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CNN Sunday Morning

Gallup Poll: Bush's Job Approval Rating Remains High

Aired January 20, 2002 - 08:33   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Tomorrow, President Bush begins his second year in office. Today, he's enjoying some of the highest approval ratings of any American president ever. Here's a look at the numbers from CNN's Frank Newport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Indeed, it's the first year anniversary of President George W. Bush's entrance into office, and what a year it's been. He's beginning his second year starting tomorrow. Job approval-wise, our classic Gallup measure of presidents, George W. Bush has some of the highest numbers we have seen in our Gallup history.

First of all, let's look at the average for the year. A good part of the year, of course, was pre-September 11, when George W. Bush's ratings were somewhat lower than they were afterwards, as I'll show you in a minute. Compared to his predecessor, look at Bill Clinton on the left-hand side. His first year in office: only 49 percent average job approval. Clinton left office with a 60 percent for his last year.

Overall, Bush's first year: 67 percent. So it's up higher for his whole year than his predecessor either began or ended with. But look at it by quarter. Now, particularly, compared to Bill Clinton's first year, you can see George W. Bush after September 11, 68 percent in the third quarter. And in this last quarter he averaged 86 percent. Now that's an extraordinarily high job approval number. I'll put it in some context for you here. In fact, it's essentially tied to the highest quarterly average for job approval that we've ever measured.

Now, Harry Truman, right after he took office when FDR died in 1945, had an 87. That's when the war in Europe ended. We only had one measure then, but one point higher than what we're seeing right now for George W. Bush's quarter at that 86 percent. Who else has had high quarterly averages? Bush's father, right after the Gulf War; Harry Truman, later in 1945; and then John F. Kennedy had a 78 percent average back in 1962. But this gives you a sense for how high these job approval ratings we've been seeing for George W. Bush in the last quarter, in particular, are in historical context.

We'll monitor Bush, of course, as he's moving into his second year in office. But that's an update for you. I'm Frank Newport. (END VIDEOTAPE)

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