GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is scheduled to testify today before the Senate Armed Services Committee about the 2007 defense budget. A recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds that Americans are divided in their views of the way Rumsfeld is handling his job. Americans are also split in terms of their general opinion of Rumsfeld, with a slightly higher percentage rating him unfavorably than favorably. Republicans are much more positive in their assessment of Rumsfeld than are Democrats or independents.
Rumsfeld's Approval Ratings
The poll, conducted Jan. 20-22, shows that 44% of Americans approve of the way Rumsfeld is handling his job as Defense Secretary. The same percentage disapproves of him.
Gallup has asked Americans to rate Rumsfeld's job performance six times since 2003. His highest approval rating came in April of that year, when 71% of Americans approved of the way he was handling his job. Rumsfeld's lowest rating came in December 2004, when 41% approved and 50% disapproved of him. The current rating shows only modest variation from last year's findings.
The public's assessment of Rumsfeld varies significantly by partisanship. More than 7 in 10 Republicans (73%) say they approve of the way Rumsfeld is handling his job, while 16% disapprove. This compares with only one in four Democrats who approve of Rumsfeld and 64% who disapprove. Among independents, 35% approve and 52% disapprove of Rumsfeld.
Favorable Ratings
Gallup also periodically asks Americans for their more basic view of Rumsfeld, that is whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him. The most recent results, taken from a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Dec. 16-18, 2005, find Americans divided in their overall opinion of Rumsfeld, with 42% saying they view him favorably and 45% unfavorably.
Rumsfeld's favorable ratings were highest in July 2002, when 67% of Americans rated him favorably. These ratings have gradually declined since that time, with the current results representing the first time that more Americans rated Rumsfeld negatively than positively.
Republicans and Democrats also differ significantly on this measure, with 71% of Republicans rating Rumsfeld favorably, compared with 36% of independents and just 21% of Democrats. Half of independents have an unfavorable view of Rumsfeld, as do 64% of Democrats.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,006 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Jan. 20-22, 2006. 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.