MOST VOTERS CONFIDENT IN SECRETARY GEITHNER, BUT HE RECEIVES MIXED REVIEWS

New York, March 31, 2008 - With the recent unveiling of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's plan to address "toxic assets" held by banks, the Diageo/Hotline Poll of 800 registered voters conducted by FD from March 26 - March 29, 2009, finds that a majority of voters express confidence in Secretary Geithner.

Secretary Geithner and Economic Turnaround

A majority of voters (51%) have confidence that Secretary Geithner will be successful in turning the economy around, while 39% are not confident he will be successful. By comparison, the Poll finds that voters have higher levels of confidence in "President Obama and his team of economic advisors" to successfully turn around the economy (61%).

Moreover, this month's Poll finds that more voters hold a favorable opinion (37%) of Secretary Geithner than an unfavorable opinion (30%), and 30% of voters don't register an opinion of him at all. The Poll also finds that there is a partisan divide in how Geithner is perceived, with 58% of Democrats saying they have a favorable opinion of him, compared with only 20% of Republicans who say the same.

When it comes to the recently enacted stimulus package, over half of voters (57%) are confident that the stimulus package will be successful in turning around the economy, up from 53% in last month's Poll.

Impact of Bonuses on Opinions of Government's Role.

As a result of news coverage of "bonuses for employees and executives of financial services companies," 63% of voters are LESS likely to support future financial assistance by the government for other industries. However, they are also MORE likely to support "increased government oversight and regulation of companies in the financial sector" (46%).

Has what you have seen, read or heard about bonuses...make you more or less likely to...

Pessimism Gap Closing; Obama's Ratings Remain High

The Poll finds more voters say the country is on the "wrong track" (49%) than say the country is headed in the "right direction" (39%). However, the percentage of those saying "right direction" is up seven points from 32% in last month's Poll and the percentage saying "wrong track" is down six points from 55%.

President Obama's personal ratings remain high, with almost two-thirds of voters (64%) holding a favorable opinion of him and 63% of voters approving of the job he is doing as President. Furthermore, a similar proportion of voters say that they are confident that he will bring "real change" to the way things are done in Washington (67%).

"One of the best ways to gain leverage in Washington is to come to the table with good numbers. And, Obama's still got them," commented Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Hotline. "Even more importantly, there's also been an increase in the percentage of people who see the country headed in the right direction, as well as increased support for the stimulus. While voters may not be seeing tangible evidence of economic turn-around, they may be rewarding Obama for what they view as a solid effort."

To obtain complete Poll results, please see www.diageohotlinepoll.com.

To schedule an interview with Ed Reilly, contact Selin Kent at (212) 850-5735 or Selin.Kent@fd.com.

Methodology: The Diageo/Hotline Poll was conducted by telephone from March 26 - March 29, 2009, among a random, representative sample of 800 registered voters, age 18 and older (margin of error +/- 3.5%).

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