Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
America's Voice: Road Map to Peace
Aired May 27, 2003 - 06:35 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: From Iraq to the Middle East now -- well, the Middle East. Peace in the region is on the mind of many Americans.
Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport is here with more on the public's perspective.
Frank -- good morning.
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Indeed, we've been asking the American public about the Middle East situation for a number of years now. Here is -- we just reviewed it, and here is what I would say were some of the key points. This is American public opinion about the Middle East; now, of course, back on the front pages again.
The importance is still there, but to the American public the importance of trying to negotiate a peace a little lower now than we've measured it earlier this year and last year. Still important, but I think some of the other things that have happened in the world have kind of dwarfed it just a little in importance.
Second, I found seven different times that we at Gallup have asked about a Palestinian state, asked the American public over the last several years, three or four years, and in every instance a plurality. Now a majority of Americans say, yes, they support that idea. And that's even though -- and I'll show you this in more detail -- sympathies, when we asked Americans, clearly with the Israelis over the Palestinians. In fact, let me zero in on that one, because we've been asking that for, oh, back into the 1980s.
The numbers vary a little, Carol, up and down each time we ask it. We say, "Who are your sympathies more with, the Israelis or the Palestinians?" That's the Palestinian line on the bottom, the Israeli line on the top. It goes up after the war, 1991. It goes back down and up again. The rest of Americans say not sympathetic with either side, but clearly it's the Israelis each time we ask about it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I was wondering about the big tax cut bill and how Americans think about that now that they have more information.
NEWPORT: Oh, we've been looking at that in great depth. A lot of questions asked about the tax cut bill. Mixed, neutral, kind of apathetic reactions. I saw one journalist characterize it over the weekend as Americans aren't really pressing for the tax cut bill they're getting anyhow. I think this question typifies it very well: Will it mostly help the economy? Thirty-six percent of Americans when we asked that just a few days ago; no effect, 23; mostly hurt, 30 percent. That 36 percent is probably a key number there. It's simply showing that it's not a huge number of Americans thinking it will help the economy all in all -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Frank Newport, many thanks.
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 May 27, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: From Iraq to the Middle East now -- well, the Middle East. Peace in the region is on the mind of many Americans.
Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport is here with more on the public's perspective.
Frank -- good morning.
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Indeed, we've been asking the American public about the Middle East situation for a number of years now. Here is -- we just reviewed it, and here is what I would say were some of the key points. This is American public opinion about the Middle East; now, of course, back on the front pages again.
The importance is still there, but to the American public the importance of trying to negotiate a peace a little lower now than we've measured it earlier this year and last year. Still important, but I think some of the other things that have happened in the world have kind of dwarfed it just a little in importance.
Second, I found seven different times that we at Gallup have asked about a Palestinian state, asked the American public over the last several years, three or four years, and in every instance a plurality. Now a majority of Americans say, yes, they support that idea. And that's even though -- and I'll show you this in more detail -- sympathies, when we asked Americans, clearly with the Israelis over the Palestinians. In fact, let me zero in on that one, because we've been asking that for, oh, back into the 1980s.
The numbers vary a little, Carol, up and down each time we ask it. We say, "Who are your sympathies more with, the Israelis or the Palestinians?" That's the Palestinian line on the bottom, the Israeli line on the top. It goes up after the war, 1991. It goes back down and up again. The rest of Americans say not sympathetic with either side, but clearly it's the Israelis each time we ask about it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I was wondering about the big tax cut bill and how Americans think about that now that they have more information.
NEWPORT: Oh, we've been looking at that in great depth. A lot of questions asked about the tax cut bill. Mixed, neutral, kind of apathetic reactions. I saw one journalist characterize it over the weekend as Americans aren't really pressing for the tax cut bill they're getting anyhow. I think this question typifies it very well: Will it mostly help the economy? Thirty-six percent of Americans when we asked that just a few days ago; no effect, 23; mostly hurt, 30 percent. That 36 percent is probably a key number there. It's simply showing that it's not a huge number of Americans thinking it will help the economy all in all -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Frank Newport, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
