AP-CNBC Facebook IPO Poll — Complete Results & Analysis

The AP-CNBC poll was conducted May 3–7, 2012 and reflects the views of 1,004 people surveyed by telephone. The poll has a margin of error factor of plus or minus 3.9 percent. Here are the results:

1. Gauging the High Fliers of Tech

A majority, 51 percent, of Americans have a favorable impression of Facebook, while 23 percent have an unfavorable impression.

• Facebook lags behind perceptions of tech giants like Google (71 percent favorable), Apple (71 percent favorable), and Microsoft (71 percent favorable).
• Twitter is the least favored; the micro-blogging service scored only 27 percent, behind Facebook’s 51 percent.
• There are sharp differences in views of Facebook by age. Just 28 percent of senior citizens have a favorable impression of Facebook, compared with 71 percent of those under age 35.
• Active investors, meaning those who have made changes to their portfolios in the last month, hold more favorable views of Facebook than other investors; 61 percent are favorable versus 53 percent unfavorable.
• Facebook users like the company a lot better than non-users. (72 percent of users have a favorable impression, versus 25 percent among non-users.)

2. Rating the CEO in the Hoodie

Fifty percent of Americans are neutral, don’t know how they feel, or have simply never heard of Facebook’s founder and CEO.

• About a third of the public (36 percent) has a favorable impression of Zuckerberg; 14 percent hold an unfavorable opinion.
• Among active investors, 42 percent have a positive impression of him; 14 percent view him unfavorably.
• Just 18 percent say they have deep confidence in Zuckerberg’s ability to run a large publicly traded company like Facebook; another 40 percent say they are “somewhat confident.”
• People under age 35 are far more aware of Zuckerberg than their older peers; just 4 percent say they’ve never heard of him.
• Americans who have seen “The Social Network” have a more favorable impression of Zuckerberg than those who haven’t seen it. Among those who’ve seen the movie, 51 percent have a favorable impression, versus 31 percent who have not seen it.