Majority Say Politics Behind Nobel Awards

Almost 6 in 10 Americans believe Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for political considerations rather than achievement, according to a new poll.

From Rasmussen Reports:

Americans are much more skeptical of the motivation behind the awarding of the prestigious international Nobel Prizes following President Obama's win Friday of the Nobel Peace Prize.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 58% of American adults now believe that politics plays a role in the awarding of the Nobel Prize. That's an 18-point jump from 40% a year ago.

Just 21% of Americans say politics does not play a role in the awarding of the Nobel Prize. Twenty-one percent (21%) are not sure.

The survey was taken Friday and Saturday nights following the Nobel committee's announcement Friday that the president is the latest recipient of the Peace Prize. Previous winners include Dr. Martin Luther King, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, ex-President Jimmy Carter, Mother Theresa and former Vice President Al Gore.

Read more poll results at Rasmussen Reports.