Approval down for Bush, Congress

April 09, 2005|Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The public's dissatisfaction with President Bush and the Republican-led Congress is growing, with approval ratings dropping amid record-high gas prices, the war in Iraq, the Social Security debate, and the emotional Terri Schiavo case.

Bush's job approval is at 44 percent, with 54 percent disapproving. Only 37 percent of those surveyed said they have a favorable opinion of the work being done by Congress, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

Bush's job approval was at 49 percent in January, the same month he was sworn in for a second term, while approval for Congress was at 41 percent.

The president was asked yesterday about his falling ratings in some polls, and he said he was indifferent.

''Some of them were going up the other day," he responded as he flew back from Rome on Air Force One. ''You can find them going up, and you can find them going down. You can pretty much find out what you want in polls is my point."

The number supporting Bush's handling of some domestic issues dipped between March and April, to 42 percent for the economy and 38 percent for issues such as education and healthcare, according to the poll conducted for the Associated Press by Ipsos-Public Affairs.

Support for the president's approach to his top domestic priority, Social Security, remained at 36 percent, while 58 percent oppose it.

The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,001 adults was taken April 4-6 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.