homeownership dreams alive and more from the week in polls. Do you agree with the national numbers? Tell us in the comments section below. —Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton. 

Ahead of the Pack - President Obama is leading the 2012 race to the White House with 48 percent of support, compared to 42 percent for Romney, 41 percent for Santorum, 39 percent for Ron Paul and 36 percent for Newt Gingrich, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released Feb. 14. (Photos from left: Win McNamee/Getty Images,CBS News)

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Ahead of the Pack - President Obama is leading the 2012 race to the White House with 48 percent of support, compared to 42 percent for Romney, 41 percent for Santorum, 39 percent for Ron Paul and 36 percent for Newt Gingrich, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released Feb. 14. (Photos from left: Win McNamee/Getty Images,CBS News)

Romney vs. Santorum - A Pew Research Center poll released Feb. 13 shows that Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are virtually tied in their race for the Republican presidential nomination, with 28 percent and 30 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Santorum has the edge with Tea Party and white evangelical Republican voters, with 42 percent and 41 percent of support respectively. Romney leads among non-Tea Party and liberal Republicans with 34 percent of support from each. (Photo: Charles Dharapa-Pool/Getty Images)

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Romney vs. Santorum - A Pew Research Center poll released Feb. 13 shows that Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are virtually tied in their race for the Republican presidential nomination, with 28 percent and 30 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters. Santorum has the edge with Tea Party and white evangelical Republican voters, with 42 percent and 41 percent of support respectively. Romney leads among non-Tea Party and liberal Republicans with 34 percent of support from each. (Photo: Charles Dharapa-Pool/Getty Images)

GOP Voters and Income/Gender Gaps  - A CNN/ORC International poll published Feb. 14 found that Rick Santorum holds a 10-point lead over Mitt Romney among Republican men, while Romney has a nine-point edge with Republican women. In addition, GOP voters who describe themselves as blue collar back Santorum, who leads Romney by 11 points, and Romney has a 10-point advantage over Santorum among white collar voters. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

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GOP Voters and Income/Gender Gaps  - A CNN/ORC International poll published Feb. 14 found that Rick Santorum holds a 10-point lead over Mitt Romney among Republican men, while Romney has a nine-point edge with Republican women. In addition, GOP voters who describe themselves as blue collar back Santorum, who leads Romney by 11 points, and Romney has a 10-point advantage over Santorum among white collar voters. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

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The Young and the Hopeful - Despite the belief that they are struggling most during a sluggish economy, young adults also still feel optimism. In a Pew Research Center poll released Feb. 12, 41 percent of polled young adults said they’re having the hardest time in the current economic environment, compared to 24 percent of middle-aged adults and 29 percent of older adults. Nearly 90 percent of 18-34 year olds said they’re earning enough money now or expect to earn enough in the future. (Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

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Catholic Voters Speak Out - Despite all of the brouhaha last week over the birth-control mandate in the Affordable Healthcare Act, Catholic voters’ views of President Obama changed little during that period. According to a Gallup survey released Feb. 14, 46 percent of Catholics gave the president a positive performance rating compared to 49 percent the week before. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Catholic Voters Speak Out - Despite all of the brouhaha last week over the birth-control mandate in the Affordable Healthcare Act, Catholic voters’ views of President Obama changed little during that period. According to a Gallup survey released Feb. 14, 46 percent of Catholics gave the president a positive performance rating compared to 49 percent the week before. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Santorum Leads in Ohio - Ohio: According to a Quinnipiac University poll of voters in Ohio, a key swing state, Rick Santorum leads Mitt Romney among likely Republican primary voters by 36 percent to 29 percent. But if the election were held today, President Obama would win 46 percent of Ohio registered voters, while 44 percent say they would support Romney. (Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

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Santorum Leads in Ohio - Ohio: According to a Quinnipiac University poll of voters in Ohio, a key swing state, Rick Santorum leads Mitt Romney among likely Republican primary voters by 36 percent to 29 percent. But if the election were held today, President Obama would win 46 percent of Ohio registered voters, while 44 percent say they would support Romney. (Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Grand Aspirations - A new Pew poll released on Feb. 9 appears to speak to the optimism shared by Blacks and Latinos even in an uncertain economy. Among its findings, a survey of adults aged 18 to 34 found that 25 percent of Blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics said owning a home is of the highest importance in their lives. Only 12 percent of whites reported the same. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Grand Aspirations - A new Pew poll released on Feb. 9 appears to speak to the optimism shared by Blacks and Latinos even in an uncertain economy. Among its findings, a survey of adults aged 18 to 34 found that 25 percent of Blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics said owning a home is of the highest importance in their lives. Only 12 percent of whites reported the same. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

An Early Derrick Rose Return - Although reports say Derrick Rose is a “ways away” from returning to practice, we’re sure President Obama — who, of course, is a big Chicago Bulls fan — hopes there’s an inkling of a chance that Rose will return sooner than expected. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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And the Best Point Guard Is … - The sports world may be caught up in the “Linsanity” surrounding New York Knicks breakout star Jeremy Lin, who led his team to its seventh straight victory in a row on Feb. 15, but sports fans reported in a recent ESPN poll that Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is the best point guard in the NBA. In a tally of 255,172 cast in an ongoing poll (click here to cast your vote), Rose had locked down 48 percent, followed by Chris Paul (25 percent), Jeremy Lin (14 percent), Rajon Rondo (8 percent). The remaining votes were cast for a player not on the list. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Box Office Draw - Be it a summer blockbuster or tear-jerker, African-Americans spend $6.3 billion at the movies each year. (Source: Gfk MRI Doublebase) (Photo: Courtesy AMC Theatres)

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Box Office Appeal - Despite Hollywood enjoying a record-breaking weekend at the box office recently, a survey released Feb. 15 by CouponCabin.com found that 55 percent of people said they go to the movies less now than they did before the recession. Sixty-one percent of adults said they rarely or never go out to the movies. In January, the survey gathered input from 2,200 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. (Photo: Courtesy AMC Theatres)

Interracial Marriage - Eighty-six percent of Americans approve of marriages between African-Americans and whites, a USA Today/Gallup survey released Sept. 12 found, way up from the four percent that approved in 1958 when Gallup first asked about mixed marriages. In addition, 96 percent of Blacks surveyed said they approve of such marriages, compared to 84 percent of whites.(Photo: Contra Costa Times/MCT/Landov)

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Breaking Color Barriers - The number of interracial marriages in America continues to grow, according to a new Pew poll released Feb. 16. In 2010, 15.1 percent of new marriages were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity, up from just 7 percent in 1980. The number of all current marriages that are either interracial or interethnic has reached an all-time high of 8.4 percent, up from 3 percent in 1980, researchers reported in the study, which used Census data from more than 850,000 people between 2008 and 2010. (Photo: Contra Costa Times/MCT/Landov)