Americans Want Bill Clinton Helping Them On the Grill for Their BBQ This 4th of July and Think George W. Bush Most Likely to Fall into Pool

NEW YORK, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- It's that time of year: barbeques are lighting up and pool parties are underway as Americans gather to celebrate Independence Day and the founding of the United States. And, combining these two things somewhat, when it comes to which recent President Americans would like to have helping out on the grill, almost three in ten (28%) say they would most want Bill Clinton helping out while just over one in five (22%) would want Ronald Reagan. Smaller numbers of Americans would want Barack Obama (16%), George W. Bush (12%), Jimmy Carter (6%) or George H.W. Bush (3%) helping out on the grill.  Over one in ten U.S. adults (12%) are not at all sure.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,241 adults surveyed online between June 11 and 16, 2014. (Full findings, including data tables, available here)

Not surprisingly, Republicans and Democrats have different Presidents they would want to have on the grill with them. More than two in five Democrats (43%) would want Bill Clinton while one-third (32%) would want Barack Obama on the grill. For Republicans, more than two in five (45%) would want Ronald Reagan while almost three in ten (28%) say they would want George W. Bush helping on the grill. For Independents, almost three in ten (28%) would want Bill Clinton flipping burgers while one-quarter (25%) would want Ronald Reagan on the grill with them.

There's always that guy
So, the pool party is going on, folks are having a great time, and then it happens… someone falls into the pool with their clothes on. And, among the last 6 presidents, three in ten (29%) say George W. Bush is most likely to end up falling in the swimming pool with their clothes on while one in five (19%) say Bill Clinton is most likely. Smaller numbers say Barack Obama (14%), Jimmy Carter (9%), George H.W. Bush (8%) and Ronald Reagan (4%) are most likely. Almost one in five Americans (17%) are not at all sure.

Again, there are differences depending on partisanship. Among Republicans, three in ten (29%) say Bill Clinton is most likely to end up falling in the pool while one-quarter (25%) say President Obama is. Among Democrats, more than two in five (44%) say George W. Bush is most likely to fall in the pool with his clothes on. For Independents, over one-quarter (27%) say George W. Bush is most likely to fall in the pool while one in five (20%) say it is going to be Bill Clinton.

Founding fathers in politics today
July 4^th marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and among five signatories tested, two rise to the top as which one Americans would most want to have in politics today. Over one-third (35%) would want Thomas Jefferson in politics today while one-third (33%) would want Benjamin Franklin. Smaller numbers say they would want John Adams (8%), John Hancock (3%) and Josiah Bartlett (1%), while one in five (21%) say they are not at all sure.

Here the differences between Republicans and Democrats aren't as stark. Two in five Republicans (40%) would want Thomas Jefferson in politics today, while one-third (33%) would want Benjamin Franklin. One-third of Democrats would each want Benjamin Franklin (33%) and Thomas Jefferson (32%) in politics today.

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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between June 11 and 16, 2014 among 2,241 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

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Q1225, 1228, 1230

The Harris Poll^® #62, June 30, 2014
By Regina A. Corso, VP, Harris Poll and Public Relations Research

About Nielsen & The Harris Poll
On February 3, 2014, Nielsen acquired Harris Interactive and The Harris Poll.  Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

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SOURCE The Harris Poll