April 12, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - George W. Bush maintains very low numbers in the United States, according to a review of three recent public opinion polls. In surveys by CBS News and Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Associated Press, only 28 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - George W. Bush maintains very low numbers in the United States, according to a review of three recent public opinion polls. In surveys by CBS News and Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Associated Press, only 28 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance.

Bush’s rating stands at 26 per cent in a study by Harris Interactive.

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 Apr. 10, Bush discussed the war in Iraq, saying, "Iraq is the convergence point for two of the greatest threats to America in this new century—al-Qaeda and Iran. If we fail there, al-Qaeda would claim a propaganda victory of colossal proportions, and they could gain safe havens in Iraq from which to attack the United States, our friends and our allies. Iran would work to fill the vacuum in Iraq, and our failure would embolden its radical leaders and fuel their ambitions to dominate the region."

Polling Data

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

	Apr. 2	Mar. 18	Feb 24	Feb. 2
Approve	28%	29%	30%	27%
Disapprove	64%	64%	64%	65%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,368 American adults, conducted from Mar. 28 to Apr. 2, 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?

	Apr. 7	Mar. 5	Feb. 6	Jan. 9
Approve	28%	30%	30%	34%
Disapprove	68%	66%	66%	63%
Mixed feelings	3%	3%	3%	2%

Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,005 American adults, conducted from Apr. 7 to Apr. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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

	Apr. 2008	Feb. 2008	Dec. 2007	Oct. 2007
Positive	26%	28%	32%	27%
Negative	72%	69%	68%	72%

Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,018 American adults, conducted from Apr. 2 to Apr. 6, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.