Siena
Research Institute
Siena
College, Loudonville, NY
For Immediate
Release: Thursday, January 8, 2003
The
Siena New York Poll for December: Approval Ratings, President and
Congress
Bush Approval Leaps 11 Points to 48%; Disapproval Down to 45%
President’s
Highest Approval is for War on Terrorism (55%);
Lowest
is for Handling the Economy (39%)
Congress’
Approval Up a Point to 35%; Disapproval Down 1 Point to 47%
View the Microsoft Word version Crosstabs
Loudonville, NY – After falling 17 points in seven months, President Bush’s overall approval rating shot up 11 points in December to 48%, according to the latest Siena New York Poll from the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI). Congress’ approval rating went up one point to 35%.
The
President’s approval increased across the board, by leaps and bounds:
· Up 14 points among higher income (to 52%) and younger New Yorkers (to 50%);
· Up 13 points in New York City (to 40%) and among men (to 50%) and Independents/others (to 47%)
· Up 10 points outside New York City (to 55%) and among women (to 46%)
· Up 8 points among Republicans (to 82%) and up 7 points among lower income (to 43%)
· Up 5 points among older New Yorkers (to 43%) and Democrats (to 26%)
The President’s 48% overall
approval rating is 4 points below his December 2002 approval of 52%, and 2 points
above his 46% approval rating average for the year. The President’s approval
was highest among Republicans (82%) and lowest among Democrats (26%). His disapproval
rating went down 10 points to 45%.
The Siena New York Poll
Approval Ratings, December 2003 – Siena Research Institute
Do you approve or disapprove of the way * is
handling his/her job as ______?
|
||||||
|
|
Approval |
Chng |
Disapproval |
Chng |
Don’t Know No Opinion |
Chng |
|
*President
Bush |
48% |
+11 pts. |
45% |
-10 pts. |
7% |
-2 pts. |
|
*U.S.
Congress |
35% |
+1 pt. |
47% |
-1 pt. |
18% |
no chng |
|
SRI approval ratings are obtained by polling throughout an entire month with random telephone calls to 600+ New Yorkers over the age of 18. The presidential approval rating is based on responses to a single question: “Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as President?” In December, SRI added three more presidential approval questions. The President’s best marks are for his handling of the war on terrorism (55% approve, 38% disapprove), followed by his overall approval: (48% approve, 45% disapprove). His approval falls below his disapproval on the topic of his handling of the economy (39% approve, 51% disapprove) and the situation in Iraq (46% approve, 49% disapprove). Despite the low
approval given for the President’s handling of the economy, 49% of New
Yorkers say the economy is moving in the right direction, while 39% say it is
on the wrong track. |
|
Siena Research Institute
December Approval Rating: President and Congress
Thursday, January 8, 2004
Page 2 of 2
Congress’ approval showed very little movement in December, moving up one point overall to 35%. Approval remained the same among women (33%), younger New Yorkers (39%), and higher income (36%), moved up 5 points among older New Yorkers (to 27%) and down 4 points among Republicans (to 47%), and moved up or down 1 to 3 points everywhere else. Its highest approval is among Republicans (47%) and its lowest is among older New Yorkers (27%).
Congress’ 35% overall approval rating is 8 points below its December 2002 approval of 43%, and 3 points below its 38% approval rating average for the year. Congressional disapproval went down a point to 47% - 12 points above its approval; its “don’t know/no opinion” response remained at 18%.
“The President’s approval took a startling reversal,” notes Joe Caruso, Director of Polling for the Siena Research Institute. “Granted, we captured Saddam Hussein, and statewide consumer confidence is up, both of which no doubt bolstered his approval in the minds of some. He gets even higher approval for his handling of the war on terrorism. But approval for his handling of the situation in Iraq is still outweighed by disapproval, 46% to 49%. And his overall disapproval rate, though down considerably, is a high 45%. So, while he’s in much better shape, he’s not out of the woods with New Yorkers. As for Congress, its approval remains largely unchanged, with just over one third of New Yorkers granting approval and nearly half voicing disapproval.”
This SRI survey was conducted during the month of December 2003 by
random telephone calls to 624 New York State
residents over the age of 18.
It has a margin of error of +3.9 percentage points. For more
information or comments,
please contact SRI Director of Polling Joe Caruso at 518-783-2901
(office) or 518-542-7814 (mobile). Survey
Cross-tabulations and frequencies can be found at: www.siena.edu/sri/surveys.htm.
The Siena New York Poll
for December 2003:
Approval Ratings, President
and Congress
|
Approval Rating Comparisons |
President Bush |
U.S. Congress |
Highest Approval |
82% (10/01) |
77% (10/01) |
|
Lowest Approval* |
37% (11/03) |
33% (9/03) |
|
Previous low: |
39% (7/01) |
34% (7/03) |
|
Current Approval |
48% (12/03) |
35% (12/03) |
|
Previous Approval |
37% (11/03) |
34% (11/03) |
|
Rating one year ago |
52% (12/02) |
43% (12/02) |
|
35 month average |
56% |
46% |
|
12 month average |
46% |
38% |
|
*since February 2001 |
||
