Hot Topics
Survey Reports
March 23, 2000
Bush Pays Price for Primary Victory
Questionnaire
PEW RESEARCH CENTER FOR THE PEOPLE & THE PRESS
MARCH 2000 NEWS INTEREST INDEX
FINAL TOPLINE
March 15-19, 2000
N=1,184
Q.1 Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling his
job as President? [IF DK ENTER AS DK. IF DEPENDS PROBE ONCE WITH:
Overall do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling
his job as President? IF STILL DEPENDS ENTER AS DK]
Approve Disapprove Don't Know
March, 2000 57 35 8=100
February, 2000 58 33 9=100
January, 2000 56 35 9=100
December, 1999 55 35 10=100
October, 1999 59 34 7=100
Late September, 1999 59 33 8=100
September, 1999 56 36 8=100
July, 1999 58 31 11=100
June, 1999 55 35 10=100
May, 1999 56 34 10=100
April, 1999 56 38 6=100
March, 1999 62 31 7=100
February, 1999 64 30 6=100
Mid-January, 1999 66 29 5=100
January, 1999 63 30 7=100
Late December, 1998 71 27 2=100
Early December, 1998 61 32 7=100
November, 1998 65 29 6=100
September 21-22, 1998 62 33 5=100
September 19-20, 1998 55 36 9=100
Early September, 1998 61 33 6=100
Late August, 1998 62 32 6=100
Early August, 1998 63 28 9=100
June, 1998 59 32 9=100
May, 1998 62 28 10=100
April, 1998 62 28 10=100
March, 1998 65 26 9=100
Early February, 1998 71 26 3=100
January, 1998 61 30 9=100
November, 1997 58 31 11=100
September, 1997 58 29 13=100
August, 1997 59 32 9=100
June, 1997 54 34 12=100
May, 1997 57 34 9=100
April, 1997 55 34 11=100
February, 1997 60 32 8=100
Early February, 1997 57 30 13=100
January, 1997 59 31 10=100
November, 1996 57 34 9=100
July, 1996 54 38 8=100
June, 1996 54 38 8=100
April, 1996 53 39 8=100
March, 1996 55 38 7=100
February, 1996 51 39 10=100
January, 1996 50 43 7=100
October, 1995 48 42 10=100
September, 1995 45 42 13=100
August, 1995 44 44 12=100
June, 1995 50 40 10=100
April, 1995 47 43 10=100
March, 1995 44 44 12=100
February, 1995 44 44 12=100
December, 1994 41 47 12=100
November, 1994 48 40 12=100
October, 1994 41 47 12=100
Early October, 1994 38 47 15=100
September, 1994 41 52 7=100
July, 1994 45 46 9=100
June, 1994 42 44 14=100
May, 1994 46 42 12=100
March, 1994 45 42 13=100
January, 1994 51 35 14=100
Early January, 1994 48 35 17=100
December, 1993 48 36 16=100
October, 1993 44 42 14=100
September, 1993 49 35 16=100
Early September, 1993 43 43 14=100
August, 1993 39 46 15=100
May, 1993 39 43 18=100
Early May, 1993 45 37 18=100
April, 1993 49 29 22=100
February, 1993 56 25 19=100
Q.2 Do you approve or disapprove of the job the Republican leaders in
Congress are doing? [IF DK ENTER AS DK. IF DEPENDS PROBE ONCE WITH:
Overall do you approve or disapprove of the job the Republican leaders
in Congress are doing? IF STILL DEPENDS ENTER AS DK]
Approve Disapprove Don't Know
March, 2000 38 43 19=100
February, 2000 40 43 17=100
January, 2000 39 41 20=100
December, 1999 38 42 20=100
October, 1999 34 50 16=100
Late September, 1999 34 46 20=100
September, 1999 35 48 17=100
July, 1999 36 45 19=100
June, 1999 37 46 17=100
May, 1999 38 44 18=100
March, 1999 38 47 15=100
February, 1999 37 51 12=100
Mid-January, 1999 36 51 13=100
January, 1999 38 50 12=100
Late December, 1998 39 56 5=100
Early December, 1998 38 49 13=100
November, 1998 41 48 11=100
September 21-22, 1998 44 44 12=100
September 19-20, 1998 46 41 13=100
Early September, 1998 44 37 19=100
Late August, 1998 48 36 16=100
Early August, 1998 43 37 20=100
June, 1998 42 38 20=100
May, 1998 40 41 19=100
April, 1998 41 40 19=100
March, 1998 43 39 18=100
January, 1998 43 41 16=100
November, 1997 41 43 16=100
August, 1997 42 44 14=100
June, 1997 33 50 17=100
May, 1997 40 44 16=100
April, 1997 40 44 16=100
February, 1997 44 42 14=100
January, 1997 38 47 15=100
November, 1996 40 43 17=100
July, 1996 38 48 14=100
June, 1996 36 50 14=100
April, 1996 39 46 15=100
March, 1996 35 51 14=100
February, 1996 33 53 14=100
January, 1996 36 54 10=100
October, 1995 36 51 13=100
September, 1995 36 50 14=100
August, 1995 38 45 17=100
June, 1995 41 45 14=100
April, 1995 44 43 13=100
March 1995 43 39 18=100
December, 1994 52 28 20=100
[NO Q.3, Q.4]
Now a different kind of question...
FORM 1 ONLY:
Q.5F1 Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of Al Gore. Tell me just
the ONE best word that describes him. (OPEN-END. PROBE ONCE IF RESPONDENT ANSWERS "DON'T KNOW".
ACCEPT UP TO TWO RESPONSES, BUT DO NOT PROBE FOR SECOND RESPONSE).
March Sept Sept Early Sept
2000 Frequency* 1999 Frequency* 1997 Frequency* 1996 Frequency*
Boring 24 Boring 61 Okay 59 Intelligent 20
Good 12 Good 46 Good 52 Good 16
Fair 9 Okay 36 Boring 42 Environmentalist 15
Capable 9 Quiet 20 Stiff 30 Honest 14
Honest 9 Dull 18 Intelligent 27 Leadership 14
Okay 8 Stiff 18 Honest 27 Smart 14
Politician 7 Nice 16 Fair 25 Quiet 13
Dull 7 Alright 14 Quiet 24 Stiff 13
I like him 7 Fair 14 Wimp 24 Fair 12
Dishonest 6 Intelligent 11 Environmentalist 21 Boring 11
Incompetent 6 Honest 10 Competent 21 Follower 11
Environmentalist 6 Idiot 10 Nice 20 Nice 11
Dislike 6 Likable 10 Invisible 19 Alright 9
Follower 6 Weak 10 Dull 18 Dull 9
Great 5 Competent 9 Unknown 15 Personable 9
Weak 5 Dislike 9 Phony 14 Sincere 9
Intelligent 5 Follower 9 Alright 13 Wimp 8
Alright 5 Incompetent 9 Fine 13 OK 7
Mediocre 5 Unimpressed 9 Follower 13 Politician 6
Fake 5 Bad 7 Adequate 13 Puppet 5
(N=585) (N=1205) (N=2000) (N=750)
*Q.5F1 The "Frequency" column is the number of respondents who offered each response;
the numbers are not percentages.
FORM 2 ONLY:
Q.6F2 Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of George W. Bush. Tell
me just the ONE best word that describes him. (OPEN-END. PROBE ONCE IF RESPONDENT ANSWERS
"DON'T KNOW". ACCEPT UP TO TWO RESPONSES, BUT DO NOT PROBE FOR SECOND RESPONSE).
March Sept March
2000 Frequency* 1999 Frequency* 1999 Frequency*
Good 17 Good 63 Good 42
Okay 11 Okay 37 Okay 25
Arrogant 10 Alright 27 Unknown 24
Reference to Father 9 Likable 27 Leader 20
Honest 8 Honest 22 Honest 16
Dislike 8 Unknown 20 Great 15
Integrity 7 Dislike 15 Conservative 14
Fair 6 Intelligent 13 Fair 13
Conservative 6 Rich 12 Old 11
Untrustworthy 6 Conservative 11 Alright 11
President 6 Fair 10 Intelligent 10
Determined 6 Impressive 10 Excellent 9
I like him 5 Interesting 10 Republican 8
Inexperienced 5 Politician 10 Potential 7
Great 5 Aggressive 9 Interesting 7
Wimp 5 Arrogant 9 Confident 6
Bad 5 Leader 9 Fine 6
Cocky 5 Smart 8 Nice 6
Excellent 5 Young 8 Strong 6
Leader 5 Confident 7 Competent 6
(N=599) (N=1205) (N=893)
*Q.6F2 The "Frequency" column is the number of respondents who offered each response;
the numbers are not percentages.
ASK ALL:
Q.7 Now I will read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this
past month. As I read each item, tell me if you happened to follow this news
story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely?
[INSERT ITEM; ROTATE]
Very Fairly Not too Not at all (VOL)
ASK ALL Closely Closely Closely Closely DK
a. News about candidates for the
2000 presidential election 26 41 19 13 1=100
February, 2000 26 36 21 17 *=100
January, 2000 19 34 28 18 1=100
December, 1999 16 36 24 23 1=100
October, 1999 17 32 28 22 1=100
September, 1999 15 31 33 20 1=100
July, 1999 15 38 24 22 1=100
June, 1999 11 25 29 34 1=100
b. Increasing tensions between
China and Taiwan 9 21 28 41 1=100
Late July, 1999 8 20 25 47 *=100
ASK FORM 1 [N=585]:
c.F1 Recent increases in the
price of gasoline 58 28 10 4 *=100
October, 1990 27 29 25 18 1=100
d.F1 Flood rescue efforts in Mozambique 10 26 30 34 *=100
e.F1 The shooting of a 6-year-old girl
at a Michigan school 40 38 15 7 *=100
f.F1 The acquittal of four New York
policemen who shot and killed
Amadou Diallo, an African immigrant 28 35 20 17 0=100
ASK FORM 2 [N=599]:
g.F2 Reports about the multi-millionaire
who met and married a woman on
national television 10 24 32 33 1=100
h.F2 Recent major ups and downs in the
U.S. stock market 23 29 21 26 1=100
March, 1999 18 29 22 31 *=100
January, 1999 24 28 19 28 1=100
Early September, 1998 32 31 20 17 *=100
Mid-August, 1998 17 23 21 39 *=100
January, 1998 21 25 23 31 *=100
November, 1997 25 36 18 20 1=100
September, 1997 14 22 23 40 1=100
April, 1997 17 21 22 40 *=100
February, 1996 12 20 25 42 1=100
i.F2 Pope John Paul asking for God's
forgiveness for sins committed by
the Roman Catholic church 16 27 25 31 1=100
Q.8 Thinking about the presidential primaries so far, generally do you think they have been
a good way of determining who the best qualified nominees are or not?
March March Gallup Newsweek
1996 1992 1988 1980
41 Yes 35 31 48 40
50 No 58 59 37 48
9 Don't know/Refused 7 10 15 12
100 100 100 100 100
Q.9 All in all, how would you rate the job the press has done in covering the presidential
campaign so far: excellent, good, only fair, or poor?
Feb Sept July Feb Sept May March Feb
2000 1996 1996 1996 1992 1992 1992 1992
10 Excellent 13 13 7 16 12 10 12 11
46 Good 50 44 35 45 45 44 51 45
32 Only fair 25 29 42 25 27 33 28 32
9 Poor 7 11 14 10 11 10 6 7
3 Don't know/Refused 5 3 2 4 5 3 3 5
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
I would like to ask you about some things that have been in the news. Not everyone will
have heard about them...
Q.10 Do you happen to know who will probably be the Democratic presidential nominee?
72 Al Gore (correct answer)
3 Other
25 Don't Know/Refused (VOL)
100
Q.11 Do you happen to know who will probably be the Republican presidential nominee?
75 George W. Bush (correct answer)
2 Other
23 Don't Know/Refused (VOL)
100
Q.12 Suppose the 2000 presidential election were being held TODAY, and the candidates were
Al Gore, the Democrat and George W. Bush, the Republican. Who would you vote for?
IF '3' OTHER OR '9' DON'T KNOW/REFUSED in Q.12, ASK:
Q.12a As of TODAY, do you LEAN more to Gore, the Democrat or Bush, the Republican?
BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS [N=912]: Early
Feb Dec Oct Sept July March Jan Sept
2000 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1998
49 Gore/Lean Gore 45 40 39 39 42 41 44 40
43 Bush/Lean Bush 46 55 54 54 53 54 50 53
8 Undecided/Other/DK 9 5 7 7 5 5 6 7
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Q.13 What do you like most about (INSERT FROM Q.12 OR Q.12a), his personality, his leadership ability,
his experience or his stand on issues?
BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS WHO CHOSE GORE OR BUSH IN Q.12/Q.12a:
Personality Leadership Experience Stand on issues Don't know
Al Gore 10 14 28 40 8=100 (N=443)
October, 1999 8 11 32 43 6=100
George W. Bush 14 24 10 42 10=100 (N=397)
October, 1999 13 25 11 42 9=100
Q.14 What do you like LEAST about (INSERT NAME NOT CHOSEN IN Q.12 OR Q.12a), his personality, his
leadership ability, his experience or his stand on issues?
BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS WHO CHOSE GORE OR BUSH IN Q.12/Q.12a:
Personality Leadership Experience Stand on issues Don't know
Al Gore 22 20 5 43 10=100 (N=397)
October, 1999 24 22 5 39 10=100
George W. Bush 33 8 13 35 11=100 (N=443)
October, 1999 19 11 13 41 16=100
ASK ALL:
Q.15 Which of the following is the most important reason why you (IF "1, GORE" IN Q.12 or Q.12a
ASK: support; IF "2, BUSH in Q.12 or Q.12a, or 3, other, or 9, Don't know in 12a ASK: don't
support) Al Gore for president his personality and leadership abilities, OR his ties to
the Clinton administration?
BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS:
Why Support Gore Why Don't Support Gore
March 00 Oct 99 March 00 Oct 99
Personality and leadership abilities 64 55 29 38
Ties to the Clinton administration 27 36 54 51
(DO NOT READ) Other/Neither 8 7 11 7
Don't know/Refused 1 2 6 4
100 100 100 100
(N=443) (N=469)
Q.16 Suppose the 2000 presidential election were being held TODAY, and the candidates were Al
Gore, the Democrat, George W. Bush, the Republican, and Pat Buchanan of the Reform Party.
Who would you vote for?
IF '4' OTHER OR '9' DON'T KNOW/REFUSED IN Q.16, ASK:
Q.16a As of TODAY, do you LEAN more to Gore, the Democrat, Bush, the Republican, or Buchanan
of the Reform Party?
BASED ON REGISTERED VOTERS [N=912]: Jan 2000 Sept 1999
47 Gore/Lean Gore 39 35
40 Bush/Lean Bush 51 49
6 Buchanan/Lean Buchanan 4 10
7 Other/Don't Know/Refused 6 6
100 100 100
ASK ALL:
Now a few questions about press coverage of the presidential candidates...
Q.17 So far, do you think news organizations are giving too much coverage to the
2000 presidential campaign, too little coverage to the campaign, or the right
amount of coverage?
Feb Sept July March Oct Sept Feb Oct May Nov
2000 1999 1999 1996 1995 1992 1992 1991 1988 1987
25 Too much 22 28 18 29 18 22 19 12 24 21
10 Too little 10 14 13 10 18 11 15 22 7 16
61 Right amount 63 49 59 58 60 62 62 58 62 58
4 Don't know/Refused 5 9 10 3 4 5 4 8 7 5
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Q.18-Q.21. ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=585]
[ROTATE Q.18, Q.19, Q.20]:
Q.18F1 Would you say the press has been too easy, too tough or fair in the way it
has covered John McCain's campaign?
12 Too easy
14 Too Tough
59 Fair
15 Don't Know/Refused (VOL)
100
Q.19F1 Would you say the press has been too easy, too tough, or fair in the way it has
covered Al Gore's campaign?
17 Too easy
8 Too Tough
65 Fair
10 Don't Know/Refused (VOL)
100
Q.20F1 Would you say the press has been too easy, too tough, or fair in the way it has covered
George W. Bush's campaign?
14 Too easy
10 Too Tough
65 Fair
11 Don't Know/Refused (VOL)
100
Q.21F1 As it's shaping up so far, what's your opinion of the likely presidential candidates
for this year? Would you say that you are very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not too satisfied,
or not at all satisfied with the likely choices?
--- Registered Voters ---
Late Late
July Oct Sept June Oct Aug June
Total RVs 1999 1996 1996 1996 1992 1992 1992
12 13 Very satisfied 13 11 11 9 10 11 6
48 47 Fairly satisfied 40 48 50 37 41 42 31
26 27 Not too satisfied 25 27 26 31 33 31 35
11 11 Not at all satisfied 12 11 10 19 14 15 26
3 2 Don't know/Refused 10 3 3 4 2 1 2
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
(N=585)(N=457)
Q.22-Q.23 ASK FORM 2 ONLY:
Q.22F2 It looks certain that George W. Bush will become the Republican candidate for President
and Al Gore the Democratic candidate for President. How satisfied are you with these choices...
very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not too satisfied, or not at all satisfied?
Registered Voters
Total RVs July 1999
21 22 Very satisfied 26
44 41 Fairly satisfied 50
21 22 Not too satisfied 15
11 13 Not at all satisfied 7
3 2 Don't know/Refused 2
100 100 100
(N=599)(N=455)
Q.23 Assuming that George W. Bush becomes the Republican candidate for President and Al
Gore the Democratic candidate for President, are you more interested in seeing a third
party candidate run for President or are you less interested in seeing a third party
candidate run for President?
Registered Voters
Total RVs July 1999
36 37 More interested 40
56 56 Less interested 46
4 3 Neither (VOL) 10
4 4 Don't know/Refused 4
100 100 100
(N=599)(N=455)
[NO Q.24, Q.25, Q.26, Q.27]
[ROTATE BLOCK Q.28/28a WITH BLOCK Q.29/29a]
Q.28 At any point in the presidential campaign, did you want John McCain to win the
Republican nomination?
IF "1 YES" IN Q.28, ASK:
Q.28a Were you a strong supporter of his, or not?
44 Yes
19 Yes, strong supporter
24 No, not a strong supporter
1 Don't know/Refused (VOL)
48 No
8 Don't know/Refused (VOL)
100
ASK ALL:
Q.29 At any point in the presidential campaign, did you want Bill Bradley to win the
Democratic nomination?
IF "1 YES" IN Q.29, ASK:
Q.29a Were you a strong supporter of his, or not?
28 Yes
9 Yes, strong supporter
19 No, not a strong supporter
* Don't know/Refused (VOL)
60 No
12 Don't know/Refused (VOL)
100
On another subject...
C.1 How much credit, if any, do you give Bill Clinton for improved conditions in the country
these days? A great deal of credit, some credit, hardly any credit or none at all?
31 A great deal
44 Some
13 Hardly any
11 None
* Conditions are not improved (VOL)
1 Don't know/Refused
100
C.2 In your opinion, which presidential candidate would do a better job of making sure that
things continue to improve in the country... Al Gore or George W. Bush?
46 Al Gore
43 George W. Bush
4 Neither (VOL)
1 Both (VOL)
6 Don't know/Refused
100
C.3 All in all, what effect has Bill Clinton had on politics and the way government works
in Washington, has he made things better, made things worse, or hasn't he had much of an
effect?
39 Made better
28 Made worse
28 Not much of an effect
5 Don't know/Refused
100
C.4 In your opinion, which presidential candidate would do a better job of improving politics
and the way government works in Washington... Al Gore or George W. Bush?
40 Al Gore
44 George W. Bush
7 Neither (VOL)
1 Both (VOL)
8 Don't know/Refused
100
Q.30 Regardless of who you support, which one of the Presidential candidates Al Gore or
George W. Bush do you think would do the best job of (INSERT ITEM. ROTATE IF
RESPONDENT MENTIONS ANYONE OTHER THAN GORE OR BUSH PROBE ONCE: "IF YOU HAD TO
CHOOSE BETWEEN GORE AND BUSH ... ")?
ASK ALL: Al Gore George W. Bush Neither DK/Ref
a. Keeping the economy strong 44 43 4 9=100
b. Making wise decisions about
foreign policy 44 41 4 11=100
c. Keeping Social Security and
Medicare financially sound 47 36 5 12=100
d. Representing your views on
gun control 41 37 5 17=100
e. Improving conditions for
minority groups 55 28 4 13=100
f. Improving the health care
system 49 33 5 13=100
ASK FORM 1 ONLY [N=585]:
g.F1 Protecting and strengthening
families 43 37 6 14=100
h.F1 Representing your views about
abortion 40 33 6 21=100
i.F1 Preventing the spread of weapons
of mass destruction 43 31 7 19=100
j.F1 Dealing with taxes 42 40 6 12=100
ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=599]:
k.F2 Improving education 41 44 4 11=100
l.F2 Dealing with campaign finance
reform 32 39 13 16=100
m.F2 Protecting the environment 55 30 3 12=100
n.F2 Dealing with the problems of
poor and needy people 55 32 5 8=100
o.F2 Controlling the price of
gasoline 25 41 14 20=100
[NO Q.31 OR Q.32]
ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=599]:
Q.33F2 As I read a list of different aspects of election campaigns, please tell me how much,
if at all, each one bothers you personally. First, how much does (INSERT AND ROTATE) bother you
-- very much, somewhat, not too much, or not at all?
Very Some- Not too Not Don't
Much what much at all Know
a.F2 The amount of money politicians
spend on campaigns 59 20 9 12 *=100
February, 1996 56 17 13 13 1=100
PSRA: July, 1994 69 16 7 7 1=100
b.F2 Political advertising on
television 25 27 25 22 1=100
February, 1996 32 24 26 17 1=100
PSRA: July, 1994 31 29 23 16 1=100
c.F2 What politicians say to get
elected 46 30 13 10 1=100
February, 1996 53 25 11 10 1=100
PSRA: July, 1994 61 23 9 5 2=100
d.F2 News coverage about campaigns 13 26 31 29 1=100
February, 1996 15 26 30 27 2=100
PSRA: July, 1994 23 31 25 20 1=100
e.F2 Negative campaigning 57 20 11 10 2=100
February, 1996 60 17 11 10 2=100
ASK ALL:
On a different subject...
Q.34 There are many ways for people to vote, and some prefer one way over another. If you had
the choice of voting in a booth at a polling place on election day OR over the Internet OR
through the mail during the weeks leading up to election day, which would you prefer?
February 1996
52 Voting in booth 54
26 Voting over Internet n/a
20 Voting by mail 43
1 None (VOL) 2
1 Don't know/Refused 1
100 100
On a different subject...
Q.35 Do you use a computer at your workplace, at school, at home or anywhere else on at least
an occasional basis?
Yes No DK/Ref
March, 2000 72 28 0=100
February, 2000 67 33 *=100
January, 2000 68 32 *=100
December, 1999 67 33 *=100
October, 1999 67 33 *=100
Late September, 1999 68 32 *=100
September, 1999 70 30 *=100
July, 1999 68 32 *=100
June, 1999 64 35 1=100
May, 1999 66 33 1=100
April, 1999 71 29 *=100
March, 1999 68 32 *=100
February, 1999 68 32 *=100
January, 1999 69 31 *=100
Early December, 1998 64 36 *=100
Early September, 1998 64 36 *=100
Early August, 1998 66 34 *=100
April, 1998 61 39 *=100
January, 1998 65 35 *=100
November, 1997 66 34 *=100
June, 1997 60 40 0=100
Early September, 1996 56 44 *=100
July, 1996 56 44 *=100
April, 1996 58 42 *=100
March, 1996 61 39 *=100
February, 1996 60 40 0=100
January, 1996 59 41 0=100
IF "1, YES" (USE A COMPUTER) IN Q.35, ASK:
Q.35a Do you ever go online to access the Internet or World Wide Web or
to send and receive email?
BASED ON TOTAL RESPONDENTS: Doesn't
Goes Online Go Online Don't know
March, 2000 61 39 0=100
February, 2000 52 48 0=100
January, 2000 52 48 *=100
December, 1999 53 47 0=100
October, 1999 50 50 0=100
Late September, 1999 52 48 *=100
September, 1999 53 47 0=100
August, 1999 52 48 0=100
July, 1999 49 51 0=100
June, 1999 50 50 *=100
May, 1999 48 52 0=100
April, 1999 51 49 *=100
March, 1999 49 51 *=100
February, 1999 49 51 *=100
January, 1999 47 53 *=100
Early December, 1998 42 58 0=100
November, 1998 37 63 *=100
Early September, 1998 42 58 *=100
Early August, 1998 43 57 *=100
November, 1997 36 63 1=100
July, 1996 23 77 0=100
June, 1995* 14 86 *=100
[*NOTE: The 1995 figure combines responses from two separate questions:
(1) Do you or anyone in your household ever use a modem to connect to any
computer bulletin boards, information services such as CompuServe or Prodigy,
or other computers at other locations? (IF YES, PROBE: Is that you, someone
else or both?)
(2) Do you, yourself, ever use a computer at (work) (school) (work or
school) to connect with computer bulletin boards, information services such
as America Online or Prodigy, or other computers over the Internet?]
[ROTATE M.1 AND M.2]
M.1 Now I will read a series of statements that might be made about Al Gore over the course
of the presidential campaign. Tell me if each statement would make you more likely to vote
for Al Gore, less likely to vote for him or wouldn't it make a difference. First,
(INSERT STATEMENT; ROTATE)...
Wouldn't
More Less Make a
Likely Likely Difference DK/Ref
a. Gore has been part of a scandal-ridden
Clinton administration 5 41 52 2=100
b. Gore strongly supports a woman's right
to choose an abortion 41 28 28 3=100
c. Gore took part in unethical fund raising
practices during the 1996 presidential
campaign 6 52 40 2=100
d. Gore can carry on Clinton's successful
economic policies 45 18 35 2=100
e. Gore is too much of a Washington insider 8 32 57 3=100
f. Gore is a strong backer of campaign
finance reform 39 15 44 2=100
M.2 Now I will read a series of statements that might be made about George W. Bush over the course
of the presidential campaign. Tell me if each statement would make you more likely to vote
for George W. Bush, less likely to vote for him or wouldn't it make a difference...
Wouldn't
More Less Make a
Likely Likely Difference DK/Ref
a Bush has too many ties to the far right
wing of the Republican party 10 38 48 4=100
b. Bush mostly opposes stronger gun
control measures 35 34 28 3=100
c. Bush has pledged to cut taxes 49 15 34 2=100
d. Bush has improved the educational
system in Texas 52 9 35 4=100
e. Bush doesn't know enough about the
issues to be president 7 47 43 3=100
f. Bush will bring morality and ethics
back to the White House 48 13 37 2=100
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