Public Divided on Bush

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows an American public evenly divided in its evaluations of its president. Forty-nine percent of Americans approve and 48% disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing as president. This divide in opinion is largely the result of an unprecedented gulf between Republicans' and Democrats' views of Bush. Additionally, similar proportions of Americans report positive or negative emotions about the Bush presidency. Fifty-three percent say Bush has done something to make them angry since he became president, and 58% say he has done something that pleased them or made them feel enthusiastic.

The poll, conducted March 5-7, shows Bush with a 49% job approval rating, tied for the lowest of his presidency. Bush's approval rating has hovered near 50% since mid-January, and had been in the low- to mid-50s throughout the fall. His approval rating rose above 60% after the capture of Saddam Hussein in mid-December, but the rally in public support dissipated by mid-January.

George W. Bush's Job Approval Rating September 2003 – Present

Partisanship overwhelmingly colors one's view of Bush. Ninety-one percent of Republicans approve of him while only 17% of Democrats do. This partisan gap of 74 points is the largest Gallup has ever observed in March for an incumbent president seeking re-election. For example, although Bill Clinton had a similar 52% approval rating in 1996, Republican and Democratic views of him differed by 56 percentage points.

 

 

Emotional Reactions to Bush

Throughout the Democratic presidential primary season, much has been made about anger toward Bush as a key factor in voting in the various state primaries. The level of anger is probably overstated, since the data -- taken from exit polls -- are based on those who voted in Democratic presidential primaries. In the vast majority of states, those voters are registered Democrats or non-Democrats willing to declare an allegiance (if only temporary) to the Democratic Party.

The new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll repeated a version of the exit-poll question on feelings toward Bush and found that 17% of Americans are angry with the Bush administration today. An additional 29% are dissatisfied, but not angry. Slightly more than half express positive emotions toward the Bush administration, with 35% saying they are satisfied, but not enthusiastic, and 18% saying they are enthusiastic. But the poll reveals roughly equal numbers of Americans expressing strong negative (anger) and strong positive (enthusiasm) emotions toward the president.

Feelings About the Bush Administration

March 5-7, 2004

These responses are predictably partisan -- 78% of Democrats are either angry (32%) or dissatisfied with Bush (46%), while 93% of Republicans are either enthusiastic (41%) or satisfied (52%).

In response to a separate question, more than half of Americans, 53%, say that Bush has made them angry at some point since he became president, while 46% say he has not. When asked what, specifically, he had done, the war with Iraq is the most common response, mentioned by 40% of those who say Bush has made them angry. Other reasons for anger at Bush include his being dishonest or withholding information from the public (presumably about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction), his handling of healthcare issues, and his support for big business.

A similar percentage, 58%, say Bush has done something that pleased them or made them feel enthusiastic since he became president. Nearly half who say this cite his handling of terrorism, homeland security, or the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as the reason. About one in five Americans who have been enthusiastic about Bush attribute this to the war in Iraq. Other issues mentioned include taxes and his stand on the gay marriage issue.

When the results of the two questions are taken together, one in four Americans say Bush has made them both angry and enthusiastic since he took office. Thirty-three percent say he has only done something to make them enthusiastic since he became president, and 28% say he has only done something to make them angry.

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,005 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted March 5-7. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

 

18. Overall, which comes closest to your feelings about the Bush administration today -- [ROTATED: angry, dissatisfied, but not angry, satisfied, but not enthusiastic, (or) enthusiastic]?

	Angry	Dissatis- fied, not angry	Satis- fied, not enthu- siastic	Enthu- siastic	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
Likely Voters
2004 Mar 5-7	25	26	27	21	1
Registered Voters
2004 Mar 5-7	18	29	34	18	1
National Adults
2004 Mar 5-7	17	29	35	18	1

Q.19-20 AND Q.21-22 ROTATED

19. Would you say George W. Bush has done anything that made you angry since he became president, or not?

 

20. What has Bush done that made you angry? [OPEN-ENDED]

BASED ON 545 ADULTS WHO SAY BUSH HAS MADE THEM ANGRY

 

21. Would you say George W. Bush has done anything that has pleased you or made you feel enthusiastic since he became president, or not?

 

22. What has Bush done that pleased you or made you feel enthusiastic? [OPEN-ENDED]

BASED ON 607 ADULTS WHO SAY BUSH HAS PLEASED THEM OR MADE THEM FEEL ENTHUSIASTIC