Monday, November 14, 2005
Bush Approval Rating on the Rebound
President Bush's approval rating is on the rebound, according to the latest Rasmussen poll - while a new survey by Newsweek shows just the opposite.
Rasmussen's latest three day rolling survey shows that 46 percent of Americans approve of the way Bush is handling his job - with 53 percent giving him a thumbs down.
The numbers are a marked improvement from just a week ago, when 56 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush's performance, while just 43 percent approved.
The latest numbers represent "the President's highest Job Approval Rating in over a month," notes Rasmussen.
Meanwhile, a new Newsweek poll shows Bush continuing to slide, with only 36 percent giving him a positive job approval. Newsweek doesn't offer a number for overall job disapproval, but notes that "almost 2 in 3 Americans (65 percent) disapprove of the president’s handling of Iraq."
Both surveys relied on samples of more than 1000 "adults" - as opposed to more accurate samplings of "registered" or "likely voters." Surveys relying on "adults" almost always favor Democrats, while "registered voters" lean more towards the GOP. "Likely voters" tend to trend even more Republican still than "registered voters."
So which survey - Rasmussen or Newsweek - more accurately reflects the mood of the public?
Here's a clue. Newsweek is currently offering an "unscientific" online survey that asks the question: "If Congressional elections were held today, would you vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate?"
The result? A landslide for Democrats, of course - 81 to 15 percent.
President Bush's approval rating is on the rebound, according to the latest Rasmussen poll - while a new survey by Newsweek shows just the opposite.
Rasmussen's latest three day rolling survey shows that 46 percent of Americans approve of the way Bush is handling his job - with 53 percent giving him a thumbs down.
The numbers are a marked improvement from just a week ago, when 56 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush's performance, while just 43 percent approved.
The latest numbers represent "the President's highest Job Approval Rating in over a month," notes Rasmussen.
Meanwhile, a new Newsweek poll shows Bush continuing to slide, with only 36 percent giving him a positive job approval. Newsweek doesn't offer a number for overall job disapproval, but notes that "almost 2 in 3 Americans (65 percent) disapprove of the president’s handling of Iraq."
Both surveys relied on samples of more than 1000 "adults" - as opposed to more accurate samplings of "registered" or "likely voters." Surveys relying on "adults" almost always favor Democrats, while "registered voters" lean more towards the GOP. "Likely voters" tend to trend even more Republican still than "registered voters."
So which survey - Rasmussen or Newsweek - more accurately reflects the mood of the public?
Here's a clue. Newsweek is currently offering an "unscientific" online survey that asks the question: "If Congressional elections were held today, would you vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate?"
The result? A landslide for Democrats, of course - 81 to 15 percent.
