Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
This study, our fourth of the campaign, focused on those stories that were recurring or major themes during the period from the last week of September until the third week of October. It deliberately captured any story that appeared twice or more in an attempt to identify the major stories threads in these critical days. […]
Washington, D.C. Discussants: Thomas Marcelle, Attorney for the Petitioners, Good News Club Elliot Mincberg, Vice President, People for the American Way Foundation Steven Sheinberg, Assistant Director, Legal Affairs, Anti-Defamation League K. Hollyn Hollman, General Counsel, Baptist Joint Committee Moderated by: Melissa Rogers, Executive Director, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life MS. MELISSA ROGERS: Good […]
Ironically as the debates kicked in, coverage of policy themes declined drastically, from 48% in Week One leading up to the first debate to 30% in Week Three. As the election got closer, the press favored the “race” over the issues. In all, about three-in-ten of the stories we studied related to policy themes. While […]
Gore’s Personality Woes While issues continue to drive most voters’ choices, personality remains an important factor in the race, particularly among Gore’s detractors. When asked what they like most about the candidates they support, a plurality of Gore voters (44%) point to his stand on the issues. A significant minority (29%) cite the vice president’s […]
Tight Battle for Congress The battle for control of Congress is as close and as hard-fought as the presidential contest. But there is no sign that national issues or concerns are playing a major role in the struggle for Capitol Hill, and voters do not appear particularly dissatisfied with their own representatives or with Congress […]
Might-Miss TV? Just one-in-ten Americans (13%) plan to watch all or most of the television coverage of the GOP convention, while another 28% say they’ll watch some of it. Older Americans are both more interested in the convention and more apt to watch the television coverage. But even among Republicans, there is scant interest in […]
Issues Edge For Gore Gore not only has improved his image, he holds a commanding lead over Bush as the candidate best able to handle most major policy issues. The vice president out-polls Bush on nine of 15 issues tested. The biggest gaps come on traditional Democratic issues, such as improving conditions for minority groups […]
The campaign for the 2000 elections presents both parties with substantial political challenges. In the presidential race, the two Democratic candidates continue to lag behind GOP frontrunner George W. Bush. Vice President Al Gore, in particular, is struggling with an image problem — while most Americans see him as trustworthy, likable and caring, only one-third […]
An overwhelming 81% say they are optimistic about their lives and the lives of their families over the next half century; 40% consider themselves very optimistic. These optimists tend to be young, college educated and have higher than average incomes. Among Americans under age 30, 85% report feeling positive about their futures, compared to 72% […]
Hillary, Fatigue and Gore Memories of the impeachment trial have begun to fade. Only 43% of Americans remember that Clinton’s Senate trial ended in 1999. This compares with 76% who knew in November 1991 that the Gulf War had ended earlier that year. Nonetheless, Clinton fatigue is still apparent. While Bill Clinton’s job approval ratings […]