Gore Gets Bounce, But Clintons Numbers Remain High

Clinton's career average is 56 percent approval, identical to Ronald Reagan's
and Lyndon Johnson's. (ABCNEWS.com)

Analysis By Dalia Sussman, ABCNEWS.com

Aug. 23, 2000 The bounce went to Al Gore, not to Bill Clinton.

Not that Clinton needed one. A week after the Democratic National Convention, an ABCNEWS.com poll finds that 60 percent of Americans approve of his job performance, unchanged from its average the last year. Gore, meanwhile, is enjoying a post-convention bounce in support in his race to succeed Clinton.

Even without any improvement, Clintons job rating is strong, and its been quite stable: It hasnt dropped below 55 percent since April 1996. Indeed, hes on track to become the first postwar president with a final-year approval rating that exceeds his career average.

The economys the main reason. Absent war, no factor influences presidential approval like consumer confidence. And consumer confidence, as measured in the weekly ABCNEWS/Money magazine poll, remains near the 14-year high it reached in January.

Clintons career job approval peaked at 69 percent shortly after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke in January 1998. Its lowest was 43 percent, just five months after he took office and before the fruits of economic recovery reached Main Street.

In Clintons case, of course, a high job approval rating isnt the same as a high personal approval rating. In an ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll this week, 64 percent approved of Clintons policies but only 35 percent had a favorable opinion of him personally.

Career Average

Clintons career average is 56 percent approval, identical to Ronald Reagans and Lyndon Johnsons.

Groups

Ratings of Clintons job performance are highly partisan. Only about a quarter of Republicans approve of the way hes handled his job, compared to more than half of independents and almost nine in 10 Democrats. Blacks, the most loyal Democratic group, give Clinton very high approval marks.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone Aug. 16-20 among a random national sample of 1,002 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was done by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.