Wednesday, May 10, 2006

31%

I might go out and get hammered if Bush's approval, now at 31%, drops in to the 20s. Do I hear 25% anyone?

Actually, the poll has a number of interesting questions in it.

6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?
Approve: 29%
Disapprove: 67%

16. If George W. Bush supported a candidate for political office in your area, would that make you more likely or less likely to vote for that candidate, or wouldn't it affect how you voted one way or another?
More likely support: 8%
Less: 36%

My favourite is this one:
19. Is your opinion of George W. Bush favorable, not favorable, undecided, or haven't you heard enough about George W. Bush yet to have an opinion?
Favourable: 29%
Unfavourable: 55%
Haven't heard enough: 3% <----- Who could these people possibly be?

That favourable rating is Bush's 2nd lowest since polling in 1999 - you have to go to October, 1999 to see 27%. Interestingly, the first few polls of that year show higher favourability ratings - apparently, there were a bunch of people who started to dislike Bush the more they learned about him. If only there'd been more.

Bush's unfavourable rating in this poll is the highest it's ever been. Cheney - Cheney! - has a lower unfavourable rating than Bush. (49%) Cheney also has four times as many people who haven't heard enough about him. (12%) Again, who are these people?

Unfortunately, the American people are still labouring under a number of delusions:

33. Is the price of gasoline something a president can do a lot about, or is that beyond any president's control?
Can do: 63%
Beyond control: 30%

34. Is the price of gasoline something Congress can do a lot about, or is that beyond Congress's control?
Can do: 66%
Beyond control: 26%

Well, at least 30 and 26% of respondents got it right.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I expect that if Congress and the President instituted significant gas rationing, the price would fall quite a bit. Does that count as being able to do something?

Not that it would be a good idea.