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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Four Weeks After Election, Bush Approval Stable
(ARC-CPOD) Dec. 13, 2004 - George W. Bush keeps steady ratings in the United States, according to a poll by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press. 51 per cent of respondents approve of the president's performance.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. Last month, Republican incumbent Bush earned a second term after securing 286 electoral votes from 31 states.
After Bush's re-election, nine of the 15 cabinet secretaries have announced their resignations. On Dec. 10, the president picked Samuel W. Bodman—a former official at the commerce and treasury departments—as the country's new energy secretary.
This past weekend, former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik asked the White House to withdraw his name for consideration as the country's new homeland security secretary. Kerik apparently employed an illegal immigrant and failed to pay taxes on her behalf.
The Senate must confirm the president's nominations. Bush's nine cabinet changes will mark the largest reorganization in an incumbent American federal administration since Richard Nixon's re-election in 1972. 43 per cent of respondents believe the country is on the right direction, a three per cent drop since November.
Polling Data
Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?
Dec. 2004 | Nov. 2004 | |
Approve | 51% | 51% |
Disapprove | 47% | 48% |
Mixed feelings | 2% | 1% |
Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on the wrong track?
Dec. 2004 | Nov. 2004 | |
Right direction | 43% | 46% |
Wrong track | 52% | 51% |
Not sure | 5% | 3% |
Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,000 American adults, conducted from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8, 2004. Margin of error is 3 per cent.