AP-CNBC Facebook IPO Poll — Complete Results & Analysis

5. Confidence in Leadership

Americans aren’t sure about Mark Zuckerberg as a leader. Just 18 percent say they have deep confidence in Zuckerberg’s ability to run a large publicly traded company like Facebook.

• About a third of the public (36 percent) has a favorable impression of the Facebook founder, while 14 percent hold an unfavorable opinion. That leaves the remaining 50 percent either unaware of him, or undecided.
• Among active investors, 42 percent say they have a positive impression of him, while 14 percent view him unfavorably.
• People under age 35 are far more aware of Zuckerberg than their older peers; just four percent say they’ve never heard of him. Moreover, about half (45 percent) in this age group have a positive impression of him.
• Those who have seen the movie “The Social Network” have a more favorable impression of Zuckerberg than those who haven’t seen it: 51 percent favorable versus 31 percent among those who have not seen it.

6. The Traits That Determine Success

Asked about several different attributes that could affect his ability to run the company — his age, temperament, and reputation — pluralities in the poll said those characteristics wouldn’t make a difference in his leadership ability.

• Zuckerberg’s age is seen more as an asset (21 percent help) than a liability (11 percent hurt), as is his reputation (19 percent help versus 12 percent hurt). But more than 4 in 10 said each would ultimately make no difference.
• Those who have seen the movie “The Social Network” are more apt to say Zuckerberg’s temperament and reputation would hurt his ability to run the company. On his temperament, 21 percent said it would help, and 28 percent it would hurt; on his reputation, 28 percent said it would help, versus 20 percent who thought it would hurt.
• Though “The Social Network” appears to have impacted perceptions of Zuckerberg, only about a quarter of adults (27 percent) say they have seen the film.