(09/28/08) -

Two-Thirds in U.S. Dissatisfied with Bush

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – George W. Bush maintains poor numbers in the last year of his tenure, according to a review of five recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN, 31 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance, down two points since August.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – George W. Bush maintains poor numbers in the last year of his tenure, according to a review of five recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN, 31 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance, down two points since August.

Bush’s rating stands at 30 per cent in a study by Hart/Newhouse for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 27 per cent in a poll by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, and 26 per cent in surveys by CBS News and the New York Times, and Opinion Dynamics for Fox 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. 

Yesterday in his weekly radio address, Bush discussed the state of the economy, saying, "Under the proposal my administration sent to Congress, the government would spend up to $700 billion to buy troubled assets from banks and other financial institutions. I know many Americans understand the urgency of this action, but are concerned about such a high price tag. Well, let me address this directly: The final cost of this plan will be far less than $700 billion. And here’s why: As fear and uncertainty have gripped the market for mortgage-related assets, their price has dropped sharply. Yet many of these assets still have significant underlying value, because the vast majority of people will eventually pay off their mortgages. In other words, many of the assets the government would buy are likely to go up in price over time. This means that the government will be able to recoup much, if not all, of the original expenditure."

Polling Data

a) Do you approve or disapprove of George W. Bush’s performance as president?

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,020 American adults, conducted from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

Source: Hart/Newhouse / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,085 registered American voters, conducted from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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

Source: Bloomberg / Los Angeles Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,428 American adults, conducted from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22, 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: 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.

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

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.