March 09, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - George W. Bush maintains low numbers in the final year of his presidency, according to a review of four recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, 34 per cent of respondents approve of their head of state’s performance.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - George W. Bush maintains low numbers in the final year of his presidency, according to a review of four recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, 34 per cent of respondents approve of their head of state’s performance.

Bush’s rating stands at 33 per cent in a study by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 32 per cent in a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News, and 30 per cent in a survey by Ipsos-Public Affairs released by the Associated Press.

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 Mar. 7, Bush discussed the current state of affairs in Cuba, saying, "A few weeks ago reports of the supposed retirement of Cuba’s dictator initially led many to believe that the time had finally come for the United States to change our policy on Cuba and improve our relations with the regime. That sentiment is exactly backward. To improve relations, what needs to change is not the United States; what needs to change is Cuba. Cuba’s government must begin a process as peaceful democratic change. They must release all political prisoners. They must have respect for human rights in word and deed, and pave the way for free and fair elections."

Polling Data

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

	Feb. 25	Dec. 3	Oct. 22	Jun. 10
Approve	34%	33%	35%	34%
Disapprove	62%	61%	60%	62%

Source: Bloomberg / Los Angeles Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,246 registered American voters, conducted from Feb. 21 to Feb. 25, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Feb. 2008	Jan. 2008	Dec. 2007	Nov. 2007
Approve	33%	31%	31%	30%
Disapprove	59%	59%	60%	59%

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,508 American adults, conducted from Feb. 20 to Feb. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

c) Do you approve or disapprove of George W. Bush’s performance as president?

	Mar. 2	Feb. 1	Jan. 12	Dec. 9
Approve	32%	33%	32%	33%
Disapprove	66%	65%	66%	64%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,126 American adults, conducted from Feb. 28 to Mar. 2, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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

	Mar. 5	Feb. 6	Jan. 9	Dec. 5
Approve	30%	30%	34%	36%
Disapprove	66%	66%	63%	61%
Mixed feelings	3%	3%	2%	1%

Source: Ipsos-Public Affairs / Associated Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,013 American adults, conducted from Mar. 3 to Mar. 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.