(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The approval rating for United States president George W. Bush remains low, according to a review of seven recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Hart/Newhouse for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 29 per cent of respondents approve of Bush’s performance.

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.

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