A CBS News poll found 91 percent of watchers approve of the proposals the president made.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-numbers/2011/01/public_reaction_to_the_state_o.htmlPolls: Public reaction to the State of the Union mostly positive
By Peyton Craighill
Two polls measured immediate reactions to President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night. A CNN/Opinion Research poll
found 84 percent of speech-watchers reacted positively to his message, 52 percent very positively. A CBS News poll found 91 percent
of watchers approve of the proposals the president made.
These overwhelmingly positive reactions must be understood in the context of those who watched the speech. The CNN sample of speech-
watchers was composed of 39 percent Democrats, 19 percent Republicans and 42 percent independents. The CBS poll had a similar profile;
44 percent Democrats, 25 percent Republicans and the 31 percent independents. Among all Americans in the last CBS/New York Times poll, 3
4 percent identified as Democrats, 27 percent Republican and 39 percent independent.
It's very common for speech watchers to lean toward the party of the president, a built in audience more favorably disposed to hear what he
has to say. Mark Blumenthal summarizes the trend in partisan composition of speech-watchers from CNN and CBS here.
The lead theme of the night - a new effort toward bipartisanship - was reflected in the polls. CBS found 62 percent believe Democrats and Republicans
will work together more this year. And CNN found 89 percent saying the decision of some Republicans and Democrats to sit together as a good idea.
Another 61 percent believe that Obama's plans will succeed in increasing cooperation between the parties.