Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Interview With Frank Newport
Aired August 12, 2003 - 14:51 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: With all the fuss over California's recall vote, you might get the idea that's all Americans are thinking about this week. But as Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll found out, you have a lot more important things on your mind. Hi, Frank.
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Hello, Kyra. I'm not going to make a value judgment about important or not, but we do know that the American public is most concerned about the economy.
Despite, as you mentioned, all the other things that occupy the front pages and on CNN and elsewhere, this is our most important problem facing the U.S. today. Question just got through asking it for August and lo and behold, 26 of Americans spontaneously say it's the economy. Another 17 percent, unemployment and jobs.
If you put those together, you're almost at half of Americans saying it's the economy. Notice terrorism's down there at just 12 percent, considerably below economic mentions.
Another way of looking at this is our monthly track on Americans' perceptions of the U.S. economy. Everybody's kind of waiting for Americans to become more optimistic and pick up in terms of their evaluations of the U.S. economy. We're not seeing it yet. That green line is the percent who say the economy is excellent and good. Notice how it is just meandering right along there, 21, 25, 24, 23 percent.
Kyra, just no signs the average American is becoming more positive about the economy at this time.
PHILLIPS: Well, how are Americans feeling about losing their jobs now?
NEWPORT: Well, you know, we think looking at the data carefully, that's a major component of why Americans are so depressed about the economy. Is now a good time to be out there looking for a quality job? That's the question we track each month.
Nice looking graph here. The bad news is it's this green line at the bottom that's percentage of Americans who say it's a good time to be looking for a job. And notice how that's even going down month by month. Now at only 17 percent say it's a good time to be looking for a job, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: What about Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? who do Americans want more? NEWPORT: Well, you know, the interesting question now, al Qaeda's claimed some connection with the tragic bombing in Indonesia. A lot of the focus is on getting Saddam Hussein in Iraq. We put the question to Americans.
If you had to choose, what's the most target for the U.S. in terms of capturing for killing Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden? We may forget about Osama bin Laden, but Americans haven't. Forty-one to 29, they say it's al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden actually the more important target if America had to choose its priorities at this point.
PHILLIPS: Frank Newport, thank 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 August 12, 2003 - 14:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: With all the fuss over California's recall vote, you might get the idea that's all Americans are thinking about this week. But as Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll found out, you have a lot more important things on your mind. Hi, Frank.
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Hello, Kyra. I'm not going to make a value judgment about important or not, but we do know that the American public is most concerned about the economy.
Despite, as you mentioned, all the other things that occupy the front pages and on CNN and elsewhere, this is our most important problem facing the U.S. today. Question just got through asking it for August and lo and behold, 26 of Americans spontaneously say it's the economy. Another 17 percent, unemployment and jobs.
If you put those together, you're almost at half of Americans saying it's the economy. Notice terrorism's down there at just 12 percent, considerably below economic mentions.
Another way of looking at this is our monthly track on Americans' perceptions of the U.S. economy. Everybody's kind of waiting for Americans to become more optimistic and pick up in terms of their evaluations of the U.S. economy. We're not seeing it yet. That green line is the percent who say the economy is excellent and good. Notice how it is just meandering right along there, 21, 25, 24, 23 percent.
Kyra, just no signs the average American is becoming more positive about the economy at this time.
PHILLIPS: Well, how are Americans feeling about losing their jobs now?
NEWPORT: Well, you know, we think looking at the data carefully, that's a major component of why Americans are so depressed about the economy. Is now a good time to be out there looking for a quality job? That's the question we track each month.
Nice looking graph here. The bad news is it's this green line at the bottom that's percentage of Americans who say it's a good time to be looking for a job. And notice how that's even going down month by month. Now at only 17 percent say it's a good time to be looking for a job, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: What about Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? who do Americans want more? NEWPORT: Well, you know, the interesting question now, al Qaeda's claimed some connection with the tragic bombing in Indonesia. A lot of the focus is on getting Saddam Hussein in Iraq. We put the question to Americans.
If you had to choose, what's the most target for the U.S. in terms of capturing for killing Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden? We may forget about Osama bin Laden, but Americans haven't. Forty-one to 29, they say it's al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden actually the more important target if America had to choose its priorities at this point.
PHILLIPS: Frank Newport, thank 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
