GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- President George W. Bush begins the month of March enjoying an 81% job approval rating, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted March 1-3. Each job approval rating for Bush since Sept. 11 ranks among the highest Gallup has recorded for any U.S. president, dating back to 1938, and no president has remained above 80% approval longer than Bush has. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, ratings of Bush's handling of the economy and foreign affairs jumped, with a larger boost occurring in his foreign affairs approval rating than in his economic rating. While both measures have fallen off slightly in recent months, nearly eight in 10 still approve of his handling of foreign affairs and about two-thirds approve of his handling of the economy.
Bush Job Approval Over 80% for Five Months
A Sept. 14-15 Gallup poll -- the first poll conducted by Gallup after Sept. 11-- measured Bush's job approval rating at 86%. Since that time, covering a span of five-and-a-half months and 16 Gallup polls, each of Bush's job approval scores has exceeded 80%. Of the five presidents who have received an 80% job approval rating at some point in their terms (Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and the elder George Bush), no president has sustained an approval rating above 80% longer than the current president. Previously, Truman had ratings exceeding 80% in measurements spaced four months apart, with an 87% rating in June 1945 and an 82% rating in October 1945. The elder George Bush's 80%-plus ratings lasted just under two months, from mid-February 1991 to early April 1991.
Bush Gets Better Marks on Foreign Affairs than on Economy
The current poll shows that Americans rate Bush's handling of foreign affairs (78%) more positively than his handling of the economy (64%), though his scores on both measures are historically high. The 78% foreign affairs approval rating is the sixth highest Gallup has recorded since it began asking the public to rate the president on this item in 1971, and is well above the average foreign affairs approval score of 51%. While Bush's 64% economic approval rating is not among the highest Gallup has obtained since 1971, it is well above the average of 47%.
Prior to the events of Sept. 11, Bush received roughly comparable ratings for his handling of the economy and foreign affairs, with both ratings in the low-to-mid 50% range (and both slightly lower than his overall approval ratings, which were in the mid-to-high 50% range). Right after Sept. 11, both scores increased, with his foreign affairs ratings getting a larger boost (27 points) than his economic ratings (18 points.) In the time since Sept. 11, both ratings have fallen off slightly, with his economic ratings decreasing slightly more. Bush's economic rating has dropped eight points from its high of 72%, and his foreign affairs rating has fallen five points from a high of 83%.
| George W. Bush's Job Approval Ratings |
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The ratings are somewhat ironic in that Bush entered office with little experience in international affairs, yet Americans have strongly approved of his efforts in this area since Sept. 11. Also, a majority of the public has approved of his handling of the economy since he took office in January 2001, despite the fact that the country has been in economic recession for the better part of his term as president.
Generally speaking, the overall economic and foreign affairs approval ratings tend to be correlated. Among the last four presidents, overall approval tends to be the highest of the three, as is currently the case with Bush. There are two notable exceptions to this general pattern, however. Beginning in November 1997 and continuing to the end of his presidency, ratings for Bill Clinton's handling of the economy were higher than his overall job rating -- almost surely a result of the Monica Lewinsky-impeachment controversy.
| Bill Clinton's Job Approval Ratings |
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Similarly, from September 1991 to the end of his term, George Bush was rated higher for his handling of foreign affairs than for his overall performance as president, mainly due to an increased public focus on the economic decline in the latter stages of his presidency.
| George Bush's Job Approval Ratings |
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Ronald Reagan's overall approval rating generally remained higher than both his economic and foreign affairs approval ratings throughout his term as president.
| Ronald Reagan's Job Approval Ratings |
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Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 863 adults, aged 18 years and older, conducted March 1-3, 2002. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is + / - 4 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 |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
(NA) 2002 Mar 1-3 |
81 |
14 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2002 Feb 8-10 |
82 |
14 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2002 Feb 4-6 |
82 |
14 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2002 Jan 25-27 |
84 |
13 |
3 |
|
(NA) 2002 Jan 11-14 |
83 |
13 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2002 Jan 7-9 |
84 |
12 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2001 Dec 14-16 |
86 |
11 |
3 |
|
(NA) 2001 Dec 6-9 |
86 |
10 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2001 Nov 26-27 |
87 |
8 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2001 Nov 8-11 |
87 |
9 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2001 Nov 2-4 |
87 |
9 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2001 Oct 19-21 |
88 |
9 |
3 |
|
(NA) 2001 Oct 11-14 |
89 |
8 |
3 |
|
(NA) 2001 Oct 5-6 |
87 |
10 |
3 |
|
(NA) 2001 Sep 21-22 |
90 |
6 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2001 Sep 14-15 |
86 |
10 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2001 Sep 7-10 |
51 |
39 |
10 |
|
(NA) 2001 Aug 24-26 |
55 |
36 |
9 |
|
(NA) 2001 Aug 16-19 |
57 |
34 |
9 |
|
(NA) 2001 Aug 10-12 |
57 |
35 |
8 |
|
(NA) 2001 Aug 3-5 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jul 19-22 |
56 |
33 |
11 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jul 10-11 |
57 |
35 |
8 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jun 28-Jul 1 |
52 |
34 |
14 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jun 11-17 |
55 |
33 |
12 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jun 8-10 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
(NA) 2001 May 18-20 |
56 |
36 |
8 |
|
(NA) 2001 May 10-14 |
56 |
31 |
13 |
|
(NA) 2001 May 7-9 |
53 |
33 |
14 |
|
(NA) 2001 Apr 20-22 |
62 |
29 |
9 |
|
(NA) 2001 Apr 6-8 |
59 |
30 |
11 |
|
(NA) 2001 Mar 26-28 |
53 |
29 |
18 |
|
(NA) 2001 Mar 9-11 |
58 |
29 |
13 |
|
(NA) 2001 Mar 5-7 |
63 |
22 |
15 |
|
(NA) 2001 Feb 19-21 |
62 |
21 |
17 |
|
(NA) 2001 Feb 9-11 |
57 |
25 |
18 |
|
(NA) 2001 Feb 1-4 |
57 |
25 |
18 |
|
(NA) National Adults |
|||
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling -- [ROTATED]?
A. The economy
|
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
No opinion |
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
(NA) 2002 Mar 1-3 |
64 |
31 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2002 Feb 4-6 |
66 |
30 |
4 |
|
(NA) 2002 Jan 25-27 |
64 |
30 |
6 |
|
(NA) 2001 Nov 2-4 ^ |
71 |
24 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2001 Oct 5-6 |
72 |
23 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jul 10-11 |
54 |
36 |
10 |
|
(NA) 2001 May 18-20 |
51 |
41 |
8 |
|
(NA) 2001 Apr 20-22 ^ |
55 |
38 |
7 |
|
(NA) 2001 Mar 9-11 |
55 |
32 |
13 |
|
(NA) 2001 Feb 1-4 |
53 |
27 |
20 |
|
(NA) National Adults |
|||
|
^ Asked of half sample. |
|||
B. Foreign affairs
|
Approve |
Disapprove |
No opinion |
|
|
% |
% |
% |
|
|
(NA) 2002 Mar 1-3 |
78 |
17 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2002 Feb 4-6 |
79 |
16 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2002 Jan 25-27 |
83 |
14 |
3 |
|
(NA) 2001 Oct 5-6 |
81 |
14 |
5 |
|
(NA) 2001 Jul 10-11 |
54 |
33 |
13 |
|
(NA) 2001 May 18-20 |
55 |
35 |
10 |
|
(NA) 2001 Apr 20-22 ^ |
56 |
31 |
13 |
|
(NA) 2001 Mar 9-11 |
52 |
27 |
21 |
|
(NA) 2001 Feb 1-4 |
46 |
21 |
33 |
|
(NA) National Adults |
|||
|
^ Asked of half sample. |
|||
