"Since February 2008, shortly before he abandoned his race for the GOP presidential nomination, opinion of Romney has improved across most political and demographic groups, but the shift has been particularly pronounced among independents," Pew reports. "In February 2008, just 29 percent of independents had a positive impression of Romney while 46 percent had a negative view. Today, that balance is reversed: 44 percent view Romney favorably and 25 percent unfavorably."

And "almost a year after capturing the attention of the political world as John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin remains a broadly popular figure within the Republican Party, despite receiving mixed reviews from the public as a whole. …

"Unlike Romney, Palin's ratings continue to be much better among conservative Republicans (80 percent) than among moderates and liberals in the party (62 percent). And while positive views of Palin have slipped among non-evangelical Republicans (from 77 percent to 67 percent), they remain overwhelmingly positive among white evangelical Republicans (84 percent, 85 percent last October).

"Notably, as was the case during the election, Palin is rated somewhat better by men than she is by women. About half of men (48 percent) say their overall opinion of Palin is favorable, while 40 percent say it is unfavorable. Among women, the picture is reversed: 48 percent offer an unfavorable view, 41 percent a favorable one. This difference largely arises from gender differences in party affiliation. For instance, among Republicans, men and women express similar views of Palin (73 percent favorable).

"Palin receives a more favorable rating from those with a high school degree or less (48 percent favorable, 36 percent unfavorable) than she does from college graduates (41 percent favorable, 52 percent unfavorable). Regionally, she is somewhat better regarded in the South (49 percent favorable) than she is in the Northeast (39 percent favorable)."

The Pew survey of 1,502 adults, conducted June 10-14, carries a possible 3-percentage-point margin of error.