Newsweek Poll - Bush approval stays at 51%
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NEWSWEEK POLL: A Majority (58%) of Americans Say the U.S. is Spending Too Much Money on Iraq
Saturday October 25, 2:08 pm ET
Voters Close to Evenly Split on Whether They'd Like to See Bush Re-Elected (46% Say Yes, 47% Say No); 40 % Say His Iraq Policy Will Make Them More Likely To Vote for Him, 38 % Say Less
Dean Overtakes Clark As Favorite For Democratic Presidential Nomination for the First Time
NEW YORK, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of President George W. Bush's securing of $87 billion for Iraq's reconstruction, a majority of Americans (58 percent) say the U.S. is spending too much on operations in postwar Iraq, according to the latest Newsweek poll; 31 percent say spending is about right. Almost half of Americans (49 percent) say they don't think the Bush administration has a well-thought-out plan to establish security and a stable government in postwar Iraq; 39 percent say it does. Despite this, the majority of those polled (59 percent) say the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, up from 56 percent in the Newsweek Poll of October 9-10, 2003; 34 percent in the current poll disagree.
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Following news of a leaked memo in which he openly questioned whether the U.S. was winning the war on terror, almost half of those polled (47 percent) say Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is providing the kind of strong leadership needed to root out terrorists and make Americans safer. Thirty-seven percent say his approach to fighting terrorism is too ideological and insensitive to the concerns of those who don't share his views to be successful.
Registered voters are close to evenly split on whether they'd like to see George W. Bush re-elected to another term as president; 46 percent say they would, 47 percent would not. Bush's approval rating remained at 51 percent, the same rating he received in the Newsweek Poll of October 9-10, 2003; his approval rating on Iraq improved slightly to 48 percent from 44 percent in the same poll. Fifty percent say Bush's Iraq policy will be very important in helping them make up their mind on whether to vote for him, 24 percent say it will be somewhat important and 11 percent say it will be the most important issue. Thirty percent say they have a lot of confidence in Bush's ability to handle the country's foreign policy (up from 26 percent in the Newsweek Poll of March 9-10, 2000); 29 percent say they have some confidence, 14 percent say they do not have much confidence. Twenty-nine percent say they have a lot of confidence in Bush's ability to handle domestic policy; 29 percent say some confidence, 16 percent say not much confidence.
On how the Bush administration's policies will affect who they vote for in next year's presidential election, 40 percent of Americans say its Iraq policy and decision to go to war will make them more likely to vote for George W. Bush next year; 38 percent say it will make them less likely to vote for him. Forty-eight percent say the amount of money the U.S. is spending to rebuild postwar Iraq will make them less likely to vote for Bush (28 percent say more likely); 55 percent say the way Bush and his administration have responded to the terrorist threat since the September 11 attacks has made them more likely to vote for Bush (26 percent say less likely); 40 percent say the current state of the economy will make them less likely to vote for Bush (31 percent say more likely); and 29 percent say Bush's tax cuts will make them more likely to vote for him (28 percent say less likely).
Looking at domestic issues that will be important in determining their vote in next year's election, 80 percent say the economy and jobs will be very important-up from 70 percent in a Newsweek Poll of October 21-22, 1999, prior to the 2000 election; 17 percent say they will be somewhat important, two percent say they will not be important. Seventy-eight percent say education will be very important (18 percent say somewhat important, three percent say not important); 75 percent say healthcare will be very important (20 percent say somewhat important, four percent say not important); 73 percent say Social Security and Medicare will be very important (20 percent say somewhat important, six percent say not important); 70 percent say terrorism and homeland security will be very important (21 percent say somewhat important, seven percent say not important); 61 percent say taxes will be very important (29 percent say somewhat important, six percent say not important); 60 percent say the decision to go to war with Iraq will be very important (20 percent say somewhat important, 16 percent say not important).
If the next general election were held now with Bush as the Republican candidate and retired General Wesley Clark as the Democratic candidate, 43 percent would vote for or lean towards Clark, while 49 percent would vote for or lean towards Bush; an increase of two percentage points for Bush over Clark from the Newsweek poll of October 9-10, 2003, when 47 percent would vote for Bush and 43 percent for Clark, a statistical dead-heat. A matchup between Bush and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean would see the same result: 49 to 43 percent, a narrower margin (six percent) than in the last Newsweek Poll when Bush led Dean by nine percent. By comparison, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry trails Bush by 42 v. 50 percent, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman trails Bush by 43 v. 50 and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt trails Bush by 42 v. 51 percent, the poll shows.
Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, Dean has overtaken Clark as favorite for the party's presidential nomination for the first time since Clark entered the race, with 15 percent. Close behind, 12 percent favor Clark, while Kerry, Gephardt and the Rev. Al Sharpton are tied at eight percent each.
Fifty-six percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the Democratic presidential candidates' views on whether to go to war with Iraq and Iraq policy today will be one of several important issues in deciding who they support for the party's presidential nomination; 13 percent say it will be the single most important issue and 22 percent say only somewhat important. Almost half (44 percent) say the Democratic party's next presidential candidate should be someone who has been a strong critic of the war and Bush's Iraq policy; 32 percent say it doesn't make much difference either way.
On the Iraq reconstruction effort, only 15 percent of respondents say U.S. efforts to establish security and rebuild Iraq have gone very well since major combat ended; 37 percent say it has gone somewhat well; 26 percent say not too well and 18 percent say not at all well. A majority (56 percent) says the U.S. should reduce the number of military personnel in Iraq and begin bringing troops home; 23 percent say the U.S. should keep the same amount and 12 percent say the U.S. should send more troops to Iraq.
Half of Americans (50 percent) think the Bush administration misanalyzed or misinterpreted reports that indicated Iraq had banned weapons: 39 percent disagree. Forty-two percent say the administration purposely misled the public about evidence of banned weapons: 49 percent disagree.
For this Newsweek poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates interviewed 1,007 adults aged 18 and older on October 23-24, 2003. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points. This poll is part of the November 3 issue of Newsweek (on Newsstands Monday, October 27).
(Read Newsweek's news releases at www. Newsweek.MSNBC.com. Click "Pressroom.") |
