Bush Approval Ratings "Nosedive" to Historic Low
Zogby via BBSNews 2005-11-03 -- After suffering what was perhaps the worst week of his administration, President Bush's job approval rating has nosedived to a historic low, settling at 39%, a new Zogby America survey shows.
On the heels of the withdrawal of Harriet Miers as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, the indictment of the Vice President's chief of staff, and mounting American casualties in Iraq, public approval of President Bush's leadership – which had been on the increase – suddenly reversed course. The poll, taken Oct. 29 through Nov. 2, carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Mr. Bush's rating had been on the rebound, recovering from a recent low of 41%. A Zogby poll less than two weeks ago had his job approval at 45%.
His poor rating mirrors pessimism people feel about the direction in which the nation is headed. Just 37% said things are going in the right direction, down 8% from less than two weeks ago.
Respondents were sharply divided by age in their opinion of the president. Just 18% of respondents under age 25 said they think Mr. Bush is doing a good job. 44% of those 55 to 69 approved of his overall performance, while 47% of those over age 70 gave him good marks.
A majority of respondents in every region of the country disapproved of the President's performance, but he fares worst in the Midwestern and Great Lake states, and in the West. His support was strongest in the South.
Even among his Republican base, one in four disapproved of the job the President is doing. Among conservatives, his support hovers just above 70%.
City dwellers give him very poor marks, but 46% of suburbanites and 54% of those who live in rural America approve of President Bush's work. The poll shows there is a small gender gap – 43% of men said he is doing a good job, while just 36% of women agreed.
Asked how he has done managing specific issues, respondents were most displeased with the President's leadership in keeping gasoline prices low. Just 18% said he was doing a good job, even as pump prices began to ease. One in three gave him good marks for managing foreign policy in general and, specifically, the war in Iraq. Forty-three percent said they were pleased with his leadership of the war on terrorism, the survey showed. In addition, more people than not said they felt safer with him as President.
The survey comes after widespread news coverage of the 2,000th American death in Iraq. The President's job approval rating may reflect sentiment captured in a Zogby poll taken just before the start of the war in January, 2003. In that survey, 35% said they would support the war even if there were thousands of American deaths.
Pollster John Zogby: "The 39% job performance is the lowest we have registered so far for Mr. Bush. Behind those numbers are some troubling trends for his party. He is rated positively by only 43% of men, 48% of gun owners, 44% of NASCAR fans, 46% among those who attend a place of worship weekly, 39% of Catholics, 48% of Protestants -- including just 59% among self-described 'Born Again' Protestants, 41% of armed services households, 47% of married voters, and just 72% of conservatives (his lowest yet). These are all groups that have provided strong support for him in the past. He gets only 76% of Republicans (again his lowest in our polls), with just 11% of Democrats and 28% of Independents. His support among Hispanic voters is down to 21% and only 6% among African Americans. The President has been resilient thus far, but he and his party have some significant catching up to do."
The Zogby America poll is conducted monthly for business, political, and public interest clients.
View Tables for this Zogby America poll.
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