December 17, 2006

Abstract: (ARGM) - Public support for George W. Bush remains sluggish in the United States, according to a review of ten recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, 42 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance.

(ARGM) - Public support for George W. Bush remains sluggish in the United States, according to a review of ten recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, 42 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance.

A study by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies for National Public Radio gave Bush a 40 per cent approval rating. In the remaining eight polls, the American president did not clear the 40 per cent mark.

Bush's approval rating stands at 38 per cent in a Gallup survey for USA Today, 36 per cent in a TNS study released by the Washington Post and ABC News, 34 per cent in a Hart/McInturff poll for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, and 33 per cent in a survey by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Associated Press.

The lowest numbers for the president are 32 per cent in studies by Princeton Survey Research Associates for Newsweek and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 31 per cent in a poll by CBS News, and 30 per cent in a survey by Zogby International. In all, public support for the president improved in just three of the ten studies.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Yesterday in his weekly radio address, Bush discussed his fiscal policies, saying, "Republicans and Democrats alike have an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to spending restraint and good government by making earmark reform a top priority for the next Congress. When it comes to spending your money, you expect us to rise above party labels. By working together to cut down on earmarks, we can show the American people that we can be fiscally responsible with their money and that we can come together in Washington to get results."

Polling Data

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

	Dec. 11	Sept. 19	Aug. 1	Jun. 27
Approve	42%	45%	40%	41%
Disapprove	56%	52%	58%	56%

Source: Bloomberg / Los Angeles Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,489 American adults, conducted from Dec. 8 to Dec. 11, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Dec. 2006	Mar. 2006	Dec. 2005
Approve	40%	39%	44%
Disapprove	57%	58%	54%

Source: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research / Public Opinion Strategies / National Public Radio
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 800 likely American voters, conducted from Dec. 7 to Dec. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.

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

	Dec. 10	Nov. 12	Oct. 22	Oct. 12
Approve	38%	33%	37%	37%
Disapprove	59%	62%	58%	57%

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,009 American adults, conducted from Dec. 8 to Dec. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Dec. 11	Oct. 22	Oct. 8	Sept. 7
Approve	36%	40%	39%	42%
Disapprove	62%	58%	60%	55%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,005 American adults, conducted from Dec. 7 to Dec. 11, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Dec. 11	Oct. 30	Oct. 16	Oct. 2
Approve	34%	39%	38%	39%
Disapprove	61%	57%	57%	56%

Source: Hart/McInturff / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,006 American adults, conducted from Dec. 8 to Dec. 11, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

f) Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

	Dec. 6	Nov. 15	Oct. 25	Oct. 4
Approve	33%	36%	38%	38%
Disapprove	64%	62%	61%	59%
Mixed feelings	4%	1%	1%	2%

Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6, 2006. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.

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

	Dec. 7	Nov. 10	Oct. 27	Oct. 20
Approve	32%	31%	37%	35%
Disapprove	60%	63%	53%	57%

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Newsweek
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted on Dec. 6 and Dec. 7, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

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

	Dec. 2006	Nov. 2006	Oct. 2006	Sept. 2006
Approve	32%	32%	37%	37%
Disapprove	57%	58%	53%	53%

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,502 American adults, conducted from Dec. 6 to Dec. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Dec. 10	Nov. 13	Oct. 31	Oct. 8
Approve	31%	34%	34%	34%
Disapprove	63%	61%	58%	60%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 922 American adults, conducted from Dec. 8 to Dec. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

j) Overall, how would you rate president George W. Bush's performance on the job?

	Dec. 8	Oct. 12	Sept. 25	Sept. 14
Positive	30%	37%	42%	39%
Negative	70%	63%	58%	61%

Source: Zogby International
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 982 likely American voters, conducted from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8, 2006. Margin of error is 3.2 per cent.