Two-Thirds of Americans Say It Is Likely Condit Directly Involved in Levy's Disappearance

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Washington, D.C. police completed a search of U.S. Representative Gary Condit's apartment early Wednesday in the continuing investigation into the disappearance of former Washington intern Chandra Levy. A week ago, Condit reportedly admitted to police that he had an affair with the 24-year-old woman, but police still maintain that this is not a criminal investigation and that Condit is not a suspect in her disappearance.

A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, however, shows that more than six in 10 Americans think it is likely that Condit was "directly involved" in the disappearance of Levy, including 28% who say it is "very likely." Twenty percent of the public do not think it is likely that Condit was involved, and 15% have no opinion.

How likely do you think it is that Gary Condit was directly involved in the disappearance of Chandra Levy?

July 10-11, 2001

Among those who say they are following the case "very closely," almost half (47%) think it is very likely that Condit was involved in Levy's disappearance, and another 30% say it is somewhat likely. Additionally, 83% of Americans think Condit should take a lie detector test in this matter, as Chandra Levy's parents and police investigators have requested.

This missing-person case has attracted nationwide attention. Sixty-three percent of Americans say they are closely following the story, including 20% who say they are following it "very closely," which ranks the story near the middle of a list of more than 90 news events Gallup has tested over the past decade. The public gives the media credit for the way they have handled coverage of the story, with 61% saying they have acted responsibly and only 30% saying they have acted irresponsibly. Those who are closely following the story are especially likely to say the media have acted responsibly, by a 69% to 29% margin.

Compared with other news events, the media's ratings in the Levy case are favorable. While the media received higher marks for their handling of the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. (75% said the media acted responsibly) and the school shootings in Littleton, Colorado (67%), they were rated much more negatively for their coverage of the alleged affair between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky (37%) and George W. Bush's daughters' citations for underage drinking (42%).

Majority Thinks Case Will Be Solved

At this point, a slight majority of the public, 51%, thinks the case will be solved, while 35% think it will not and the rest have no opinion. Those who are following the news about this story closely are somewhat more hopeful, with 59% saying it will be solved. Americans are much more optimistic at this point about solving the Levy case than they were about another famous unsolved case, the murder of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado. A Gallup poll conducted in November 1997-- 11 months after the murder -- showed just 33% of the public believing the case would be solved, while 54% thought it would not be. Subsequent Gallup polls have shown even fewer Americans thinking the Ramsey murder would ever be solved.

Political Damage for Condit Likely to Be Severe

If the constituents in Condit's district are like most Americans across the country, the controversy could seriously harm his political future. The vast majority of Americans, 71%, say they would be less likely to vote for their representative from Congress if he or she "were involved in a matter like this," with only 24% saying it would have no effect on their vote.

Conservatives (76%) and moderates (72%) are more likely than liberals (63%) to say that such a revelation would affect their likelihood of voting for their representative. This is notable in Condit's case because his district is more politically conservative than most House districts represented by a Democrat, and his constituents voted solidly for George W. Bush in the 2000 election while the state of California as a whole voted overwhelmingly for Al Gore.

Many Americans Skeptical of Governmental Internship Programs for Young Women

The Levy case, coupled with the extraordinary visibility generated by the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair, raises the issue of whether it is advisable for young women to serve as government interns in the nation's capital.

When Americans were asked in the poll whether they would advise their daughter to accept a government internship in Washington, D.C., 53% said they would but a substantial number -- 43% -- said they would not. Sharp age differences are evident, as 68% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 gave a favorable response about the hypothetical internship, compared with only 33% of Americans 65 years and older. Those who are politically liberal (66%) would be more likely to advise their daughter to accept an internship than would those who are conservative (45%).

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 998 adults, 18 years and older, conducted July 10-11, 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.

Now I have a few questions about the case of Chandra Levy [SHON-dra LEE-vee], the 24-year-old Washington intern who disappeared more than two months ago.

How closely have you been following the news concerning the investigation into the disappearance of Chandra Levy -- very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?

 

	Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not too closely	Not at all	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	20%	43	22	15	*
* Less than 0.5%

Do you think the case involving the disappearance of Chandra Levy will ever be solved, or not?

 

	Yes, will be solved	No, will not	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	51%	35	14

Now, I have a few questions concerning Gary Condit, the California Congressman who, according to some reports, had an extramarital affair with Chandra Levy.

How likely do you think it is that Gary Condit was directly involved in the disappearance of Chandra Levy -- very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely?

 

	Very  likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not at all likely	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	28%	37	13	7	15

Do you think Gary Condit should or should not take a lie detector test in this matter?

 

	Should take	Should not take	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	83%	13	4

If your representative from Congress were involved in a matter like this, would this make you less likely to vote for that person, or would it have no effect?

 

	Less likely to vote for	No effect	MORE LIKELY (vol.)	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	71%	24	*	5
(vol.) Volunteered response
* Less than 0.5%

Overall, do you feel the news media have acted responsibly or irresponsibly in this situation?

 

	Responsibly	Irresponsibly	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	61%	30	9

Suppose you had a daughter in her early twenties who asked your advice on whether she should move to Washington, D.C. to become a government intern. Would you advise her to accept the internship in Washington, or not?

 

	Yes, would advise to accept	No, would not advise to accept	No opinion
2001 Jul 10-11	53%	43	4