By now it's common knowledge that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks generated a "rally effect" that drove up the American public's ratings of -- well, almost anything associated with life in the U.S. Since the attacks, the American people have become more positive toward the federal government. In October, 60% of Americans said they trusted their government to do what is right "just about always" or "most of the time," a level not seen since 1968. And President Bush continues to receive sky-high approval ratings.
But are these attitudes "real" -- that is, are they based on actual perceptions of performance -- or should they be taken as artifacts of Americans' need for solidarity in a time of crisis?
Results from a poll taken Sept. 7-10, 2001* -- just days before the attacks -- give an idea of Americans' pre-war mindset toward the federal government's performance in 16 fundamental areas of responsibility. The results were not positive (see table below). At that time, less than 50% of respondents were satisfied with 12 of the 16 areas. Levels of discontent were highest in domestic areas including poverty, healthcare, energy policy and the nation's finances.
|
% Sat. |
|
|
The nation's military and national defense |
65 |
|
Transportation |
65 |
|
National parks and open space |
64 |
|
Foreign affairs |
57 |
|
Public housing and urban development |
49 |
|
Agriculture and farming |
49 |
|
Environmental issues |
46 |
|
Labor and employment issues |
42 |
|
Criminal justice |
40 |
|
Job creation and economic growth |
39 |
|
Education |
38 |
|
Energy policy |
38 |
|
Economy |
37 |
|
Nation's finances |
34 |
|
Healthcare |
27 |
|
Poverty |
26 |
The areas with the highest level of satisfaction were the nation's military and national defense, and transportation -- each with 65% satisfied -- followed closely by national parks and open space with 64%. Fifty-seven percent (57%) were satisfied with foreign affairs.
A great deal of polling since Sept. 11 has shown that Americans are extremely positive about the way in which the United States has used its military and other resources in the war on terrorism. It remains to be seen, however, just how long the government's elevated ratings will last (already, public approval of Congress is dropping -- from 84% in October to 72% in December to 62% in January 2002), but these pre-attack data provide a measure of public perception of the federal government's competencies during a time of relative stasis. Priorities are necessarily rearranged during a time of crisis -- but while the underlying attitudes take a back seat in the short term, it may be foolish to lose sight of them altogether.
* Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,004 adults, aged 18+, conducted Sept. 7-10, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points.
