GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- George W. Bush may have lost the popular vote for president, but he receives positive reviews -- both personally and professionally -- from a majority of Americans three weeks into his presidency. A Gallup poll conducted February 9-11 finds that 57% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing as president thus far, and 65% approve of view of him as a person. Bush also enjoys positive evaluations on a number of character dimensions rated in the new poll, particularly as someone who is "tough enough for the job," and "honest and trustworthy." While Bush's image ratings are similar to those of one year ago, the perception of him as "tough" has increased markedly over the past year.
Today, President Bush's overall job-performance rating is identical to where it stood one week ago, 57% of Americans approve of the way he is handling the job of president, 25% disapprove and 18% are unsure. In historical terms, Bush's 25% disapproval rating is relatively high -- only two presidents in the last half century started their first term with double-digit disapproval scores: Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. By mid-February 1981, 55% of the public approved and 18% disapproved of Reagan's job performance. At a comparable point in 1993, 51% approved and 34% disapproved of Clinton. At this stage of their terms, every other elected president since Dwight Eisenhower (including Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter and the elder Bush) earned the approval of at least six in 10 Americans and engendered minimal public disapproval --enjoying what some have called a presidential "honeymoon."
Naturally, Republicans in particular praise President Bush today, with 88% saying they approve of the way he is handling the job. But a majority of independents (54%) also approve of his performance as do close to a third of Democrats (31%). By comparison, in February 1993, newly elected Bill Clinton received slightly lower job approval scores across the board: 74% from Democrats, 49% from independents and 24% from Republicans.
Democrats Critical of Bush as a Person as Well
A separate question asked Americans for their reaction to Bush "as
a person," rather than as president. Democrats are somewhat more
supportive on this basis, but the plurality still disapproves.
Ninety-one percent of Republicans, 63% of independents and 40% of
Democrats say they approve of Bush as a person. But -- perhaps a
reflection of the acrimony produced by the election controversy --
49% of Democrats still disapprove of Bush, the man.
Perhaps as a result, Bush's personal approval score suffers in comparison with that recorded for other presidents. For instance, Gallup found 78% of Americans approving of Ronald Reagan "as a person" early in his first year as president, at a time when only 60% approved of the job he was doing as president -- an eighteen point difference. Similarly, in 1989, 84% of Americans approved of Bush's father as a person, but only 70% approved of his job performance -- a fourteen point gap. By comparison, the difference between George W. Bush's job and personal approval scores today is only eight points: 65% vs. 57%.
The "CEO" Image
While Bush, as a new president, may face more animosity from the
public than he would like, he does enjoy a generally positive
personal image, largely unharmed by the election.
According to a Gallup measure asking whether or not each of 10 characteristics apply to the president, Bush's public image appears to be one of a "straight-talking, no-nonsense" Chief Executive Officer. While he scores positively on softer virtues such as "cares about the needs of people like you," these do not lead the list. Two-thirds of the public, 68%, currently see Bush as "tough enough for the job," up from only 50% who felt this way about him when Gallup measured it roughly one year ago. Nearly as many (64%) see him as honest and trustworthy, while roughly six in 10 (61%) also view him as "a strong and decisive leader" and one who "can manage the government effectively."
Slightly smaller majorities of Americans perceive Bush as someone who shares their values, inspires confidence, cares about their needs, and agrees with them on the issues they are about. And, despite the criticism often leveled by his political foes, a majority also believe Bush understands complex issues. Just under a majority, 49%, describe Bush as "someone they admire."
The ratings on most of these items are quite similar to findings from Gallup polling conducted in January, February and March 2000. The only significant change is seen in the percentage that believe Bush is tough enough for the job, jumping 18 points in the past year.
|
Bush Characteristics: Today vs. One Year Ago
|
|||
|
Jan-Mar 2000 |
Feb 2001 |
Change |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
Is tough enough for the job |
50 |
68 |
+18 |
|
Is honest and trustworthy |
62 |
64 |
+2 |
|
Is a strong and decisive leader |
66 |
61 |
-5 |
|
Can manage the government effectively |
66 |
61 |
-5 |
|
Shares your values |
55 |
57 |
+2 |
|
Inspires confidence |
60 |
57 |
-3 |
|
Cares about the needs of people like you |
56 |
56 |
0 |
|
Understands complex issues |
60 |
55 |
-5 |
|
Generally agrees with you on issues you care about |
51 |
53 |
+2 |
|
Is a person you admire |
45 |
49 |
+4 |
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,016 adults, 18 years and older, conducted February 9-11, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 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.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
57% |
25 |
18 |
|
2001 Feb 1-4 |
57% |
25 |
18 |
Apart from whether you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, what do you think of Bush as a person? Would you say you approve or disapprove of him?
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
No opinion |
||
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
65% |
27 |
8 |
|
|
2001 Jan 5-7 ^ |
60% |
33 |
7 |
|
|
2000 Aug 4-5 † |
73% |
19 |
8 |
|
|
^ |
WORDING: Apart from whether you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his transition to the presidency, what do you think of Bush as a person? Would you say you approve or disapprove of him? |
|||
|
† |
WORDING: Apart from whether you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as governor of Texas, what do you think of Bush as a person? Would you say you approve or disapprove of him? |
|||
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]?
-
- Shares your values
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
%
%
%
2001 Feb 9-11
57
39
4
2000 Mar 10-12
52
41
7
2000 Jan 17-19
55
32
13
1999 Sep 10-14
56
34
10
1999 Mar 12-14
58
31
11
- Cares about the needs of people like you
-
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
%
%
%
2001 Feb 9-11
56
39
5
2000 Mar 10-12
51
42
7
2000 Jan 17-19
56
33
11
1999 Sep 10-14
59
32
9
1999 Mar 12-14
59
32
9
- Is a strong and decisive leader
-
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
%
%
%
2001 Feb 9-11
61
34
5
2000 Mar 10-12
63
30
7
2000 Feb 25-27
61
32
7
2000 Feb 20-21
58
33
9
2000 Feb 4-6
62
30
8
2000 Jan 17-19
66
24
10
1999 Mar 4*
60
14
26
- Can manage the government effectively
-
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
%
%
%
2001 Feb 9-11
61
31
8
2000 Mar 10-12
64
28
8
2000 Jan 17-19
66
22
12
1999 Sep 10-14
72
19
9
1999 Mar 12-14
77
15
8
- Is honest and trustworthy
|
Applies |
Doesn't apply |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
64% |
29 |
7 |
|
2000 Mar 10-12 |
64% |
28 |
8 |
|
1999 Sep 10-12 |
62% |
29 |
9 |
-
- Is tough enough for the job
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
2001 Feb 9-11
68%
28
4
1999 Sep 10-14
50%
45
5
- Generally agrees with you on issues you care about
-
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
2001 Feb 9-11
53%
43
4
2000 Mar 10-12
49%
44
7
2000 Feb 25-27
51%
41
8
1999 Mar 12-14
54%
35
11
- Inspires confidence
|
Applies |
Doesn't apply |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
57% |
39 |
4 |
|
2000 Mar 10-12 |
56% |
37 |
7 |
|
2000 Jan 17-19 |
60% |
29 |
11 |
-
- Is a person you admire
Applies
Doesn't apply
No opinion
2001 Feb 9-11
49%
47
4
2000 Feb 20-21
45%
49
6
- Understands complex issues
|
Applies |
Doesn't apply |
No opinion |
|
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
55% |
38 |
7 |
|
2000 Jan 17-19 |
60% |
26 |
14 |
BUSH CHARACTERISTICS SUMMARY TABLE
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
|
|
|
% |
% |
|
|
Is tough enough for the job |
68 |
28 |
|
Is honest and trustworthy |
64 |
29 |
|
Is a strong and decisive leader |
61 |
34 |
|
Can manage the government effectively |
61 |
31 |
|
Shares your values |
57 |
39 |
|
Inspires confidence |
57 |
39 |
|
Cares about the needs of people like you |
56 |
39 |
|
Understands complex issues |
55 |
38 |
|
Generally agrees with you on issues you care about |
53 |
43 |
|
Is a person you admire |
49 |
47 |
Who do you want to have more influence over the direction the nation takes in the next year – [ROTATED: George W. Bush (or) the Republicans in Congress]?
|
|
Republicans |
BOTH/NEITHER (vol.) |
No |
|
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
44% |
31 |
20 |
5 |
Who do you want to have more influence over the direction the nation takes in the next year – [ROTATED: George W. Bush (or) the Democrats in Congress]?
|
|
Democrats |
BOTH/NEITHER (vol.) |
No |
|
|
2001 Feb 9-11 |
48% |
41 |
8 |
3 |