(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States hold negative views on George W. Bush, according to a review of six recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Gallup released by USA Today, 33 per cent of respondents approve of the way the U.S. president is handling his duties.

Bush’s rating stands at 31 per cent in a study by Hart/McInturff for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 30 per cent in a poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, 28 per cent in a survey by Opinion Dynamics for Fox News, and 25 per cent in studies by Harris Interactive and Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times.

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 chided the performance of the current U.S. Congress, saying, "This Congress has been one of the most unproductive on record. They’ve failed to address the challenge of high gas prices. Members still have time to take action on this vital priority for the American people. They need to send me a bill next month that I can sign—so we can bring relief to drivers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers, and every American affected by high prices at the pump."

Polling Data

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

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,009 American adults, conducted from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10, 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/McInturff / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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

Source: Quinnipiac University Polling Institute
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,547 likely American voters, conducted from Aug. 12 to Aug. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

d) 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 Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

e) How would you rate the job George W. Bush is doing as president—excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?

Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,015 American adults, conducted from Aug. 6 to Aug. 10, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

f) 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 1,375 American adults, conducted from Aug. 15 to Aug. 18, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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