- 3.7 percentage points.
Bush Job Performance
Positive %
Negative %
December 15-17, 2003
53
47
December 4-6, 2003
49
51
November 3-5, 2003
48
52
October 15-18, 2003
49
51
September 22-24, 2003
50
49
September 3-5, 2003
45
54
August 2003
52
48
July 2003
53
46
March 2003
54
45
September 2002
64
36
September 2001
82
17
August 2001
50
49
January 2001
42
36
Overall opinion of the President has also improved slightly. Nearly three in five (59%) say their opinion of him is somewhat or very favorable, while 37% say it is somewhat or very unfavorable. In November, opinion was 55% favorable, 43% unfavorable.
There has been a slight improvement in numbers when President Bush is matched against an unnamed (generic) Democratic contender. Nearly half (47%) would vote for Bush, while 42% would opt for an unnamed Democrat. In September and October polling, Bush would have lost to a generic Democrat. One in six are unsure or prefer another choice.
Date
Bush %
Any Democrat %
December 15-17, 2003
47
42
December 4-6, 2003
43
41
November 3 - 5, 2003
41
41
October 15 - 18, 2003
43
45
September 22-24, 2003
41
45
September 3-5, 2003
40
47
August 2003
43
43
June 2003
44
37
Still, slightly fewer likely voters say he deserves to be re-elected (45%) than those who say it's time for someone new in the White House (47%).
Date
Re-Elect Bush
Someone New
December 15-17, 2003
45%
47%
December 4-6, 2003
44
46
November 3 - 5, 2003
43
49
October 15-18, 2003
42
50
Sept 22-24, 2003
43
49
Sept 3-5, 2003
40
52
August 2003
45
48
June 2003
49
38
Just over half (54%) give Bush a positive job performance rating on Iraq, while 46% say the job is fair or poor. Nearly three in five (59%) say they support the war against Iraq, while 38% oppose the military action there. Just under half (49%) say the effort was worth the lives lost, while 42% say it was not.
A majority (55%) feels the country is headed in the right direction, while 37% say `wrong direction." In September 42% said `right direction,' while 48% felt it was the wrong direction.
Former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean continues his dominance over the other Democratic presidential hopefuls. Of 400 likely Democratic voters polled, a plurality (28%) supports him. No other candidate reached double-digits. Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman leads the remainder with 8%, followed by Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt (7%), retired General Wesley Clark (6%), and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry (4%).
More than one-third (35%) of likely Democratic voters remain undecided. The margin of error for Democrats polled is +
- 5.0 percentage points.
