As the tenth anniversary of the 2000 United States presidential election approaches, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found that a large proportion of Americans think the results did not reflect the will of the majority.

Republican Party nominee George W. Bush won the presidential election in 2000, defeating Democratic Party contender Al Gore in a ballot marred with controversy.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,013 American adults, 67 per cent of respondents who voted in the 2000 presidential election say they are confident that their vote was counted correctly at the time. However, a third of 2000 voters (33%) have little or no confidence in the way their ballot was tallied.

While 45 per cent of Americans believe the 2000 presidential election was stolen from Gore, 40 per cent disagree with this notion.

Respondents are also split on whether Ralph Nader’s 2000 presidential bid affected Gore’s chances to win the election. Thirty-five per cent of respondents say Gore would have won the presidency if Nader had abstained from running—the same proportion of respondents (35%) disagrees with this claim.

Four-in-ten Americans (41%) say that, looking back, Gore would have been a better president than Bush—including 36 per cent of Independents. Conversely, 28 per cent of respondents think the opposite, and say that Gore would have been worse than Bush.

Machines and the Electoral College

A large proportion of Americans (64%) is in favor of eliminating the concept of the Electoral College, saying that whoever gets the most votes at the national level should become the country’s president.

On the question of whether vote counting should be left to humans or machines, 32 per cent of Americans say they are more comfortable with human hands counting the ballots, whereas most people (52%) prefer the automated system.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From August 1 to August 2, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,013 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

In addition, 58 per cent of respondents think employing harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects was necessary to spare the U.S. from another terrorist attack, and 51 per cent would launch an official investigation to review whether any laws were broken in the way terrorism suspects were treated under the Bush administration.

In May 2005, a 308-page report by Amnesty International criticized the U.S. government for its handling of prisoners in several detention centres, including one at Guantanamo Bay where about 400 "enemy combatants"—most of them from Afghanistan—were being held. In January 2009, U.S. president Barack Obama ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility by January 2010.

In November 2005, the Washington Post reported on the existence of secret U.S. prisons for purported terrorism suspects located in Eastern Europe. Then U.S. president George W. Bush declared, "Anything we do to (protect the American people), any activity we conduct, is within the law. We do not torture."

In September 2006, the U.S. Congress authorized the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The legislation prevents the United States from resorting to torture in order to get information from terrorist suspects, allows these suspects to be held indefinitely without being charged with a crime, and forbids them from challenging their confinement in U.S. courts.

The 1949 Geneva Convention defines prisoners of war as members of rival armed forces captured during a conflict. Since the start of the war on terrorism in October 2001, there have been contradictory arguments after captured members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban were defined as "unlawful combatants" who were not subject to the Geneva Convention.

In April, the federal government declassified four legal opinions—written from 2002 to 2005 by Bush administration lawyers—which approve the use of harsh interrogation methods against 28 terrorism suspects.

Earlier this month, former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney said the use of "harsh interrogation techniques" during the Bush administration was "legal, essential, justified, successful, and the right thing to do."

U.S. president Barack Obama described Guantanamo as "a rallying cry for our enemies" that set back "the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries."

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from May 22 and May 24, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Complete Poll (PDF)

Bush—a Republican—served two presidential terms, from January 2001 to January 2009. His tenure was marked by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which led to the start of the war on terrorism against al-Qaeda fighters and members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

Since 2007, defaults on so-called subprime mortgages—credit given to high-risk borrowers—in the U.S. caused volatility in domestic and global financial markets and ultimately pushed the U.S. economy into a recession. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. The crisis has affected the global financial and credit systems, and triggered layoffs in companies around the world.

Last year, the federal government—then under the leadership of U.S. president George W. Bush—took control of mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other financial institutions—including Bear Stearns, Merril Lynch, Lehman Brothers, American International Group (AIG), IndyMac Bancorp and Washington Mutual—have been sold, placed under bankruptcy protection, or received emergency loans from the Federal Reserve.

In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history when he took over from Bush on Jan. 20.

In March, Bush discussed his views on the current White House dweller, saying, "I want the president to succeed. I love my country a lot more than I love politics. (…) I’m not going to spend my time criticizing [Obama]. There are plenty of critics in the arena. He deserves my silence."

Polling Data

Looking back, do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush handled his job as president?

Source: CBS News / New York Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 973 American adults, conducted from Apr. 22 to Apr. 26, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Conversely, 40 per cent of respondents rate Bush’s performance as poor or very poor, and 28 per cent believe he is the worst president the U.S. has ever had.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Bush’s tenure was marked by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which led to the start of the war on terrorism against al-Qaeda fighters and members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. On Nov. 4, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama will become the first African American president in U.S. history when he takes over from Bush on Jan. 20.

On Jan. 12, in his last press conference as president, Bush defended some of his decisions, saying, "In terms of the economy, look, I inherited a recession, I am ending on a recession. In the meantime there were 52 months of uninterrupted job growth. (…) There have been disappointments. Abu Ghraib obviously was a huge disappointment during the presidency. Not having weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq] was a significant disappointment. I don’t know if you want to call those mistakes or not, but they were—things didn’t go according to plan, let’s put it that way."

Polling Data

How would you rate George W. Bush in comparison to other presidents in U.S. history? Would you say he is the best president the U.S. has ever had, very good, good, poor, very poor, or would you say he is the worst president the U.S. has ever had?

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,013 American adults, conducted from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Bush’s tenure was marked by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which led to the start of the war on terrorism against al-Qaeda fighters and members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama will become the first African American president in U.S. history when he takes over from Bush on Jan. 20.

In his Jan. 2 radio address, Bush discussed the situation in the Middle East—where Israel has launched a series of aerial attacks against what it deems "Hamas targets" in the Gaza Strip—saying, " For the Palestinian people, we seek a peaceful and democratic Palestinian state that serves its citizens and respects its neighbours. For all in the region, we seek an end to terror. And we seek an enduring peace based on justice, dignity, and human rights for every person in every nation of the Middle East."

Polling Data

Which comes closer to your view of George W. Bush as he prepares to leave the White House?

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 515 American adults, conducted from Dec. 19 to Dec. 21, 2008. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Bush’s tenure was marked by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which led to the start of the war on terrorism against al-Qaeda fighters and members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. On Nov. 4, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama will become the first African American president in U.S. history when he takes over from Bush on Jan. 20, 2009.

On Nov. 12, Bush discussed the highlights of his tenure, saying, "I am proud to be the commander in chief of people who are so selfless and so courageous that they would volunteer to serve our country in a time of war. I’m proud when I see people feed the hungry. I’m proud when I’m in Africa and see volunteers helping those citizens dying of HIV/AIDS."

Polling Data

How do you think U.S. president George W. Bush will go down in history?

Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,489 registered American voters, conducted from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7, 2008. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.

Bush’s rating stands at 29 per cent in a study by Gallup for USA Today, 28 per cent in polls by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media for the Associated Press, and Opinion Research Corporation for CNN, 27 per cent in a survey by Hart/McInturff for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, and 24 per cent in a study by CBS News.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. The U.S. president’s approval rating has not surpassed the 40 per cent mark in a national survey since December 2006. 

On Dec. 20 in his weekly radio address, Bush discussed the future of North American automakers, saying, "Under ordinary economic circumstances, I would say this is the price that failed companies must pay—and I would not favour intervening to prevent automakers from going out of business. But these are not ordinary circumstances. In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action."

Polling Data

a) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,003 American adults, conducted from Dec. 11 to Dec. 14, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

b) Do you approve or disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing as president?

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

c) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,088 American adults, conducted from Dec. 12 to Dec. 14, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

d) Overall, please tell me whether you approve, disapprove, or neither approve nor disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president.

Source: GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Dec. 3 to Dec. 8, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

e) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,096 American adults, conducted on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

f) In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job that George W. Bush is doing as president?

Source: Hart/McInturff / Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,009 American adults, conducted from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

g) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,390 American adults, conducted from Dec. 4 to Dec. 8, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. The U.S. president’s approval rating has not surpassed the 40 per cent mark in a national survey since December 2006. 

Bush’s tenure was marked by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which led to the start of the war on terrorism against al-Qaeda fighters and members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan; and the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein in March 2003.

Since last year, defaults on so-called subprime mortgages—credit given to high-risk borrowers—have caused volatility in domestic and financial markets and raised concerns that the U.S. economy could fall into a recession.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government took control of mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other financial institutions—including Bear Stearns, Merril Lynch, Lehman Brothers, American International Group (AIG), IndyMac Bancorp and Washington Mutual—have been sold, placed under bankruptcy protection, or received emergency loans from the Federal Reserve. European banks have also been affected, several stock indexes have seen a decline, and the market value of equities and commodities has been reduced.

Yesterday in his weekly radio address, Bush discussed the economic situation, saying, "Despite the ups and downs that our markets have experienced in recent months, the American people have reason for optimism in our nation’s economic future. Throughout our history, we have seen that when Americans are given the freedom to apply their talents and imagination, prosperity and success follow closely behind. For over two centuries, that principle has allowed our economy to overcome every obstacle it has faced. And we can all be confident that it will do so again."

American voters will elect a new president, and renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 4.

Polling Data

At this point in time, do you personally wish that George W. Bush’s presidency was over, or don’t you feel this way?

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates International / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,092 registered American voters, conducted on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, 2008. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

Bush’s rating stands at 28 per cent in a study by Abt SRBI for Time, 25 per cent in polls by Opinion Dynamics for Fox News, Princeton Survey Research Associates International for Newsweek, and Gallup for USA Today, 24 per cent in a survey by Opinion Research Corporation for CNN, and 22 per cent in a poll by CBS News.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. The U.S. president’s approval rating has not surpassed the 40 per cent mark in a national survey since December 2006. 

On Oct. 11 in his weekly radio address, Bush discussed the global economic crisis, saying, "Here’s what the American people need to know: that the United States government is acting; we will continue to act to resolve this crisis and restore stability to our markets. We are a prosperous nation with immense resources and a wide range of tools at our disposal. We’re using these tools aggressively."

Polling Data

a) In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job that George W. Bush is doing as president?

Source: Hart/Newhouse / Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 658 registered American voters, conducted on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3.8 per cent.

b) In general, do you approve or disapprove of the way President Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Abt SRBI / Time
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,053 likely American voters, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

c) Do you approve or disapprove of the job George W. Bush is doing as president?

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

d) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates International / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,212 American adults, conducted on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

e) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,011 American adults, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

f) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,006 American adults, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

g) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 957 American adults, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Conversely, 38 per cent of respondents say a better strategy to stay safe is to confront the nations and groups promoting terrorism in the Middle East, down nine points in a year.

Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. In July 2004, the federal commission that investigated the events of 9/11 concluded that "none of the measures adopted by the U.S. government from 1998 to 2001 disturbed or even delayed the progress of the al-Qaeda plot" and pointed out government failures of "imagination, policy, capabilities, and management."

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. In October 2001, U.S. president George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, claiming that there would be "no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them." The conflict began after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In his January 2005 inauguration speech, U.S. president George W. Bush said: "It is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

Bush vowed to use America’s influence "confidently in freedom’s cause" and promised not to impose styles of government on other nations, saying, "Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way."

On Oct. 6, Patrick Seale, a well-known British author on the Middle East, argued that whoever becomes president of the U.S. after the November election will have to revise the current administration’s policies, saying, "What seems clear is that the ‘Bush Doctrine’—particularly the ambition to reshape the Middle East by force to make it safe for America and Israel—will be tossed into the waste bin of history."

Polling Data

Which comes closer to your view? In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it confronts the countries and groups that promote terrorism in the Middle East. Or, In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it stays out of other countries’ affairs in the Middle East.

Source: CBS News / New York Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 936 American adults, conducted from Sept. 21 to Sept. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.