Majority Agrees With Judge's Decision in Schiavo Case

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- A one-night CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds a slim majority of Americans agreeing with a federal judge's decision in the Terri Schiavo case. The decision effectively denied a request by Schiavo's parents to re-insert the feeding tube helping to keep her alive, pending further legal action in the matter. Relatively few Americans see much hope for improvement in Schiavo's condition, even if the feeding tube were re-inserted permanently.

A majority of Americans express sympathy for both sides in the dispute -- Schiavo's husband, who wants the feeding tube removed to end her life, and Schiavo's parents -- though more are sympathetic with the parents than with the husband. Still, most Americans believe husband Michael Schiavo is being truthful when he says his wife told him she did not want to be kept alive by artificial means.

By wide margins, Americans disapprove of the actions of President George W. Bush and the Republicans in Congress in the Schiavo case. Americans also disapprove of the actions of the Democrats in Congress, but to a smaller degree. The public is divided in its view of the media's handling of the case.

Detailed findings of the March 22 poll follow.

By a 52% to 39% margin, Americans agree with the federal judge's decision that resulted in the feeding tube -- removed on Friday -- not being re-inserted. Two in three Americans hold their views with some conviction: 37% strongly agree with the judge's decision; 30% strongly disagree.

As you may know, Terri Schiavo is a Florida woman in a persistent vegetative state who was being kept alive through the use of a feeding tube. The feeding tube was removed on Friday, an action that will result in her death within about two weeks. A federal judge made a ruling in the case today.

First, do you agree with the federal judge's decision that resulted in the feeding tube being left unattached, or do you disagree and think the federal judge should have ordered the feeding tube to be re-attached?

 

Do you agree/disagree strongly, or only moderately?

COMBINED RESPONSES (Q.1-2)

 

Relatively few Americans believe there is much chance for significant improvement in Terri Schiavo's condition if the feeding tube were put back in place permanently. In fact, a majority, 54%, says there is "no chance whatsoever" that Schiavo's brain activity would show significant improvement under those circumstances, agreeing with several court-appointed physicians in the many legal proceedings surrounding the matter. Only 29% say there is a slight chance of improvement. Thirteen percent say there is a good chance, including 4% who believe the chances are "very good."

Just your best guess, if the feeding tube that was helping to keep Terri Schiavo alive were reinserted on a permanent basis, how much of a chance do you think there is that she would eventually show significant improvement in her brain activity -- a very good chance, a good chance, a slight chance, or no chance whatsoever?

 

The poll finds that Americans are sympathetic to both sides in the dispute -- husband Michael Schiavo and parents Bob and Mary Schindler. However, despite the fact that a majority of Americans agree with the husband's side of the case, Americans express much greater sympathy toward the parents than toward the husband. Fifty-five percent of Americans say they feel "very sympathetic" toward the Schindlers, and an additional 31% say they are somewhat sympathetic. By comparison, 37% are very sympathetic and 32% are somewhat sympathetic toward Michael Schiavo.

Based on what you have heard or read about this case, how do you feel toward -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- very sympathetic, somewhat sympathetic, somewhat unsympathetic, or very unsympathetic?

 

Many Americans appear to be taking sides in the issue. Those who say they are very sympathetic toward the Schindlers are much more likely to disagree (55%) than agree (38%) with the federal judge's ruling. Conversely, those who are very sympathetic toward Michael Schiavo support the judge's decision by a substantial margin (76% to 19%).

Still, most Americans believe Michael Schiavo is being forthright in saying that Terri expressed a wish not to be kept alive by artificial means -- 21% say he is definitely telling the truth and 43% say he probably is. One in four do not believe his statements are truthful.

As you may know, Michael Schiavo said his wife, Terri, told him that she would not want to be kept alive by artificial means. Do you think he is -- [ROTATED: definitely telling the truth, probably telling the truth, probably not telling the truth, (or) definitely not telling the truth]?

 

The public is giving a collective thumbs-down to politicians' involvement in the Schiavo case. A majority, 52%, disapproves of the way Bush has handled the case, and a near-majority (47%) disapproves of the way Republicans in Congress have handled it. Even Americans who are very sympathetic with the Schindlers are more likely to disapprove than approve of the actions of the Republican congressional delegation, and are evenly divided in their views of Bush's involvement.

More Americans disapprove (42%) than approve (28%) of the actions of the Democrats in Congress in this matter, though a substantial 30% have no opinion.

In contrast, the media comes out looking relatively good: 43% approve and 46% disapprove of the way the media has handled the case.

Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following has handled the case involving Terri Schiavo? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

 

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 620 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted March 22, 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±4 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.

Polls conducted entirely in one day, such as this one, are subject to additional error or bias not found in polls conducted over several days.