October 14, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public backing for United States president George W. Bush remains low in the United States, according to a review of three recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News, 35 per cent of respondents approve of the way the American president is handling his job, up one point since late September.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public backing for United States president George W. Bush remains low in the United States, according to a review of three recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News, 35 per cent of respondents approve of the way the American president is handling his job, up one point since late September.

In a study by Gallup released by USA Today, 32 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance. Only 27 per cent of respondents to a poll by Harris Interactive rate Bush’s job in a positive light.

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 global commerce, saying, "I know many Americans feel uneasy about new competition and worry that trade will cost jobs. So the federal government is providing substantial funding for trade adjustment assistance that helps Americans make the transition from one job to the next. We are working to improve federal job-training programs. And we are providing strong support for America’s community colleges, where people of any age can go to learn new skills for a better, high-paying career."

Polling Data

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

	Oct. 10	Sept. 26	Sept. 12	Aug. 22
Approve	35%	34%	37%	33%
Disapprove	56%	58%	58%	56%

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Oct. 7	Sept. 8	Aug. 16	Aug. 5
Approve	32%	33%	32%	34%
Disapprove	64%	62%	63%	62%

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,010 American adults, conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Oct. 2007	Sept. 2007	Jul. 2007	Apr. 2007
Positive	27%	31%	26%	28%
Negative	72%	67%	73%	70%

Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,003 American adults, conducted from Oct. 5 to Oct. 9, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.