AP/Ipsos Poll: Americans Say Iraq And Terrorism Should Be Top Priorities For Bush's Second Term

Washington, D.C. -- With a clear win for George W. Bush in the election, registered voters first and foremost task the President with addressing the situation in Iraq (27%) and fighting terrorism (23%).

On dealing with Iraq, most (71%) registered voters say U.S. troops should stay in place until the situation is stabilized. Just over a quarter (28%) think troops should be brought back home immediately. Support for the troops to stay until Iraq is stable is higher among Republicans (92%) and Independents (80%; vs. 52% of Democrats), men over 45 (85%), college graduates (77%), suburban men (84%) and residents of the Oil Patch (81%). Also people who say terrorism should be Bush's top priority also want to keep troops in Iraq for now (91%).

Members of minority groups (62%) and Democratic women (54%) stand out in their belief that U.S. troops should be brought home immediately. Opinion is evenly divided among those who disapprove of Bush's performance in office (50% stay, 48% come home) and those who say the country is headed down the wrong track (52% stay, 48% come home).

Fewer registered voters name any single domestic issue as the highest priority. The economy (18%) and health care (14%) are cited most often, followed by unemployment (7%), education (7%) and taxes (2%).

More Voters Prefer Balanced Budget Over Tax Cuts Although taxes fall at the lower end of the list of priorities, two-thirds of registered voters say they prefer balancing the budget (66%) to cutting taxes (31%). The preference for a balanced budget has increased slightly since earlier this year in March (61%).

When the choice is between balancing the budget and spending more on social programs, a majority (55%) favor spending more on education, health care and economic development than balancing the budget. Just over four in ten (44%) favor balancing the budget instead; the public's preference for a balanced budget over spending has risen eight percent since March of this year.

Vote Count Seen as Fair Most (88%) registered voters are confident that the votes in their state were counted accurately, in line with expectations before the election (89% on October 28-31). Just one in ten (12%) lack confidence in the count conducted in their state.

Doubt is slightly more prevalent among minorities (28% not confident), men without a college education (20%), residents of the Deep South (20%), people in low income households (19%), Democratic women (18%), and young voters (17%). However, even in these groups majorities still say they are at least somewhat confident.

Half Say Vote Increased Their Confidence in Fairness of Elections Before the election, in an October 22-24 AP/Ipsos poll, s ix in ten (61%) registered voters said it was likely there would not be a clear winner of the Presidential election on November 3 rd, and half (51%) expected the results to be challenged in court. The relatively smooth conduct and conclusion of the 2004 election appears to have appeased the concerns of many.

Just over half (54%) of registered voters say the election results increased their confidence in the fairness of the U.S. electoral system. That said, the system still had its critics: Four in ten (39%) feel less confident now.

Women (46%; 52% unmarried women), members of minority groups (62%), city dwellers (47%), Democratic women (68%; vs. 49% of Democratic men), low income earners (51%) and those saying the country is on the wrong track (67%) all feel less confidence now in the fairness of the system.

Some American Voters Hopeful, Others Disappointed by Election Results The re-election of George W. Bush triggered a range of reactions among registered voters. Compared to the weekend before the election, opinions have grown more intense, but on balance positive views edge out more negative ones.

A majority (58%) say they feel "hopeful" about the election results. By comparison, an October 28-31 Ipsos-Public Affairs poll found that 35% thought a Bush win would make them feel hopeful. Almost half (46%) feel proud, and over a third feel "excited" (37%; 26% in the pre-election poll).

On the negative side, about half (48%) say they feel disappointed; before the election 31% expected to feel this way. Three in ten feel surprised (29%; 6% before), depressed (27%) or angry (24%; 13% before the election).

There is little overlap between voters who feel hopeful and those who feel disappointed. Hopefulness is especially strong among:

• Republicans (88%) -- and over half (56%) of Independents
• Men (62%; 65% married men) and seniors (68%)
• Whites (61%)
• Southerners (68%; 75% in the Oil Patch) and rural residents (69%)
• Those who say their financial situation is good (74%)
• Those who say terrorism should be the President's top priority (88%)
• Those who prefer Supreme Court nominees who would overturn Roe v. Wade (81%)
• Those who say the country is headed in the right direction (90%)

Disappointment is particularly keen among:

• Democrats (84%)
• Registered voters under age 30 (62%)
• Women (53%), especially unmarried women (61%) and women who are college graduates (59%)
• Non-whites (68%)
• Residents of the Great Lakes and Pacific regions (58% each)
• Urban residents (57%)
• Low-income earners (57%)
• Those who say Iraq should be the President's top priority (57%)
• Those who say new Supreme Court justices should uphold Roe v. Wade (63%)
• Those who disapprove of Bush's performance in office (93%)

Suburban women (52%) are more often disappointed than suburban men are (41%).

Young Voters Especially Disappointed by Bush Win Registered voters under age 30 voice some of the most negative reactions to Bush's re-election. Six in ten are disappointed (62%) by the election result, and a third are angry (34%) or depressed (33%). Majorities say they do not feel excited (73%), proud (63%), or hopeful (53%). However, most (68%) also say they are not surprised.

Bush's Ratings Better, But Still Not Positive Even with Bush's win, the public's views of his administration remain as divided as at any point in the past year. Half (51%) say the country is headed down the wrong track (46% right direction); views have grown somewhat more favorable over the past month.

Registered voters remain split between those who approve (51%) and disapprove (48%) of Bush's overall handling of the Presidency. One in three voters either strongly approve (33%) or strongly disapprove (34%) of Bush's performance, with views as polarized now as at any point this year.

Likewise, Bush receives mixed marks for his handling of the economy (48% approve, 51% disapprove), other domestic issues (46%-52%), and the situation in Iraq (48%-51%). Bush's relative strength remains his handling of foreign policy and the war on terrorism (54% approve, 46% disapprove).

Methodology The Associated Press Poll is conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Between November 3-5, 2004, the AP-Ipsos poll interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 adults nationwide, including 844 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.

To view the complete filled-in questionnaire for this survey, please click on the Topline Results PDF at the top of this page. To view the very latest "President Bush's Approval Ratings", "Approval Rating On Specific Issues" and "Consumer Attitudes and Political Measures", please download the Charts PDF at the top of this page. Terms Of Use For Referencing This Poll In reporting the results from this poll, please use the following protocol: The first time the poll is referenced, it should be, "The Associated Press Poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs." All subsequent references should be "The AP-Ipsos Poll." Thank-you.

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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