Aging Optimists
Americans are getting older and, as a new Zogby survey suggests, more optimistic about their health. Eighty-one percent of participants in the new survey described their health as excellent or good. In another question in the same survey, 57 percent said their diet was healthier than it was five years ago, with an additional 37 percent reporting that it was about the same.These findings may help to explain Americans’ expectations about their individual lifespans. A quarter of all Americans expect to live 90 or more years, while a plurality say they will probably live to between 80 and 90 years old. Only 5 percent don’t expect to make it to 70. Source: Zogby International, September 2007.
Debating SCHIP
After President Bush vetoed the expansion of SCHIP, the Pew Research Center asked Americans how closely they followed the President’s action. Slightly more than a quarter (27 percent) reported following it “very closely,” including 32 percent of Democrats and 21 percent of Republicans. In the poll, the issue trailed only the current situation in Iraq as the most-closely watched issue (29 percent of participants reported following Iraq “very closely”). When asked by Gallup in a new poll whether they had more confidence in the Democrats in Congress or President Bush to handle the SCHIP issue, the Democrats—who usually lead the Republicans on health-related issues—bested the Republicans, 52 to 32 percent. But when asked in another question whether they favored the Bush approach or the Democratic one, Americans opted decisively for the President’s approach. Source: The Gallup Organization, October 2007.
China's Challenges
Praise for past and current leaders topped the agenda at China’s 17th Annual Communist Party Congress this week. And while opinion toward China remains generally positive in Asia and Africa, recent polls suggest that the western world is watching with more critical eyes. According to a Pew Global Attitudes survey released in June, just 42 percent of Americans say that they have a favorable opinion of China, similar to the 43 percent who expressed that opinion in 2005. In Western Europe, China’s favorability ratings have declined significantly, from 65 to 49 percent in Britain, 58 to 47 percent in France, and 46 to 34 percent in Germany. Widespread criticism of the nation’s human rights abuses and a spate of unsafe consumer products may be partially responsible for the demise in popularity, as well as fears of the country’s growing economic prowess. Between 2005 and 2007, the percentage of respondents who told Pew that China’s growing economy was a “bad thing” increased in several countries, including the United States (40 to 45 percent), Britain (31 to 41 percent), and Germany (38 to 55 percent). Source: The Pew Research Center, June 2007.
How the President is Handling His Job
For more than 70 years, pollsters have asked Americans whether or not they approve of the way their president is handling his job. More recently, they have also asked a follow-up question designed to measure how strongly they do so. Collectively, these polls suggest that strong presidents—whether Republican or Democrat—tend to provoke strong emotions. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both had higher “strong disapproval" ratings than George H.W. Bush, and ratings for current President George W. Bush have reached a record high. In a late September ABC News/Washington Post poll, 64 percent of participants expressed disapproval of the way Bush was handling his job. Source: ABC News/Washington Post, September 2007.
Warming Up to Gore?
Will Al Gore’s recent Nobel Prize boost his standing as a potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination? Unlikely. In most polls of Democrats, including the latest Gallup poll shown below, Hillary Clinton retains a commanding lead over the rest of the field. And while Gore’s favorable rating nationally was above 60 percent several times while he was Vice President, his ratings since that time have not been as positive. In an August 2007 Gallup poll, 50 percent had a favorable opinion of him, and 42 percent an unfavorable one.
Source: The Gallup Organization, latest of October 2007.
