Poll: Social Security plan support drops
Tue Mar 1, 8:11 AM ET Top Stories - USATODAY.com
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY
Only one in three Americans approve of President Bush (news - web sites)'s handling of Social Security (news - web sites), his lowest rating on the issue since he took office.
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll conducted Friday-Sunday found that 35% approved of Bush's Social Security record, 56% disapproved and 9% had no opinion. That was down from three weeks ago, when 43% approved. In March 2001, just after he took office, 49% approved. (Related: Poll results)
The poll included several pieces of bad news for Bush on the issue, which he has made his top priority this year. The president traveled to eight states in February to make the case for an overhaul.
Bush is calling for action by Congress to shore up the system, which he says will go "bankrupt" in 2042 without changes. As part of the overhaul, he wants to let workers divert part of their Social Security payroll taxes into private accounts that could be invested in stocks.
To date, Bush has no support among Democrats in Congress. Many Republicans such as Florida's Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (news, bio, voting record), who represents a quarter-million Social Security recipients, are on the fence. (Related stories: Dems say Social Security agency growing partisan | Black groups hesitant)
The poll showed that Democrats have made headway in their opposition to Bush. In early January, Americans divided evenly when asked whether Social Security needs major changes in the next year or two. Now 59% say it doesn't need to be changed right away.
Americans are more evenly split over which is riskier: relying on Social Security to keep current benefits flowing or investing some payroll taxes in the market. Half said relying on the system's promises is less risky, while 46% said investing is preferable.
The poll showed higher public approval for AARP, the 35-million-member retiree organization that is leading the opposition to Bush's plan, than for the president. Bush's favorable rating was 56%, compared with 75% for AARP. And 47% of Americans said they trust the Democrats more to deal with the issue of Social Security, a 10-point advantage over Republicans.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Bush is just beginning to educate the public. "The first stage of the debate is whether there is a problem and whether we fix that problem. More and more people are coming around to his point of view," Duffy said. |
