- Public support for George W. Bush in the United States remains below the 40 per cent threshold, according to six recent public opinion polls. In a survey by Princeton Survey Research Associates published in Newsweek, 38 per cent of respondents approve of the president’s performance.

Studies by Gallup released by USA Today and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press place Bush’s approval rating at 37 per cent. In a poll by CBS News, 36 per cent of respondents are satisfied with the president’s performance.

Bush’s lowest rating comes in surveys by Zogby International and Harris Interactive, where 34 per cent of respondents express a positive opinion of the president.

Bush—a Republican—earned a second four-year term in the November 2004 presidential election. On Aug. 18, Bush discussed the ceasefire in the Middle East, saying, "The issue is broader than just Hezbollah. The issue is also Syria and Iran, two nations that supported Hezbollah in its attempts to create enough havoc. I guess people feel like they could take political advantage of the situation, we just can’t let them do it."

American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate on Nov. 7.

Polling Data

a) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Aug. 10 May 12 Mar. 17 Approve 38% 35% 36% Disapprove 55% 59% 58%

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Newsweek Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,001 American adults, conducted on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

b) Do you approve or disapprove of how George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Aug. 10 Jul. 23 Jul. 9 Jun. 25 Approve 37% 40% 40% 37% Disapprove 59% 59% 55% 60%

Source: Gallup / USA Today Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,007 American adults, conducted from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

c) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Aug. 2006 Jul. 2006 Jun. 2006 Apr. 2006 Approve 37% 36% 36% 35% Disapprove 54% 57% 54% 55%

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,506 American adults, conducted from Aug. 9 to Aug. 13, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

d) Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

Aug. 13 Jul. 25 Jun. 11 May 8 Approve 36% 36% 33% 31% Disapprove 57% 55% 60% 63%

Source: CBS News Methodology: Telephone interviews with 974 American adults, conducted from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.

e) Overall, how would you rate president George W. Bush’s performance on the job?

Aug. 15 Jun. 20 Jun. 6 Mar. 16 Positive 34% 36% 31% 38% Negative 66% 64% 69% 62%

Source: Zogby International Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,018 likely American voters, conducted from Aug. 11 to Aug. 15, 2006. Margin of error is 3.2 per cent.

f) How would you rate the job George W. Bush is doing as president—excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?

Aug. 2006 Jul. 2006 Jun. 2006 May 2006 Positive 34% 34% 33% 29% Negative 66% 65% 67% 71%

Source: Harris Interactive Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,009 American adults, conducted from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.