IDENTITY HEFT

ET CETERA

THE 60 MINUTES/VANITY FAIR POLL

AMERICANS FEEL PROUD ABOUT THEIR LIVES. THEY ALSO DON'T OBJECT TO GAYS' OPENLY SERVING IN THE MILITARY. (AND ABOUT THOSE ROYAL NUPTIALS— UM, WHO CARES?

A sense of who we are: that, anyway, is one thing (the only thing?) Americans have in common. We know what we're worth—otherwise, why would 69 percent of us feel more valuable than our salaries would suggest and 24 percent feel appropriately compensated? That 93 percent leaves very few people unsure on the matter. And an impressive 92 percent are proud of their lives "so far," suggesting a certain confidence and, perhaps, security. (Speaking of security: the wealthier we are, the prouder we are—and the happier with our compensation, too.)

But our sense of self isn't entirely based on dollars and cents. Knowing who we are also means knowing who we're not, and we know we're not royalty. Otherwise, would two-thirds of us claim "no interest" in the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton? Unlikely—if we were royalty, we'd probably be invited. (Not that we'd care; only 4 percent of us wish we could go.) We also appreciate people who know who they are: four-fifths of Americans have no objection to gays' serving openly in the military. And if knowing who you are means knowing whom you don't want to be associated with, we have that down, too, though we're divided on what association is the least desirable: "Hitler" beat out "bin Laden" as the least acceptable surname, but among Republicans the race was close (and within the margin of error).

@vf.com SEETHE COMPLETE POLL RESULTS.

Finally, we have a pretty fair idea that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg knows exactly who he is; more than half the nation does, too. But we're curious about the 6 percent outside the Northeast who identified him as "an author for young adults." Who are they? As for the 1 percent who think he's "a high-powered fashion designer," well, we really don't want to know.

This poll was conducted at the CBS News interviewing facility among a random sample of1,058 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone December 17-20, 2010. Some low-percentage answer choices have been omitted.

Which comes closest to your view? I think the activities of WikiLeaks are:

TOTAL

REPS

DEMS

INDS

Destructive, but legal 23% 23%... 24%....22%

Treasonous 22... 36. 15. 16

A good thing 9... 5. 10. 12

Not sure what WikiLeaks is 42... 32... 47... 46

Prince William is tying the knot in April with Kate Middleton. Which of the following best describes your interest in the royal wedding?

TOTAL

UNDER 30

30+

Not interested in any of it. 65% 75%... 62%

Interested in some of it— it's a harmless spectacle. 21... 10 25

Interested only in whether it will last 9 11 18

Interested in all of it— I wish I could go 4 2 4

How often do you check labels of items you are about to purchase to see if you are buying American products?

TOTAL

LIBS

MODS

CONS

Sometimes 39%... 39%... 38%....40%

Always .25 .19 .27 .27

Hardly ever .20 .25 .23 .16

Never .15 .16 .12 .16

Do you think you suffer from attention-deficit disorder?

TOTAL

18-29

30-44

45-64

65+

No 83%.. 78%.. 79%.. 86%... 90%

Yes .15 .21 .18 .14 .7

If you were to be named American ambassador to a foreign country, to which of the following would you most like to be posted?

TOTAL

REPS

DEMS

INDS

Mexico 36% 40% 32% 35%

China 28 24 31 27

Sudan 11 7 17 8

South Korea 9 13 7 8

Pakistan 3 2 3 3

Yankee superstar Derek Jeter's new three-year contract is worth $51 million. Do you think you get paid what you are worth?

TOTAL

<$50K

$50K-$100K

>$100K

No 69%.. 77% ..69% ..46%

Yes 24 16 28 44

Which surname would you least like to haveb-in Laden or Hitler?

TOTAL

REPS

DEMS

INDS

Hitler 42%... 37%....48%....41%

Bin Laden .30 .36 .26 .27

Don't know/ refused .28 .27 .26 .32

Thinking about a typical day, when do you first check your e-mail?

TOTAL

18-29

30-44

45-64

65+

When I get around to it 46% 53% 47% 45% 36%

As soon as I wake up 15 22 15 15 7

Not until I start work 14 8 22 17 3

Right after breakfast 14 7 5 12 43

Don't use e-mail

Do you have any objections to gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military?

TOTAL

18-29

30-44

45*64

65+

No .80% .89% .79% .78% .71%

Yes .18 .11 .20 .19 .25

Overall, would you say you are proud of your life so far?

TOTAL

<$30K

$30K-$50K

$50K-$100K

>$100K

Yes 92% 83% 97% 96% 98%

No .7 .16 .3 .4 .1

Who is Michael Bloomberg?

TOTAL

NORTHEST

REST OF U.S.A.

A big-city mayor 55% 71% 50%

A Washington-based attorney 8 3 9

An author for young adults 5 4 6

A wealthy book publisher 4 2 4

A high-powered fashion designer 0 0 1

Don't know 28 20 30