Polls of the Week — Feb. 24

Voters predict President Obama’s legacy, 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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The week in Polls - Americans weigh in on which president will go down as the best in U.S. history, fans react to the sudden death of Whitney Houston and more polls from around the nation.—Joyce Jones and Britt Middleton

Obama 2012 - A Pew Research Center poll has found 59 percent of Americans believe that in a matchup between President Obama and Mitt Romney this fall, Obama will prevail, and 68 percent believe he would trample Rick Santorum.(Photo: Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images)

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Best U.S. President - Sixty percent of Americans believe that Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton will go down in history as above-average or outstanding presidents, but the verdict is still out on President Obama, according to a Gallup poll released Feb. 17. Thirty-eight percent said he’ll be deemed above average or outstanding and 35 percent said he would be remembered as below average or poor. (Photo: Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images)

GOP Presidential Favorability - In an ABC News/Washington Post poll published Feb. 22, 65 percent of Republicans say they view Mitt Romney favorably, followed by 61 percent who view Rick Santorum the same way. But just 45 percent have a favorable view of Newt Gingrich. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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GOP Presidential Favorability - In an ABC News/Washington Post poll published Feb. 22, 65 percent of Republicans say they view Mitt Romney favorably, followed by 61 percent who view Rick Santorum the same way. But just 45 percent have a favorable view of Newt Gingrich. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Rick Santorum vs. Mitt Romney - A new NBC News/Marist poll released Feb. 22 shows that Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are neck and neck in Michigan by 35 percent to 37 percent, respectively, and in Arizona at 43 percent to 27 percent, respectively. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Rick Santorum vs. Mitt Romney - A new NBC News/Marist poll released Feb. 22 shows that Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are neck and neck in Michigan by 35 percent to 37 percent, respectively, and in Arizona at 43 percent to 27 percent, respectively. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Obama vs. GOP Front-Runners - In a general election matchup, President Obama at 46 percent and 47 percent, respectively, leads potential rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, each of whom received 44 percent of support in a Quinnipiac poll released Feb. 22. (Photo: JASON REED/Landov)

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Obama vs. GOP Front-Runners - In a general election matchup, President Obama at 46 percent and 47 percent, respectively, leads potential rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, each of whom received 44 percent of support in a Quinnipiac poll released Feb. 22. (Photo: JASON REED/Landov)

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It’s the Economy - When it comes to handling the economy, 50 percent of Americans say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in President Obama to do or recommend the right thing, compared to 42 percent who have the same belief about GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney, a Gallup poll published on April 20 finds. (Photo: UPI/Ron Sachs/Pool /LANDOV)

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Obama and the Economy - As optimism about the economy grows, so does President Obama’s approval rating. Forty-eight percent of respondents in an Associated Press/GfK survey released on Feb. 22 said they approve of how he’s handling it, an increase of nine percentage points in December. (Photo: UPI/Ron Sachs/Pool/Landov)

The Not-So Social Network - Folks are increasingly using privacy settings to protect their online profiles, according to a Pew Center poll released Feb. 24. In a survey of more than 2,200 adults, 58 percent said their main profile is set to be private so that only friends can see it; 44 percent have deleted comments made by others on their profile; and 37 percent have removed their names from photos that were tagged to identify them. Sixty-three percent have deleted people from their "friends" lists, up from 56 percent in 2009. (Photo: Modesto Bee/MCT/Landov)

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The Not-So Social Network - Folks are increasingly using privacy settings to protect their online profiles, according to a Pew Center poll released Feb. 24. In a survey of more than 2,200 adults, 58 percent said their main profile is set to be private so that only friends can see it; 44 percent have deleted comments made by others on their profile; and 37 percent have removed their names from photos that were tagged to identify them. Sixty-three percent have deleted people from their "friends" lists, up from 56 percent in 2009. (Photo: Modesto Bee/MCT/Landov)

The Loss of an Icon - The untimely death of pop icon Whitney Houston was one of the nation’s top stories last week, according to a Pew Center poll released on Feb. 22. In a survey of more than 1,000 people, African-Americans reported strong interest (40 percent) in the news coverage surrounding the singer compared to 13 percent of whites. Across color lines, 25 percent of women said they followed the story whereas only 10 percent of men reported they did. (Photo: Michael Nagle/Getty Images)

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The Loss of an Icon - The untimely death of pop icon Whitney Houston was one of the nation’s top stories last week, according to a Pew Center poll released on Feb. 22. In a survey of more than 1,000 people, African-Americans reported strong interest (40 percent) in the news coverage surrounding the singer compared to 13 percent of whites. Across color lines, 25 percent of women said they followed the story whereas only 10 percent of men reported they did. (Photo: Michael Nagle/Getty Images)

Soaring Gas Prices - While President Obama spent the week promoting the expansion of domestic oil and gas and the development of new forms of energy, Americans voiced their concerns about skyrocketing gas prices, which experts estimate could hit an all-time high of $4.25 a gallon by Memorial Day. In an Associated Press/GfK survey released Feb. 22, 39 percent said they approve of the president’s handling of the situation, 58 percent said they disapprove and 3 percent were undecided.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Soaring Gas Prices - While President Obama spent the week promoting the expansion of domestic oil and gas and the development of new forms of energy, Americans voiced their concerns about skyrocketing gas prices, which experts estimate could hit an all-time high of $4.25 a gallon by Memorial Day. In an Associated Press/GfK survey released Feb. 22, 39 percent said they approve of the president’s handling of the situation, 58 percent said they disapprove and 3 percent were undecided.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Emotional Oracle Effect - Researchers from the Columbia Business School released findings on Feb. 24 that give new meaning to the saying “trusting your gut.” People who trusted their feelings made more accurate predictions about a variety of future events, a phenomena dubbed “The Emotional Oracle Effect.” In a single study involving the Clinton-Obama presidential race in 2008, those with “high trust” in their gut feelings predicted correctly for Obama about 72 percent of the time compared to those with lower trust (64 percent) who didn’t. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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The Emotional Oracle Effect - Researchers from the Columbia Business School released findings on Feb. 24 that give new meaning to the saying “trusting your gut.” People who trusted their feelings made more accurate predictions about a variety of future events, a phenomena dubbed “The Emotional Oracle Effect.” In a single study involving the Clinton-Obama presidential race in 2008, those with “high trust” in their gut feelings predicted correctly for Obama about 72 percent of the time compared to those with lower trust (64 percent) who didn’t. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Obese Americans More Prone to Daily Pain  - A Gallup poll of one million adults released Feb. 24 found that people who were classified as overweight (38 percent) or obese (25 percent) based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) — the measure of body fat based on height and weight — reported that they experienced daily pain associated with their condition. Researchers suggested that excess body fat in the body triggers complex psychological processes that result in inflammation, pain and depression in obese individuals. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Obese Americans More Prone to Daily Pain  - A Gallup poll of one million adults released Feb. 24 found that people who were classified as overweight (38 percent) or obese (25 percent) based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) — the measure of body fat based on height and weight — reported that they experienced daily pain associated with their condition. Researchers suggested that excess body fat in the body triggers complex psychological processes that result in inflammation, pain and depression in obese individuals. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)