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Gallup Poll: January to December Comparisons

Aired December 31, 2002 - 06:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: So what is on the minds of Americans as we welcome in the new year?
Gallup Poll Editor-in-chief Frank Newport is with us live this morning.

Good morning -- Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Catherine.

It sounds maybe trite to say it, but some things have changed and some things haven't changed over this last year. What we thought we would look at is some comparisons between where we were in January as the year began and where we are now in December as the year ends.

Most important problem facing the country way back in January, it was the economy not terrorism. Terrorism was second. Reason terrorism is lower is everything was looking good as far as terrorism was concerned in January. War on Afghanistan was looking good.

Now, however, in December it's about the same thing. The economy still No. 1 when we ask what's the most important problem and terrorism's actually dropped a little. The war in Iraq not represented here. It's also high.

Satisfaction with the way things are going? That's dropped over the last year, Catherine. When we started the year, 65 percent of Americans were satisfied. Again, a lot of that was the rally effect because the war on terrorism was looking good at that point. Now as we end the year, the percent of Americans who are satisfied is down to 46 percent. That's a considerable drop. Americans leave this year 2002 less satisfied than they were.

However, when we say how satisfied are you with your personal life, Catherine, that doesn't change. Everybody remains satisfied, and that's been true for 30 years we've been asking this. Eighty-five percent of Americans were satisfied with their personal life as the year began, 83 percent satisfied now, Catherine, as the year ends -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: So economic perceptions have changed a bit?

NEWPORT: Indeed they have, maybe not as much as some people would have thought. As we began the year, we said rate the current economy. Pretty dismal numbers, even back then, just 29 percent said excellent or good. You can see 16 percent poor. Now as the year ends, well the numbers are a little worse. Look at that, 24 percent excellent or good, up to 28 percent poor. Things have gotten worse.

Personal financial situation, just like I showed you a minute ago, haven't changed that much. Americans remain more positive about their own family. Fifty-four percent in January excellent or good; 57 percent now excellent or good.

Where's the economy going? We've really seen some change there. Last January, Americans were more ebullient, more optimistic. Forty- nine percent said the economy was getting better. Now as the year ends things aren't looking so good, just 35 percent say the economy is getting better. Americans are more pessimistic economically speaking as we end the year, Catherine, unfortunately.

CALLAWAY: That's because all the holiday bills are rolling in -- Frank.

NEWPORT: Maybe you're right.

CALLAWAY: This time a year ago President Bush certainly had universal admiration among Americans after 9/11. Was he able to hold on to those high approval ratings throughout the year?

NEWPORT: Indeed not. One of the big changes of the year, and not surprising, I mean Bush had that 90 percent in October, late September of 2001. Then as this year began, 84 percent job approval rating. That's enormously large historically. Now as the year ends, Bush's job approval rating has fallen to 61 percent, a 23 percentage point drop, Catherine. Not unexpected, no president can sustain those kind of ratings,...

CALLAWAY: No.

NEWPORT: ... but you can see the drop off.

Bush, by the way, still most admired man. You may have seen this number, Gallup asks it every year, who's the man living anywhere in the world that you admire most? Twenty-eight percent of Americans said Bush. So he ends the year still as the most admired American. The others were Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell, the Pope and Bill Clinton.

Most admired woman, however, just to remind you of this, it's really a tie statistically, Senator Hillary Clinton at 7 percent, Oprah Winfrey, First Lady Laura Bush at 6 percent and then Barbara Bush and finally, Margaret Thatcher -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Wow, Margaret Thatcher still in there.

NEWPORT: Indeed. She's in fact been on our list almost as much as any other woman over the last 50 years.

CALLAWAY: All right, Frank, quickly, we've got to talk a little bit about college football games. They're here. Tell us how important all these games are to Americans.

NEWPORT: Well that's the biggest change over the last 60 years. Baseball used to be the No. 1 sport for Americans when Gallup asked the question back in the '30s. Now we just asked it again, your favorite sport to watch? Good news for this week, Catherine, football overwhelmingly, 37 percent of Americans. You can see the others, which come down here way below football. So a lot of fans will be happy both for college and pro football as those games roll around for the remainder of this week -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Frank, thank you very much. I think I'm in that 12 percent with baseball being my favorite.

Happy New Year.

NEWPORT: Happy New Year to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 31, 2002 - 06:41   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: So what is on the minds of Americans as we welcome in the new year?
Gallup Poll Editor-in-chief Frank Newport is with us live this morning.

Good morning -- Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Catherine.

It sounds maybe trite to say it, but some things have changed and some things haven't changed over this last year. What we thought we would look at is some comparisons between where we were in January as the year began and where we are now in December as the year ends.

Most important problem facing the country way back in January, it was the economy not terrorism. Terrorism was second. Reason terrorism is lower is everything was looking good as far as terrorism was concerned in January. War on Afghanistan was looking good.

Now, however, in December it's about the same thing. The economy still No. 1 when we ask what's the most important problem and terrorism's actually dropped a little. The war in Iraq not represented here. It's also high.

Satisfaction with the way things are going? That's dropped over the last year, Catherine. When we started the year, 65 percent of Americans were satisfied. Again, a lot of that was the rally effect because the war on terrorism was looking good at that point. Now as we end the year, the percent of Americans who are satisfied is down to 46 percent. That's a considerable drop. Americans leave this year 2002 less satisfied than they were.

However, when we say how satisfied are you with your personal life, Catherine, that doesn't change. Everybody remains satisfied, and that's been true for 30 years we've been asking this. Eighty-five percent of Americans were satisfied with their personal life as the year began, 83 percent satisfied now, Catherine, as the year ends -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: So economic perceptions have changed a bit?

NEWPORT: Indeed they have, maybe not as much as some people would have thought. As we began the year, we said rate the current economy. Pretty dismal numbers, even back then, just 29 percent said excellent or good. You can see 16 percent poor. Now as the year ends, well the numbers are a little worse. Look at that, 24 percent excellent or good, up to 28 percent poor. Things have gotten worse.

Personal financial situation, just like I showed you a minute ago, haven't changed that much. Americans remain more positive about their own family. Fifty-four percent in January excellent or good; 57 percent now excellent or good.

Where's the economy going? We've really seen some change there. Last January, Americans were more ebullient, more optimistic. Forty- nine percent said the economy was getting better. Now as the year ends things aren't looking so good, just 35 percent say the economy is getting better. Americans are more pessimistic economically speaking as we end the year, Catherine, unfortunately.

CALLAWAY: That's because all the holiday bills are rolling in -- Frank.

NEWPORT: Maybe you're right.

CALLAWAY: This time a year ago President Bush certainly had universal admiration among Americans after 9/11. Was he able to hold on to those high approval ratings throughout the year?

NEWPORT: Indeed not. One of the big changes of the year, and not surprising, I mean Bush had that 90 percent in October, late September of 2001. Then as this year began, 84 percent job approval rating. That's enormously large historically. Now as the year ends, Bush's job approval rating has fallen to 61 percent, a 23 percentage point drop, Catherine. Not unexpected, no president can sustain those kind of ratings,...

CALLAWAY: No.

NEWPORT: ... but you can see the drop off.

Bush, by the way, still most admired man. You may have seen this number, Gallup asks it every year, who's the man living anywhere in the world that you admire most? Twenty-eight percent of Americans said Bush. So he ends the year still as the most admired American. The others were Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell, the Pope and Bill Clinton.

Most admired woman, however, just to remind you of this, it's really a tie statistically, Senator Hillary Clinton at 7 percent, Oprah Winfrey, First Lady Laura Bush at 6 percent and then Barbara Bush and finally, Margaret Thatcher -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Wow, Margaret Thatcher still in there.

NEWPORT: Indeed. She's in fact been on our list almost as much as any other woman over the last 50 years.

CALLAWAY: All right, Frank, quickly, we've got to talk a little bit about college football games. They're here. Tell us how important all these games are to Americans.

NEWPORT: Well that's the biggest change over the last 60 years. Baseball used to be the No. 1 sport for Americans when Gallup asked the question back in the '30s. Now we just asked it again, your favorite sport to watch? Good news for this week, Catherine, football overwhelmingly, 37 percent of Americans. You can see the others, which come down here way below football. So a lot of fans will be happy both for college and pro football as those games roll around for the remainder of this week -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, Frank, thank you very much. I think I'm in that 12 percent with baseball being my favorite.

Happy New Year.

NEWPORT: Happy New Year to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com