Most Americans Think That Self Policing by Auditors Doesn't Work but are Split on the Creation of a New Federal Agency to Regulate Auditors

Between January 25 and January 27, 2002, Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide by telephone. The margin of error is +/- 3.1%.

Washington, DC (January 28, 2002) - Most Americans think that self policing by auditors doesn't work but are split on whether there should be a new federal agency to regulate auditors. Only 1-in-4 Americans (23%) have confidence the self-policing procedures in place to ensure accounting practices follow certain ethical and legal standards. More than 2-in-3 Americans (69%) believe that these policies do not work. Opinion among those who say self-policing does not work is evenly split between the 35% who say a federal agency should be set up to regulate auditors, and the 34% who disagree and say no federal agency should be established.

Among the groups most in favor of a new federal regulatory agency for auditors are:

• Those who believe Bush is too closely tied to Enron (47%).
• Democrats (45%)
• Those living in northeast (41%),
• Those in households earning under $50K (40%)

Only 31% of Americans say the Enron story proves Bush is too closely tied to Enron.

At this stage, Americans express little interest in the Enron story. Only 32% have a great deal or quite a bit of interest in the story of Enron's collapse; 40% have little or no interest.

Among the groups most likely to express an interest in the story of Enron's collapse are:

• Those with a college degree (48%)
• Those in households earning more than $50K (44%)
• Those at least 50 years old (38%)

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.

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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]