Bush Approval at 37%

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey finds just 37% of Americans approving of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, the lowest percentage measured by Gallup during the Bush presidency. Sixty percent say they disapprove. This rating is marginally worse than the previous low rating, measured by Gallup in an Oct. 13-16 poll, when 39% of Americans approved and 58% disapproved of Bush's job performance.

Bush began the year with a majority of Americans, 52%, indicating approval, which surged to 57% following his State of the Union speech and the elections in Iraq, but then fell below the 50% mark several times in the next three months. His average approval rating for the first quarter of the year was 51%, for the second quarter 48%, and for the third quarter 45%. His average for October and November has been 40%, including the 39% rating in mid-October and the current 37% rating.

The low approval rating should not be interpreted as meaning that many people "hate" the president, however. Despite some blog commentaries, the poll finds that only 6% of Americans say they actually hate Bush. Another 27% say they dislike him "a lot," and 17% say they dislike him "a little" -- a total of 50% who dislike him with some degree of intensity. Almost the same number, 48%, say they like the president, including 27% who say they like him a lot, and 21% who like him a little.

How would you describe your overall opinion of George W. Bush? Would you say you -- [ROTATED: like Bush a lot, like him a little, dislike him a little, (or) dislike Bush a lot]?

Would you say you hate Bush, or would you say you dislike Bush but do not hate him?

COMBINED RESPONSES (Q.7-8)

Bush's approval rating in other areas is as bad or worse than his overall approval rating, except for the issue of terrorism. On this issue, the public is about evenly divided, with 48% approving of the way Bush has been handling this issue, and 49% disapproving.

But on foreign affairs, the economy, the situation in Iraq, federal spending, and immigration, solid majorities of Americans disapprove of Bush's performance, with only a quarter to just over a third of Americans indicating their approval.

The lower rating on terrorism is especially significant, because Bush's 2004 electoral victory is widely attributed to the president's image as a strong leader opposing terrorism. About two weeks before the election, 57% of Americans approved of the way Bush was handling the issue, nine points higher than the current reading.

As for Bush's image as a strong president, again the poll finds a divided public: 49% say he is, while another 49% say he is a weak president.

Would you describe George W. Bush as a -- [ROTATED: strong president (or a) weak president]?

Bush's integrity is also not immune to public criticism. With renewed questions being raised about the reasons for going to war in Iraq, Americans say the president is not honest and trustworthy by a 52% to 46% margin, the worst Gallup has measured for Bush. The previous low reading was found in a mid-September poll, when 50% said Bush was not honest and trustworthy, while 47% said he was.

Majorities of Americans also say that Bush cannot manage the government effectively, and that he does not share their values. These low ratings are not new. In an October poll, Gallup got essentially the same rating on Bush's ability to manage government, and in an August poll, Gallup got a similar rating on Bush's values.

The decline in Bush's integrity ratings can be seen in a separate question, when Americans were asked if they could trust Bush more or less than they could trust previous presidents. In June 2003, when Bush had a 61% job approval rating, Americans said they could trust him more than previous presidents, by 41% to 32% -- with 25% indicating no difference. But the current poll shows a majority, 53%, saying they trust Bush less, 30% saying more, and 16% saying about the same.

When Bush is compared explicitly with former President Bill Clinton, 48% say they would trust Bush less than Clinton, while 36% would trust Bush more -- and the rest choose neither over the other.

Polarization on Bush remains substantial. The poll finds only 7% of Democrats who say they approve of Bush's performance, compared with 80% of Republicans -- a 73-point difference. For 2005, the average polarization has been 72 points. In the period from when Bush first took office until the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the average polarization was 59 points, which declined to 18.5 points from then until the end of the year -- as all partisan groups rallied around the president.

Approval among Democrats waned more quickly than among Republicans, and in 2002, the average polarization averaged 42 points. In 2003, it jumped to an average of 59 points. In election year 2004, it averaged 75 points over the whole period -- but 72 points in the first six months and 78 points in the last six months.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,006 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Nov. 11-13, 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.

For results based on the 491 national adults in the Form A half-sample and 515 national adults in the Form B half-sample, the maximum margins of sampling error are ±5 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.

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

2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

Bush Issue Approval Trends

A. The economy

B. Foreign affairs

C. The situation in Iraq

D. Terrorism

E. Immigration

F. Controlling federal spending

3. Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think it applies or doesn't apply to George W. Bush. How about -- [ROTATED]?

Full Trends: Bush Qualities and Characteristics

A. Is honest and trustworthy

B. Can manage the government effectively

C. Shares your values

6. Would you describe George W. Bush as a -- [ROTATED: strong president (or a) weak president]?

7. How would you describe your overall opinion of George W. Bush? Would you say you -- [ROTATED: like Bush a lot, like him a little, dislike him a little, (or) dislike Bush a lot]?

7. How would you describe your overall opinion of George W. Bush? Would you say you -- [ROTATED: like Bush a lot, like him a little, dislike him a little, (or) dislike Bush a lot]?

8. Would you say you hate Bush, or would you say you dislike Bush but do not hate him?

COMBINED RESPONSES (Q.7-8)