Poll on Arizona speeches: Heavy majority liked Obama’s, plurality liked Palin’s

By contrast, the response to Sarah Palin’s comments about the shootings and their aftermath proved more mixed: 44% of those who heard at least a little about Palin’s comments say their reaction was very (14%) or mostly (30%) positive, while 41% say their reaction was very (20%) or mostly (21%) negative. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) say they had heard at least a little about Palin’s comments, which were released on Jan. 12.

Among those who had heard about the speech by the former Alaska governor, the partisan divide in reaction is wide. Seven-in-ten Republicans (71%) say their reaction was very (26%) or mostly positive (45%), compared with just 25% of Democrats (8% very positive, 17% mostly positive). Independents largely mirror the public as a whole; 42% say their reaction was very (10%) or mostly positive (32%), while 39% say it was very (17%) or mostly negative (22%).