April 11, 2005
Washington, DC - The latest Associated Press poll finds support for President Bush's domestic agenda slipping, with overall Congressional and Presidential approval dropping as well. This poll, conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for The Associated Press, indicates that a majority of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy, domestic issues, and Social Security; the public is divided on his handling of foreign policy and terrorism, and attitudes regarding Bush's handling of the situation in Iraq remain ambivalent.
Approval Softening On Domestic Agenda
A solid majority (58%) of American adults now disapprove of Bush's handling of domestic issues like health care, education, the environment and energy. Fewer than four-in-ten (38%) approve of the President's domestic performance - and only 15% of Americans strongly approve of Bush's domestic actions. This represents the lowest level of approval on domestic affairs in more than a year (one year ago, 43% approved, 53% disapproved). In addition, Americans who strongly approve of Bush's domestic policy are outnumbered by more than a two-to-one margin (15% strongly approve, 36% strongly disapprove).
Approval of Bush's handling of domestic issues is weakest among young adults age 18-29 (31% total approve), women age 18-44 (31%), residents of the Northeast (32%), urban residents (30%), and individuals with household income under $25K (26%). Support for the President's handling of domestic issues is strongest among men age 45 or older (43% total approve), residents of the South (46%), rural residents (44%), and individuals with household income of $75K or more (46%). Partisan divisions continue to characterize domestic issues, with nearly three-quarters (72%) of Republicans approving of the President and fewer than one-in-five (15%) Democrats and just over one quarter (28%) of political Independent supporting Bush's domestic job performance.
In addition, Bush's approval on handling of the economy dipped significantly over the last month, with only 42% of American adults approving of the President's economic stewardship (47% approved in a March 2005 AP/Ipsos poll). Social Security continues to be an area of concern, despite President Bush's efforts to educate the public about his reform plans for individual accounts. Only 36% of adults approve of Bush's handling of Social Security - a figure that has remained relatively steady since February 2005 (when approval was 39%). However, strong opposition appears to be solidifying - adults who strongly disapprove of the President's handling of Social Security outnumber those strongly approving by almost a three-to-one margin (40% strongly disapprove, 15% strongly approve).
Young adults (65%), non-whites (63%), residents of the Northeast (61%) and Midwest (60%), and individuals with household income under $25K (61%) are especially likely to disapprove of President Bush's performance on the economy. Women over the age of 45 (63%), non-whites (68%), and people without investments (63%) are among the strongest critics of Bush's handling of Social Security.
Majority Say U.S. Off On The Wrong Track, Presidential And Congressional Approval Suffer
A majority of American adults (56%) say the country is headed off on the wrong track, and only four-in-ten (38%) feel that the U.S. is headed in the right direction. This continues to largely be a political issue, with 71% of Republicans reporting that things are heading in the right direction, while majorities of Democrats and Independents (80% Democrat, 63% Independent) say things are off on the wrong track. In addition to the generally negative view of the direction of the country, American adults are becoming more negative in their assessment of how well the President and Congress are doing their jobs.
Overall Presidential approval currently rests at 44%, with a majority of adults (54%) reporting they disapprove of Bush's job performance. This represents a significant change from a March AP/Ipsos poll, which found the American public evenly divided (48% approve, 50% disapprove). Young adults are among the most negative - nearly seven-in-ten (66%) adults age 18-29 disapprove of the President's job performance, an increase of ten points from last month, when disapproval among this age group was 56%. Other subgroups more likely to express dissatisfaction with Bush's overall performance include non-whites (72% total disapprove), residents of Western states (62%), urban dwellers (63%) and those who feel the country is headed off on the wrong track (84%).
Approval of Congress' job performance also dropped in the April AP/Ipsos poll, with a solid majority of adults (58%) now disapproving of the job Congress is doing. Only 37% of Americans now approve of the way Congress is handling its job. The strongest proponents of Congress include younger men age 18-44 (46% approve), and members of Generation Next (born in 1975 or later, 46% total approve). Congress' greatest detractors include individuals age 50-64 (68% total disapprove), Northeastern residents (65%), people who feel the country is off on the wrong track (73%), and members of the baby boom generation (63%).
Foreign Policy Approval Stronger, But Americans Are Split
Approval of President Bush's handling of foreign policy issues and the war on terrorism continues to be Bush's area of strength, but the April 2005 AP/Ipsos poll finds Americans' now divided. Compared to a March 2005 AP/Ipsos poll, when a slim majority approved of Bush's foreign policy (52% approve, 46% disapprove), currently American adults are equally split, with 49% both approving and disapproving. On the topic of foreign policy, Bush's greatest advocates include men (54% total approve), those age 50 or older (55%), residents of the South (58%), and rural residents (59%). The subgroups most critical of Bush's handling of foreign policy and the war on terrorism include women (54% total disapprove), young adults age 18-29 (56%), non-whites (61%), residents of the Midwest (55%), and urban dwellers (54%).
Bush's handling of the situation in Iraq remains relatively stable, although some signs of increasing opposition are evident. Four-in-ten (43%) Americans approve of the President's handling of Iraq, while 56% disapprove. However, the net gap between approval and disapproval has widened over the last month. In a March 2005 AP/Ipsos poll, the net gap on Iraq was -8 (disapproval 8 points higher than approval); in the April 2005 AP/Ipsos poll, this gap has widened to -13. Additionally, those who strongly disapprove of the President's Iraq policy now outnumber those who strongly approve by nearly a two-to-one margin (39% strongly disapprove, 22% strongly approve).