KAET-ASU Poll

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Contact Dr. Bruce Merrill (480) 965-7051
Can be used after 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 29, 2003

A new statewide poll of registered voters conducted by KAET-TV/Channel 8 and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University found that while there is strong support for the job President Bush is doing in waging the war on terrorism, there appears to be less support for how he is handling the economy and the situation with Saddam Hussein. The poll also found that Arizonans believe the President should be placing much more emphasis on the struggling economy than on removing Saddam Hussein from office.

Among those interviewed, 60% approved, 28% disapproved, and 12% had no opinion of the way Bush is handling the war on terrorism. Only 44% approved of how he is handling the economy, 43% disapproved, and 13% had no opinion. Forty-six percent (46%) approved of the job he is doing handling Saddam Hussein, while 41% disapproved and 13% had no opinion. In addition, a majority of those with an opinion (55%) did not believe the United States should attack Iraq without the approval of the United Nations.

When asked what Arizonans feel should be the President's highest priority, 54% said he should strengthen the U.S. economy, 23% said pursue the war on terrorism, while only 14% said remove Saddam Hussein from power and 9% had no opinion.

According to poll director Dr. Bruce Merrill, "As one might expect, support for President Bush's policies is highly partisan. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of the Republicans support his policies on terrorism, 78% favor the way he is handling the economy, and 78% are in agreement with his attempts to remove Saddam Hussein. Similar levels of support for Democrats are: 51% supportive on terrorism, 27% on the way the economy is being handled, and 33% on how he is handling the situation in Iraq. Two-thirds of the Republicans favored attacking Iraq without U.N. approval. Only 30% of the Democrats and 34% of the independents would attack Iraq without U.N. support."

Arizonans favored upholding the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in the U.S., by a two-to-one margin (58% to 31%, with 11% undecided). Democrats (77%) and independents (76%) were more likely than Republicans (51%) to support keeping abortion legal. The higher a person's education the more likely they were to support upholding Roe vs. Wade. Women were not more likely than men to support Roe vs. Wade.

While Arizonans supported keeping abortion legal, they were also firmly opposed to affirmative action programs used to determine admission into colleges and universities. Fifty-nine percent of those in the poll 59% opposed affirmative action, 26% were favorable, and 15% were undecided. Democrats (44%) and independents (37%) were more likely than Republicans (16%) to support affirmative action. Women were more supportive of affirmative action (35%) than men (26%).

The statewide poll of 454 registered voters conducted Jan. 23 - 26, 2003, has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.3%. Fifty percent (50%) of those interviewed were female, 50% male. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the interviews were conducted in Maricopa County, 18% in Pima County, and 24% in the less populated counties. The sample was 42% Republican, 38% Democrat, and 20% independent or other.

Q1. Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Bush is doing fighting the war on terrorism?

Q2. Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Bush is doing managing the US economy?

Q3. Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Bush is doing handling Iraq and Saddam Hussein?

Q4. If the United States does not get approval from the United Nations, would you support or oppose going ahead with an attack on Iraq anyway?

Q5. Which of the following do you think should be President Bush's highest priority?

Q6. In general, do you favor or oppose affirmative action programs for college admission programs that take into account racial or ethnic background when deciding which students should be admitted to their program?

Q7. Also, it has been 30 years since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe versus Wade. Do you feel Roe versus Wade should be