In National Polls, a Mixed View of Gingrich About a week ago, the most recent national New York Times/CBS News poll showed that Republican voters were divided in their assessment of Newt Gingrich. Thirty-one percent had a favorable opinion of the former House speaker and just about as many, 34 percent, had a negative view. A quarter said they were undecided, and the rest had not heard enough about Mr. Gingrich to have an opinion. This less-than-glowing assessment could easily change in the wake of Mr. Gingrich's victory in South Carolina. Gallup's tracking poll over the last week showed his candidacy's revival. The percentage of registered Republicans nationwide who said they supported Mr. Gingrich steadily increased in the five-day rolling averages that Gallup has released each day since Jan. 15. The volatility of the election and Mr. Gingrich's support are also evident in his favorability ratings. In a Times/CBS News poll taken in April, twice as many Republican voters had a favorable opinion of Mr. Gingrich as an unfavorable one. Two months later, more Republican voters had an unfavorable view of Mr. Gingrich than a favorable one. That June poll was conducted while Mr. Gingrich was absent from the campaign trail, on a vacation with his wife, Callista, just before many senior members of his campaign resigned. By September, the number of Republican voters who gave Mr. Gingrich a favorable rating was about the same as those who saw him in a negative light. But by November, when there was a groundswell of support for him, more voters had a positive opinion of Mr. Gingrich than a negative one. The latest national poll was conducted by The Times and CBS News soon after his fifth-place finish in New Hampshire. Whether Mr. Gingrich's ratings will improve now that he has won South Carolina will be something to watch over the next few weeks. Another measure that could be affected by the results in South Carolina may be his electability. In the latest national poll, 54 percent of Republican primary voters said Mr. Romney was more likely to win a general election campaign against President Obama. Mr. Gingrich was second with 17 percent. An exit poll suggested that voters in South Carolina disagreed. The ability to defeat Mr. Obama in November was the top issue for a plurality, 45 percent, on Saturday, and about half of those voters cast their ballots for Mr. Gingrich. If Mr. Gingrich becomes the nominee, 26 percent of Republican primary voters nationwide said they would enthusiastically support him, 33 percent would support him with reservations and 22 percent said their support would be based on his position as the party's nominee. Fourteen percent said they would not support Mr. Gingrich if he became the Republican Party's standard-bearer.