Ipsos-Reid/Cook Political Report: Is Politics Returning to Politics? Part I - War on Terrorism

Between February 1 and February 3, 2002, Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs interviewed a representative sample of 803 U.S. registered voters nationwide by telephone. The margin of error is +/- 3.5%.

Washington, DC (February 5, 2002) - A Majority of Americans (53%) oppose an American commitment to war with Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, the three countries identified by President Bush in his State of the Union speech as the "Axis of Evil." Americans divide by political views, gender, level of education, and gun ownership on this issue.

Supporting such a war commitment are:

• Republicans (50%)
• Gun owners (49%)
• Those who say they will definitely vote to re-elect President Bush (48%)
• Men (45%)
• Those with a high school education or less (44%)

Opposing such a war commitment are:

• Those who say they will definitely vote for someone other than President Bush (76%)
• Democrats (67%)
• Those who say they would consider voting for someone other than President Bush (63%)
• Those with a college degree (61%)
• Non-gun owners (60%)
• Women (57%)

As the foreign policy questions associated with the war on terrorism grow more complicated, the 9/11 consensus breaks down along lines like those that marked the extremely close 2000 election.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs, the Washington, D.C.-based division of Ipsos-Reid, which is part of the world's fourth largest polling and market research organization, the Ipsos group, based in Paris. Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective public affairs research organization made up of Democratic and Republican campaign and political polling veterans. It was established in Washington in August 2001, and it is led by Thomas Riehle, who has more than 15 years of experience as a political pollster in Washington.

The political survey is designed in conjunction with Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report. Founded in 1984, The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan newsletter that analyzes elections for the U.S. House, Senate, governor and President as well as domestic American political trends. The New York Times has called the publication, "a newsletter that both parties consider authoritative" while the dean of the Washington political press corps, the Washington Post's David Broder has called Charlie

Cook, its editor and publisher, "perhaps the best political handicapper in the nation." Cook also writes two weekly columns that appear in National Journal magazine and CongressDaily/AM and on nationaljournal.com, and serves as a political analyst for Cable News Network's show "Inside Politics." Researched and written by a staff of five based in Washington, D.C., the Cook Political Report's subscribers are primarily the lobbyists and managers for the political action committees of the nation's major corporations, trade associations and labor unions as well as by news organizations, foreign governments and others with an interest in detailed, impartial information and analysis of Congressional, gubernatorial and presidential elections.

To view the complete media release and tables, please download the PDF file.

To view the latest poll results and research from Ipsos Public Affairs please go to: http://www.ipsos-reid.com/us/media/content/pre_rel.cfm

Contact: Thomas Riehle, President Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs Telephone 202.463.7300 Cell 202.494.8595 [email protected]