Nashville, Tennessee (CNN) - One third of Americans have a favorable view of the Tea Party movement, but a plurality have no opinion at all, according to a new national poll.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey indicates that 26 percent of the public has an unfavorable view of the Tea Party movement and that four in ten have never heard of the movement or don't know enough to form an opinion. The poll's Friday morning release comes as what's being billed as the first national Tea Party convention begins its first full day of meetings Nashville, Tennessee.
"The Tea Party movement is a blank slate to many Americans, which is not surprising for a political movement that is only about a year old," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Not surprisingly, opinion breaks along partisan and ideological lines."
According to the survey, Democrats by a two-to-one margin have an unfavorable view of the Tea Party movement; Republicans like it by a three-to-one margin. Among Independents, 35 percent of Independents holding a positive view and 24 percent a negative view.
On Saturday, Sarah Palin will serve as the convention's keynote speaker. The poll indicates that Americans are split on the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, with 43 percent seeing her in a positive light and 46 percent holding an unfavorable view.
"Opinion on Sarah Palin also breaks down along party lines, with seven in ten Democrats disliking her and seven in ten Republicans with a positive view of Palin. She has a net-negative rating among Independents: 42 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable," adds Holland. "She also continues to rate better among men than women."
The poll was conducted January 22-24, with 1,009 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
–CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
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Please, in the future, refer to us as "Tea-Baggers" Thank you
Follow the money, wingnuts are involved.
"Democrats by a two-to-one margin have an unfavorable view of the Tea Party". No surprise here coming from people who want a cradle to grave nanny state and the need to be spoon fed all their life. Keep drinking the Obama-Aid kiddies.
That anyone holds a favorable opinion of these whack jobs is indicative of a society in deep trouble.
The first TeaParty Convention is taking place in Confederate hillbilly country? Well, there you go...pretty much says it all.
I think that the Tea Party Sheeple are being used by Wall Street, big business, and the republican party. The republican party has been screaming about Wall Street and big banks having to pay back the tax payers for the money we loaned them.
While the Tea Party is upset about taxes, you would think they would want the money from the government bail-out paid back, which would distance them from the republican party.
The British Commanders fighting against a young America in the 1700's did not believe our small American troops or militia could ever defeat their Nation of power, of many and of means. America proved them wrong. My point is never to under estimate the powers of whom you do not fully know. Our great country is just being introduced to TEA. They may not ever come to fruition, but then, they just might.
I never knew there were so many political dupes in America until the TEA Party came along. Can't believe they do not realize they are nothing more than Republican Political Fodder.
Sarah will collect her $115,000 speaking fee from those who paid their $500 to hear her, once again, taking advantage of those who are unable to figure out that they are being used by big business.
Any organization that Palin is involved in is heading down a dead end road. You'll either get used or screwed over.
Thank you CNN for some more very useful journalism.
I had wondered about the demographic support for this group.
If you're angry about everything in general and nothing in particular, and are completely unable to articulate why, the national teaparty might be for you.
Check out the name of one of the seminars: "Similarities between the current administration and Marxist countries of South America."
I just don't like populist movements based on factual inaccuracies.
I used to have a favorable view of the Tea Party Movement, back when it was a libertarian-based grassroots movement. Ever since it was hijacked by the likes of Gingrich and Palin and the rest of the neocons, I have been disgusted at the movement.
What do they stand for besided bashing Obama ?
Do they have any ideas besides ranting about how bad Obama is ?
And Palin ? sorry but she isn't qualified to run Alaska let alone any thing else
Do not support this movement, they are so far far extreme right (to the point of being, radical, and racist).......and this party supports Palin (never in a 1000 years would I support this movement)
The Tea Party movement started out great, a grassroots movement of people generally fed up with the out of control spending from BOTH sides of the political aisle. Sadly, it has been hijacked by the Republican Party which effectively makes the entire movement irrelevant.
I can understand why most people don't have enough information to make a decision. Most major news organizations at first refused to even report on the fact that there was a Tea Party Movement, and even now they don't report on what we value. They simply report that there is such a thing. Let's have a discussion of WHAT rather than WHO for a change.
I thought this was a tea party poll? Why is it the Mainstream media is so afraid of Sarah Palin? They even put their biased poll of her up first. She must really be a threat to the Dimocrats messiah as much as they like to attack her,and she is not even running for public office.
Polls are nice......but this one is suspect at best. Only 26% of those polled have an unfavorable view of these looneys? Come on.
hey they forgot to ask the Real Americans out there! Cnn quit promoting this bias just go on say your the faux noise for Sara Palinist.
tea baggers! haha...get a life!
its ok, the Americans who do not know acout the movement will definitely learn more about it come November when the Tea Partiers play a major role of tossing the Anti American Radical Fringe Liberal Party now controling Congress. Oh, and the will also play a major role in making sure Obozo is one and done. The movement is growing stronger every day. The American Al Queda Liberals beware.
The tea party is exciting, but I fear it has no controls. The tea party is too much to the extreme right for me. These conservative extremists want to maintain some failed policies I no longer support, the continued failed drug policy that wastes billions of tax dollars a year, not to mention the lives of law enforcement and innocent bystanders, the Tea Party stance against the right to choose, their stance against gays like they do not even have a right to exist. To me the tea parties are all for the constitution when it works in their favor, much the same for the extreme liberals as well. But do not want to hear all that talk about personnel Liberty and Freedom.
The Tea Party movement is comprised of the same ignorant, prejudiced and angry types that gave birth to the third reich. Closet fascists one and all
Anyone who has a favorable view of these blow hards, with the crap comming out of their mouths like this jerk Tancredo are themselves idiots.
What may have been a good message to congress at one time has turned into the most vile show of stupidity.
Also interesting the more nasty they get, the more they mention Palins name. Just a coincedence i guess.
Enjoy your cruise, it's a good place for you, in the middle of the ocean.
I hope all 100 of you have a great cruise.
Everyone has a right under the 1st ammendment to protest and peacefully gather....not just the liberals
The Tea Party "movement" just wants the administration to LISTEN to the people who elected them to office.
Pelosi, Reid, and most of the current administration THINK they know what is best for the American citizens and aren't really LISTENING to what mainstream America is saying.
America became a great nation because of her people and they need to be heard....
t costs money to run a crowded state like California, fraught with natural hazards like earthquakes and wild fires, hazards which are greatly compounded by the stupid decisions and policies of Californians.
Yet according to the Tea Party, all government services are either free or unneeded (and should be abolished) so that no one need pay taxes.
Instead each citizen should arm himself to the teeth and live in a fortress...mentally and literally.
Republicans call this "fiscal conservativism." Intelligent people call this "anarchy."
Perhaps this is not the message they want to show, but there are many Americans seeing the Tea Party movement as a bunch of disgruntled white people with racist undertones angry not only at the president because of his policies but also because he does not "look like them". In fact sometimes it's hard to tell a Tea Party rally from a Klan or Nazi rally. Plus this movement should have started when the out of control spending started and that date was NOT January 20, 2009.
The tea party is nothing more than a gathering of nuts, right wing nuts.
Tea Baggers, What a joke
These idiots don't even know what tea bagging is.
It fun watching the conservatives try so hard to make an impact and look like idiots in the process
I wonder where all these "activists" were when "W" was spending the surplus and not including the cost of the wars in the budget. When the recession started two years ago, these true Americans were surely very silent as the middle class went downhill.
Eat your heart out Keating Holland as Sarah Palin's favorables continue to improve positively in your polling while Mr. Obama's continue to go down. Bet it just kills ya and your biased, partisan network! Could not happen to a better network!