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Washington Post Poll: Government and Politics February 23, 2002 The latest Washington Post poll is based on telephone interviews with 756 randomly selected adults nationwide and was conducted Feb. 19 - 21. The margin of sampling error for overall results is plus or minus 4 percentage points. Sampling error is only one of many potential sources of error in this or any other public opinion poll. Interviewing was conducted by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa. *= less than 0.5 percent 1. Do you think things in this country are generally going in the right direction or do you feel things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong track? Right Wrong No
Direction Track opin.
2/21/02 54 42 4
2/14/99 55 41 4
11/1/98 55 43 2
11/1/98 LV 55 44 1
8/21/98 57 40 4
7/12/98 50 45 6
4/4/98 55 41 4
1/31/98 61 34 5
1/30/98 61 34 5
1/19/98 44 50 6
8/27/97 39 57 4
6/8/97 37 60 3
3/9/97 34 62 4
10/17/96 RV 40 55 5
10/16/96 RV 42 53 5
10/15/96 RV 43 52 5
10/14/96 RV 44 51 5
10/13/96 RV 44 51 5
9/04/96 RV 40 54 6
8/21/96 28 67 5
6/30/96 26 70 5
3/17/96 27 7 3
1/21/96 27 66 6
1/3/96 21 77 3
4/5/95 23 73 3
1/4/95 27 68 6
10/31/94 27 69 4
7/20/94 26 70 4
3/27/94 28 69 3
1/23/94 31 60 10
11/14/93 25 69 6
8/8/93 26 71 3
6/20/93 26 71 3
4/26/93 27 71 2
3/11/93 36 57 7
2/28/93 37 59 4
1/17/93 31 63 6
12/14/92 35 60 5
10/27/92 RV 22 76 2
10/4/92 RV 18 78 4
6/7/92 14 83 3
4/9/92 16 81 3
3/11/92 18 79 4
1/15/92 19 78 3
11/10/91 24 72 4
10/29/91 26 71 3
8/27/91 31 60 9
7/28/91 30 67 3
6/2/91 39 57 4
4/9/91 42 51 7
2/26/91 58 39 3
1/27/91 49 48 4
10/14/90 19 79 2
9/9/90 36 60 4
8/20/90 35 60 5
7/24/90 37 60 2
5/21/90 39 60 2
3/26/90 44 53 2
2/4/90 49 48 3
1/16/90 48 49 3
5/23/89 42 55 3
3/16/89 46 52 2
1/16/89 LV 51 46 3
10/25/88 RV 49 46 6
9/27/88 48 44 8
7/11/88 40 56 4
5/25/88 35 59 6
3/21/88 40 56 4
1/23/88 39 59 2
12/13/87 49 47 4
12/2/87 35 61 4
9/23/87 43 54 4
6/29/87 35 62 3
4/13/87 37 60 3
3/9/87 38 58 4
1/18/87 39 56 5
9/8/86 50 48 2
1/26/86 45 47 8
7/29/85 52 43 6
1/16/85 59 36 4
5/22/84 47 48 5
12/13/83 43 51 6
11/7/83 51 44 5
4/12/83 41 54 4
3/2/83 43 53 3
1/25/83 58 39 3
1/25/83 43 52 4
10/11/82 35 57 8
1/30/82 39 56 5
2/80 20 70 10
2/78 34 53 13
2/77 41 44 14
10/75 19 71 9
10/74 15 75 11
10/73 16 74 10
2. I am going to mention four phrases and ask you which one best describes how you feel about the way the federal government works. Do you feel enthusiastic, satisfied but not enthusiastic, dissatisfied but not angry, or angry? ------Positive-------- ------Negative------
Pos. Enthusi- Satis- Neg. Dissat- None/ No
Net astic fied Net isfied Angry Other opin.
2/21/02 56 7 49 43 36 7 NA 1
12/15/00 59 4 55 39 34 6 NA 1
2/14/99 52 3 48 47 35 12 NA 1
9/28/98 50 4 46 49 36 12 NA 1
9/28/98LV 48 4 44 50 37 14 NA 1
1/19/98 46 2 43 53 45 8 1 *
8/27/97 34 2 33 64 52 11 2 1
3/17/96 29 2 27 70 54 16 NA *
1/4/95 29 2 27 69 53 16 * 1
11/6/94 Reg. 28 2 26 70 49 21 1 1
10/31/94 26 1 25 73 55 18 1 1
10/23/94 28 1 26 71 52 20 * *
10/9/94 25 2 24 72 53 19 2 *
9/11/94 26 2 25 73 53 20 NA *
3/27/94 30 1 29 68 48 20 1 1
2/28/93 33 4 29 66 50 16 * *
7/8/92 23 1 22 76 53 23 * 1
6/7/92 21 1 20 79 58 21 * 1
4/9/92 21 1 20 79 55 24 1 *
3/18/92 22 1 21 77 54 23 1 *
3/11/92 18 1 17 80 60 20 1 1
3. Do you feel Bush and the Democratic leaders in Congress are making good progress on solving the nation's problems or not? Yes, No, not No
making progress making progress opinion
2/21/02 55 42 3
2/4/90 43 55 2
4/3/89 44 51 4
4. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the U.S. Congress is doing its job? Approve Disapprove No opinion 2/21/02 57 39 4 1/27/02 58 35 7 12/19/01 59 34 7 9/9/01 45 48 7 7/30/01 48 48 4 4/22/01 58 33 8 10/31/99 42 53 6 9/2/99 46 47 7 6/6/99 48 46 6 3/14/99 44 49 7 2/14/99 46 50 4 12/20/98 44 51 5 12/19/98 45 50 5 12/13/98 49 46 5 11/7/98 41 55 4 11/1/98 49 47 5 11/1/98 LV 47 51 2 10/25/98 45 44 11 10/25/98 LV 45 48 7 10/18/98 46 45 8 10/18/98 LV 45 49 5 9/28/98 52 44 4 9/28/98 LV 52 46 2 8/21/98 55 39 6 7/12/98 46 44 11 5/12/98 45 45 9 4/4/98 47 45 8 1/31/98 55 35 10 1/30/98 55 35 10 1/25/98 56 37 8 1/24/98 55 38 7 1/19/98 47 49 5 10/13/97 36 57 7 8/27/97 39 54 7 7/8/97 40 53 6 4/24/97 40 53 7 3/9/97 35 60 5 8/5/96 42 52 7 6/30/96 35 58 7 5/22/96 35 60 5 3/10/96 30 64 6 1/7/96 31 65 5 11/19/95 27 68 5 10/1/95 32 65 3 7/17/95 34 63 3 3/19/95 39 56 5 1/29/95 42 52 6 10/31/94 21 72 8 10/23/94 18 78 4 9/11/94 24 70 5 6/26/94 34 61 5 3/27/94 35 62 3 2/27/94 32 64 4 1/23/94 29 60 11 11/14/93 28 66 6 8/8/93 33 64 3 4/26/93 30 69 2 1/17/93 29 66 6 4/9/92 17 78 5 3/18/92 19 76 5 3/8/92 22 73 6 2/2/92 32 64 4 12/15/91 35 59 6 10/21/91 45 50 5 6/2/91 49 46 5 10/14/90 34 63 3 2/4/90 41 55 4 1/16/90 39 55 6 8/21/89 42 53 5 5/23/89 54 44 2 2/14/89 53 44 3 1/23/88* 43 53 4 6/1/87* 56 40 4 6/22/85* 54 37 9 5/83* 33 43 24 6/81* 38 40 22 6/79* 19 61 20 9/78* 29 49 22 6/77* 34 42 24 6/75* 29 54 17 8/74* 48 35 17 *Gallup 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way your own representative to the U.S. House of Representatives is handling his or her job? Approve Disapprove No opinion 2/21/02 66 24 10 10/31/99 65 26 9 2/14/99 70 21 9 11/1/98 72 20 8 11/1/98LV 73 23 5 10/18/98 68 20 11 10/18/98LV 67 25 9 9/28/98 70 21 10 9/28/98LV 71 23 6 7/12/98 70 18 12 1/19/98 74 19 7 4/5/95 65 25 9 10/31/94 51 38 11 10/23/94 49 43 8 9/11/94 53 35 12 6/26/94 59 31 10 3/27/94 62 26 12 1/17/93 60 29 11 4/9/92 47 39 13 3/18/92 49 40 11 2/2/92 56 32 12 12/15/91 60 28 12 10/21/91 64 27 9 6/2/91 61 26 14 10/14/90 64 29 7 5/23/89 71 18 11 6. On another subject, would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good, or poor? ----Excellent/Good----- -----Not so good/Poor----- No
NET Excellent Good NET Not so good Poor op.
2/21/02 30 1 29 69 51 18 *
1/27/02 31 1 29 69 50 19 *
9/20/01 38 3 35 60 47 14 2
9/9/01 33 1 32 66 47 19 *
7/30/01 50 3 46 50 39 12 *
4/22/01 50 3 47 50 40 9 *
1/15/01 70 10 59 29 24 6 1
10/27/00 LV 86 24 61 14 11 3 *
10/26/00 LV 86 24 61 14 11 3 *
6/11/00 74 17 57 26 19 6 *
2/27/00 80 25 55 20 14 5 *
10/31/99 74 18 56 26 18 7 1
9/2/99 76 19 57 23 16 6 1
3/14/99 80 22 58 19 15 4 1
11/1/98 73 12 61 26 21 5 1
11/1/98 LV 78 13 65 22 19 3 *
10/13/97 61 12 49 39 27 11 *
Call for full trend.
***IF Q6=EXCELLENT/GOOD, INSERT "CREDIT". IF Q6=NOT SO GOOD/POOR, INSERT "BLAME"*** Would you say (INSERT ITEM) deserves a great deal of CREDIT, a fair amount, a little, or none? 2/21/02 ******Great/Fair****** *****Little/None****** No
NET Great Fair NET Little None opin
a. President Bush 78 30 48 22 16 6 0
b. The Republicans 71 13 58 28 26 2 1
in Congress
c. The Democrats 62 12 49 38 28 10 1
in Congress
d. Normal changes in 84 26 59 14 11 3 2
the business cycle
e. The events of 82 45 37 16 12 4 1
September 11
f. Former President 47 16 31 52 28 24 *
Clinton
***IF Q6=EXCELLENT/GOOD, INSERT "CREDIT". IF Q6=NOT SO GOOD/POOR, INSERT "BLAME"*** Would you say (INSERT ITEM) deserves a great deal of BLAME, a fair amount, a little, or none? 2/21/02 ******Great/Fair****** *****Little/None****** No
NET Great Fair NET Little None opin
a. President Bush 47 15 32 53 30 23 *
b. The Republicans 62 19 43 35 26 8 3
in Congress
c. The Democrats 58 13 45 38 28 11 3
in Congress
d. Normal changes in 68 22 45 29 25 4 3
the business cycle
e. The events of 69 38 31 30 20 10 1
September 11
f. Former President 49 24 25 50 26 24 1
Clinton
8. Right now, are you inclined to vote to re-elect your representative in Congress in the next election or are you inclined to look around for someone else to vote for? Re-elect Look around Depends (vol.) No opin. 2/21/02 40 48 7 6 10/31/99 41 47 8 3 9/28/98 44 46 NA 10 9/28/98 LV 52 42 NA 6 7/12/98 42 44 5 10 1/19/98 47 41 7 4 8/27/97 34 52 9 5 11/6/94 RV 37 47 7 8 10/31/94 35 56 2 7 10/23/94 32 58 4 6 9/11/94 36 53 4 7 6/26/94 35 54 6 5 3/27/94 32 56 6 7 1/23/94 32 46 10 12 11/14/93 38 52 5 5 7/8/92 34 54 3 9 6/7/92 36 53 4 7 4/9/92 33 56 3 8 3/11/92 36 54 3 7 2/2/92 38 51 4 7 10/21/91 31 55 7 6 6/2/91 37 49 5 9 11/4/90 LV 41 50 NA 8 10/14/90 36 57 NA 7 5/21/90 43 50 3 3 5/23/89 45 44 4 6 9. I'd like you to rate the chances that you will vote in the next election for Congress - are you absolutely certain to vote, will you probably vote, or are the chances 50-50 or less that you will vote? Absolutely Probably Chances 50-50 No
certain to vote Vote Or less opinion
2/21/02 61 19 20 *
2/14/99 64 17 19 1
11/1/98 57 14 28 *
11/1/98 LV 100 0 0 0
10/25/98 57 15 27 1
10/25/98 LV 100 0 0 0
10/18/98 55 19 25 1
10/18/98 LV 100 0 0 0
9/28/98 63 18 18 1
9/29/98 LV 100 0 0 0
07/12/98 61 20 19 *
1/19/98 63 17 20 *
10. Just your best guess: Do you think the candidates for Congress this year will spend more time, less time or about the same amount of time than in past elections: More Less Same No opin. a. Talking about the important issues 35 12 52 1 b. Engaging in negative campaigning 26 20 53 2 and attacking their opponents 11. Based on what you know or have heard, is the following statement true, false, or aren't you sure? Congress passed an education reform bill this year and President Bush has signed it into law. True False Don't know 2/21/02 44 16 40 12. Can you tell me the name of the current Secretary of Defense? (open-ended question) Rumsfeld Powell Ashcroft Others Don't Know 2/21/02 34 18 2 3 43 13. How closely have you been following news about (INSERT ITEM). Would you say you have been following very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not closely at all? How about news about (NEXT ITEM) . . . --------Closely-------- ------Not Closely------- No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too At all op.
a. The war in Afghanistan 82 35 46 18 13 5 *
b. Possible new terrorist 78 36 42 21 14 8 *
threats against the
United States
c. The collapse of Enron, 64 23 41 35 20 15 1
the Texas energy company
d. The Olympics 57 22 35 43 22 20 *
e. Debates in Washington 38 11 27 61 29 32 1
about an economic
stimulus package
f. The upcoming Congressional 35 9 26 65 34 31 *
elections in your state
g. Debates in Washington 37 9 28 63 32 30 *
about campaign finance
reform
14. Would you say the events of September 11 have made you more interested in politics and political news, or less interested in politics and political news, or haven't they made a difference? More Less No diff. No opin. 2/21/02 46 4 50 1 (ASKED IF "MORE INTERESTED" AT Q14) News on All Both No
war news (vol.) opin.
2/21/02 39 57 4 *
14/15 NET.
-------------MORE------------
NET War All Both No op. Less No diff. No opin.
2/21/02 46 18 26 2 * 4 50 1
16. Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statement: Somehow after September 11, partisan politics doesn't seem as important as it used to. Agree Disagree No opin. 2/21/02 56 40 3 17. Would you favor or oppose having U.S. forces take military action against Iraq to force Saddam Hussein from power? ----------Favor---------- ----------Oppose---------- No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Strongly Somewhat opin.
2/21/02 67 46 21 30 12 18 4
1/27/02 71 NA NA 24 NA NA 4
12/19/01 72 NA NA 24 NA NA 5
11/27/01 78 NA NA 17 NA NA 6
10/11/94* 72 NA NA 23 NA NA 5
1/15/93** 82 NA NA 15 NA NA 3
8/21/92 RV 65 NA NA 30 NA NA 5
2/9/92 62 NA NA 35 NA NA 3
4/22/91 51 NA NA 43 NA NA 6
4/5/91 54 NA NA 37 NA NA 9
3/15/91 57 NA NA 38 NA NA 5
*10/11/94 and previous: Gallup 18/19. Now I have a question about Enron, the big energy company that went bankrupt late last year, and whose executives have been testifying before Congress recently. Who do you think bears more responsibility for the Enron situation: (the Democrats), (the Republicans), both parties, or neither party? (IF Democrats/Republicans/ Both/ Neither) Do you feel that way strongly, or not so strongly? ------DEM----- ------REP----- -----BOTH---- ----NEITHER---- No
NET Str. Not NET Str. Not NET Str. Not NET Str. Not opin.
2/21/02 3 2 1 12 8 3 32 22 10 44 29 15 9
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