SALEM, Va., April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In an early look at the possible battle for the U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, the Roanoke College Poll found that registered voters preferred Republican George Allen over Democrat Tim Kaine by 45 percent to 32 percent with 23 percent undecided.

Among battleground groups, Kaine led among political moderates (41%-34%), while Allen led among Independents (40%-35%).

General Views on Virginia and the Nation

Forty-nine percent said things in Virginia are going in the right direction with 36 percent saying things are on the wrong track. Governor Bob McDonnell's approval rating is now 66 percent, up from 57 percent in December.  

With regard to the nation, 71 percent of respondents believe that things are on the wrong track.  Only 20 percent believe that things are going in the right direction.  This is essentially unchanged from December.  President Obama's approval rating is now 34 percent, compared to 36 percent in December.

Taxes, the Budget Deficit, and Wealth

A majority (59%) prefer that the federal budget deficit be reduced through a combination of budget cuts and tax increases, but more than one-third (37%) prefer budget cuts alone.  Only 4 percent want tax increases alone. 

Virginians seem evenly split on the Fair Tax.  Forty-one percent think it is a good idea; 41 percent think it is not.  Regarding the Flat Tax, 43 percent call it a good idea; 44 percent think it is not. They prefer either the Fair Tax (34%) or the Flat Tax (31%) to the current system of taxation (23%).

Energy and the Environment

Offered a choice of protecting the environment or promoting economic growth, respondents chose the former (47%-31%). However, when offered the choice of protecting the environment or developing domestic energy sources, they chose the latter (43%-39%). 

Interviewing for The Roanoke College Poll was conducted between March 17 and March 30, 2011.  The sample consisted of 437 residents of Virginia.  Questions answered by the entire sample are subject to an error of plus or minus 4.7 percent.  Where the results of subgroups are reported, the sampling error is higher.

A copy of the full news release, the questions and all frequencies may be found on the Roanoke College web site at http://bit.ly/fX4mPW.  

SOURCE Roanoke College