2012 Election in One Word

When voters were asked for a single word that described their reaction to Obama’s victory, Obama voters said they were “relieved” and “happy.”

Romney voters generally said they were “disappointed” or “sad” about the election outcome. Romney voters also used the words “disgusted,” “sick,” “horrified” and “scared,” to describe their reaction to Obama’s victory.

Overall, 41% of those surveyed – including both voters and nonvoters – said they were happy that Obama was reelected president; 37% were unhappy and 22% neither. A majority of nonvoters (55%) said they were neither happy nor unhappy with the election outcome, while 29% said they were happy and 16% said they were unhappy.

Read more from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press here.