(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - George W. Bush continues to have low numbers in the final year of his tenure, according to a review of six recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Gallup released by USA Today, 32 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance.

Bush’s rating stands at 31 per cent in a study by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Associated Press, 27 per cent in polls by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and Opinion Dynamics for Fox News, 25 per cent in a survey by CBS News, and 21 per cent in a study by American Research Group.

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 Aug. 7, Bush discussed the situation in Myanmar—where a cyclone killed an estimated 100,000 residents earlier this year—saying, "Unfortunately, the government, the military leader chose not to allow for there to be immediate help. No telling how many lives could have been saved, or how much human suffering could have been dealt with more effectively had there not been the slow response of the military dictator."

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 1,007 American adults, conducted from Jul. 25 to Jul. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

b) Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Jul. 31 to Aug. 4, 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: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,503 American adults, conducted from Jul. 23 to Jul. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 3 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 Jul. 22 and Jul. 23, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,034 American adults, conducted from Jul. 31 to Aug. 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: American Research Group
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,100 American adults, conducted from Jul. 16 to Jul. 19, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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