Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- New Zealand Election 2008
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Stem Cell Research
- Stephen Harper
- Terrorism
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Democrats
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Republicans
- U.S. Election 2008: The Primaries
- Vladimir Putin
- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Bush Approval Gains Four Points in U.S.
Credit:The White House
George W. Bush
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - George W. Bush registered his first improvement in public support in four weeks, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 49 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance, a four per cent increase since late June.
Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. Last week at the G-8 summit in Perthshire, Scotland, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States agreed to double humanitarian assistance to Africa to $50 billion U.S. by 2010. There was no consensus on a proposal to commit 0.7 per cent of each nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to promote economic development in poor countries by 2015. The G-8 also promised to implement a "new dialogue" on climate change, deeming the issue a "serious long-term challenge" for the planet.
Yesterday, Bush discussed the pending nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying, "When I finally make a decision, it's going to be one based upon a lot of research and a lot of thought about the character of the person, the integrity of the person, the ability of the person to do the job, and the philosophy of the person. (...) I'll pick people who will interpret the Constitution while on the bench, but not use the bench to legislate."
In the U.S., Supreme Court justices are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by a majority vote in the Senate. On Jul. 1, Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the tribunal. O'Connor will step down as soon as the president's nominee is ratified by the upper house.
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove of how George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
Jul. 10 | Jun. 26 | Jun. 19 | Jun. 8 | |
Approve | 49% | 45% | 47% | 47% |
Disapprove | 48% | 53% | 51% | 48% |
Source: Gallup / CNN / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,006 American adults, conducted from Jul. 7 to Jul. 10, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.