GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ – Defying the usual pattern of a president suffering from declining job approval ratings in his last year in office, Bill Clinton appears to be holding his own as his months left in office dwindle down. In a Gallup poll conducted October 6-9 of this year, 58% of the American public say they approve of the job Bill Clinton is doing as president. The percent approving of Clinton's handling of the presidency has remained consistently in the high 50s to low 60s throughout 1999 and 2000, and the current 58% is above the average for Clinton's entire term, which is 54% to date.
The high point for Bill Clinton came in December 1998, when 73% approved of the job he was doing. Clinton's low point was in June 1993, when only 37% approved.
The public's perceptions of President Clinton's handling of the economy and foreign affairs have also remained relatively constant in the last year, despite recent increases in oil and gas prices and the recent unrest in both the Middle East and Yugoslavia. Currently, 71% approve of the way Clinton is handling the economy, and 55% approve of his handling of foreign affairs. These most recent findings closely resemble responses gathered throughout 1999 and 2000.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,052 adults, 18 years and older, conducted October 6-9, 2000. 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 Bill Clinton is handling his job as president?
| Approve | Disapprove | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 Oct 6-9 | 58 | 37 | 5 |
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling [RANDOM ORDER]? How about...
A. The economy
| Approve | Disapprove | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 Oct 6-9 | 71 | 24 | 5 |
B. Foreign affairs
| Approve | Disapprove | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 Oct 6-9 | 55 | 35 | 10 |