GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest Gallup survey finds Americans about evenly divided in their assessment of how well President George W. Bush is handling his job, but decidedly negative in their assessment of Congress and of how things are going in the country. Iraq and the economy continue to top the public's list of most important problems facing the country.
The poll, conducted June 6-8, shows that 47% of Americans approve, and 49% disapprove, of Bush's job performance. In the past nine polls, since the third week in March, Bush has averaged a 48% to 48% approval to disapproval rating. In the previous nine Gallup readings, taken between Jan. 3 and March 20, Bush averaged a 52% to 44% approval to disapproval rating.
The public's rating of Congress is far more negative than its rating of Bush. Just 34% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 59% disapprove -- the lowest Gallup rating since July 1997. Last month's rating was almost as bad -- 35% approval to 57% disapproval -- but earlier this year, more than 4 in 10 approved. In 2004, approval did not dip below the 40% mark; and in 2003, it hovered just at or below the 50% level for the first seven months, but averaged only 42% for the rest of the year.
Satisfaction with the way things are going in the country has remained essentially unchanged over the past 11 weeks, with 38% of Americans expressing satisfaction in mid-March and again in early April, rising slightly to 41% in late May and then falling back to its current reading of 38%.
This satisfaction rating is substantially below the high ratings Gallup measured both in the months after Sept. 11, 2001, and in the late 1990s during the robust economic years of the dot-com boom. Still, the satisfaction level is not as low as it has been at other points in the past. In the summer of 1992, for example, only 14% of Americans were satisfied with the way things were going in the United States, and only 12% were satisfied in July 1979.
Compared with a month ago, the poll also shows little change in the public's view of the most important problem facing the country today. The war in Iraq continues to head the list, mentioned by 22% of Americans, followed by the economy in general (12%), unemployment (9%), healthcare (9%), terrorism (8%), and a general dissatisfaction with government and politicians (8%).
What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today? [Open-ended]
|
|
Jun |
May |
Apr |
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET) |
30 |
33 |
34 |
|
Economy in general |
12 |
12 |
12 |
|
Unemployment/Jobs |
9 |
8 |
8 |
|
Fuel/Oil prices |
4 |
8 |
9 |
|
Federal budget deficit/Federal debt |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Taxes |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
High cost of living/Inflation |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
Lack of money |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Wage issues |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Gap between rich and poor |
1 |
* |
1 |
|
Foreign trade/Trade deficit |
* |
* |
* |
|
Corporate corruption |
* |
* |
* |
|
Recession |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
NON-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (NET) |
74 |
74 |
73 |
|
Situation in Iraq/War |
22 |
21 |
18 |
|
Poor healthcare/hospitals; high cost of healthcare |
9 |
7 |
7 |
|
Terrorism |
8 |
5 |
8 |
|
Dissatisfaction with government/ Congress/ |
8 |
5 |
5 |
|
Social Security |
6 |
9 |
8 |
|
Ethics/Moral/ Religious/Family decline; |
6 |
4 |
6 |
|
Immigration/Illegal aliens |
5 |
5 |
4 |
|
Foreign aid/Focus overseas |
5 |
2 |
2 |
|
Education/Poor education/Access to education |
5 |
5 |
6 |
|
Poverty/ Hunger/ Homelessness |
4 |
4 |
2 |
|
Judicial system/Courts/Laws |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
International issues/ problems |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
National security |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
Crime/Violence |
2 |
4 |
1 |
|
Drugs |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Children's behavior/way they are raised |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Environment/Pollution |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Medicare |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Welfare |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Lack of respect for each other |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Abortion |
1 |
* |
1 |
|
Homosexuality/Gay issues |
* |
* |
1 |
|
Care for the elderly |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
Lack of energy sources; the energy crisis |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
Unifying the country |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
The media |
* |
* |
* |
|
Overpopulation |
* |
* |
* |
|
Race relations/ Racism |
* |
1 |
1 |
|
Child abuse |
* |
-- |
* |
|
Abuse of power |
-- |
* |
* |
|
Election year/Presidential choices/Election reform |
-- |
* |
-- |
|
Guns/Gun control |
-- |
* |
-- |
|
Cancer/Diseases |
-- |
-- |
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other non-economic |
5 |
4 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
No opinion |
3 |
3 |
2 |
|
TOTAL |
135% |
130% |
131% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Less than 0.5% |
|||
Social Security has fallen in importance as the White House has focused its attention on other issues. While 12% of Americans mentioned this issue as the most important in February and March, just 6% mention it in the current survey.
Partisan Polarization
As with previous surveys, this poll shows major differences in perceptions by party affiliation.
While 88% of Republicans approve of Bush's job performance, just 11% of Democrats approve -- a difference of 77 points. Only 40% of independents approve, making them closer to the Democrats than to the Republicans.
Polarization is not as great on the public's approval of Congress. Exactly half, 50%, of Republicans approve, compared with only 21% of Democrats -- a 29-point difference. Again, independents are closer to Democrats than Republicans, with a 30% approval rating.
The general mood question -- satisfaction with the way things are going in the country -- shows a substantial polarization between Republicans and Democrats, though smaller than on Bush approval. Among Republicans, 67% are satisfied, compared with 13% among Democrats -- a 54-point difference. As with the other two measures, independents are somewhat closer to Democrats in their views than they are to Republicans.
Survey Methods
Results in the current survey are based on telephone interviews with 1,002 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 6-8, 2005. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error 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.