AP/Ipsos Poll: Bush's Job Approval Figures Weaken

Washington, D.C. -- The latest Associated Press/Ipsos-Public Affairs poll shows rising public disapproval of President Bush's job performance and a growing belief that the country is generally off on the wrong track. Yet this poll, taken just after the January 31 elections in Iraq, finds that more Americans believe a stable and democratic government will be established in Iraq.

Majority Say Country Is On the Wrong Track

A significant majority (58%) of Americans say the country is headed off on the wrong track, up from 51% in early January - a net change of minus 13 points. Four in ten (38%) say the U.S. is headed in the right direction. Views have not been this negative since August 2004.

Compared to how people felt immediately after Election Day 2004, today older Americans are growing less sanguine about the country's overall direction, with the largest net decline among Americans age 65 and over (minus 31 points), followed by people age 40-64 (down 18 points). These declines come at a time when President Bush is communicating his sense of crisis in Social Security and the need to embrace some positive risk to improve returns for tomorrow's retirees. Young men age 18-44, the most risk-embracing group, actually grew more optimistic about the direction of the country in the past month.

Bush Approval Ratings Down

Bush's overall approval ratings also stand in negative territory. One month ago, adults in general were evenly divided on Bush's performance (49%-49%).

Bush Criticized For His Handling Of Domestic Issues

Disapproval of Bush's handling of economic issues has risen since last month, with 56% now saying they disapprove - a net change of -9 points. Views of Bush's handling of domestic issues lies in the same territory, with 58% saying they disapprove (56% in January).

Bush's strongest point remains his handling of foreign policy issues and the war on terrorism: 47% approve and 51% disapprove, a slight shift from the evenly divided opinions viewed a month ago (50%-48%). Evaluations of Bush's handling of Iraq have also edged down (42% approve, 57% disapprove), despite successful elections there.

Approval Of Congress Up

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, approval of the job being done by Congress has improved slightly. Today, 44% approve and 52% disapprove. That puts Congress on the same footing as the President. One month ago, approval of Congress fell far below Bush's approval ratings.

Improved Hopes For A Stable Government In Iraq

Half (50%) think it is at least somewhat likely that a stable, democratic government will be established in Iraq, up from 46% a month ago. Expectations are clearly divided along party lines: 71% of registered Republican voters say a stable government is likely, 67% of registered Democratic voters say it is unlikely.

The Associated Press Poll is conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Between February 7-9, 2005, the AP-Ipsos poll interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 adults nationwide, including 849 registered voters. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 for all adults and +/- 3.4 for registered voters. Margin of error for subgroups may be higher.

For more information on this press release, please contact: Janice Bell Director, Ipsos Public Affairs Washington, D.C. 202.463.7300

About Ipsos Public Affairs Ipsos Public Affairs, headquartered in Washington D.C., is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research company made up of campaign and political polling veterans as well as seasoned research professionals. The company conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research but often elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research. It has offices in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, with affiliates around the world. Ipsos Public Affairs conducts national and international public opinion polling on behalf of The Associated Press, the world's oldest and largest news organization, and conducts the young voters poll for Newsweek.com. Ipsos Public Affairs is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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