Cronkite-Eight Poll

In a related issue, forty-one percent of registered voters give the president a favorable job performance rating. Forty-eight disapprove of the job Bush is doing as president and 11 percent have no opinion. The 41 percent rating was the same percentage the president received in the November 2005 ASU poll.

The survey also found that voters supported all proposals of nine proposals made by Gov. Janet Napolitano in her State-of-the-State address. The only proposal that did not receive majority support was one in which all state employees would receive a pay raise this year. Forty-six percent indicated state employees should receive a pay increase, 31 percent disagreed and 23 percent were undecided. Sixty percent of those with an opinion, however, supported the proposed pay increase.

The governor's proposals that received the highest support included one that would give all teachers in Arizona a minimum salary of $30,000 (88 percent) and another that would create tax credits for small business that offer health insurance for their employees (87 percent). Eighty percent of those interviewed supported the idea of levying substantial fines on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens; 74 percent supported giving all teachers a raise this year and 74 percent also supported making it more difficult to buy decongestants over the counter that can be used to make crystal meth. Seventy percent supported the idea of requiring convicted sex offenders to wear electronic ankle bracelets. Two out of every three registered voters (67 percent) supported the governor's proposal to implement full-day kindergarten this year and 65 percent would support putting National Guard troops along the Arizona border to enforce border security.

According to Dr. Merrill who conducted the survey, “President Bush's low job performance rating in Arizona is primarily related to the on-going war in Iraq. As we saw in this survey, a majority of registered voters believe the president should get court approval before doing domestic wiretaps even when terrorists may be involved. As we have found in the past, support for Bush is highly polarized between Republicans and Democrats and between social liberals (seculars) and social conservatives (church goers).”

“While many in the public do no have specifics about the Governor's proposals, there is considerable support for the general concepts she is espousing particularly in terms of supporting public school teachers, helping small businesses make health insurance available to their employees, putting more responsibility on employers to make sure their workers are in the country legally and in terms of tightening border security.”

The survey has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.9 percent. Fifty-eight percent of the interviews were conducted in Maricopa County, 17 percent in Pima County, and 25 percent in the less populated counties. The sample was 40 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat and 25 percent independent. Fifty-two percent of voters interviewed were female and 48 percent were male. The sample had slightly more women than is found in the population of all registered voters so the data were weighted by gender.

Question wording

1.   First, do you have an opinion about what kind of a job George Bush is doing as president of the United States? IF YES: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the job he is doing as president of the United States?

1. Approve (41%) Disapprove (48%) no opinion (11%)

2. According to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, President Bush must get approval from a secret court in order to wiretap suspected terrorists when one of the suspects lives in the United States. Because Congress has authorized him to conduct the war against terrorism, Bush believes that he does not have to get court approval to do domestic wiretaps when terrorism is suspected. Based on this information, do you believe the president
1. should or 2. should not be required to get approval from the court before authorizing these wiretaps? 3. d.k./n.o.

1. Should (51%) Should not (38%) no opinion (11%)

Turning to another topic, in her State of the State speech last week, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano outlined several proposals aimed at addressing many of the state's problems. As I read each one, please tell me if you agree or disagree with the proposal. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO HAVE AN OPINION, PLEASE TELL ME AND I'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION.

3. The governor has proposed that employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers should face substantial fines and penalties. Do you

1. agree (80%) or 2. disagree (11%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (9%)

4. Governor Napolitano also proposed that National Guard troops be stationed along the border with Mexico in order to help enforce border restrictions. Do you

1. agree (65%) or 2. disagree (25%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (10%)

5. Turning now to education, the governor has proposed that every teacher in Arizona should earn a minimum salary of $30,000 per year. Do you

1.agree (88%) 2.disagree ( 8%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (4%).

6. The governor also proposed that all teachers in Arizona receive a raise. Do you

1. agree (74%) or 2. disagree (16%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (10%)


7. Governor Napolitano wants to expand the voluntary full-day kindergarten program statewide by the end of this year. Do you

1. agree (67%) or 2. disagree (18%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (15%)

8. The governor also has proposed that all state employees should receive what she described as “substantial” pay increases this year. Do you

1. agree (46%) or 2. disagree (31%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (23%)

9. Governor Napolitano also has proposed tax credits for small businesses in order to help them provide health insurance for their employees. Do you

1. agree (87%) or 2. disagree (7%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (6%)

10. To restrict the supply of methamphetamine, or crystal meth, the governor has proposed a law that would make it much more difficult to buy over-the-counter decongestants, which are used to make crystal meth. Do you

1. agree (74%) or 2. disagree (18%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (8%)

11. Governor Napolitano has proposed that convicted sex offenders be required to wear electronic tracking devices. Do you

1. agree (70%) or 2.disagree (15%) with this proposal? 3. no opinion (15%)

KAET-TV is a member-based service of Arizona State University.