Bush's approval rating plunges

2005-08-31 14:33

Washington - President George W Bush's approval rating sank to an all time low of 45%, in a Washington Post-ABC poll published on Wednesday that also said he could do more to ease soaring gasoline prices.

The August 25 to 28 survey of 1 006 adults with a 3% margin of error found that 53% of Americans disapproved of how Bush was handling his job as president.

Only 45% approved of his performance, the lowest approval rating ever recorded for Bush in the Post-ABC survey since he took office in January 2001.

Besides his job in Iraq, which 42% approved and 57% did not, the rising gasoline prices were also to blame for Bush's loss in popularity.

Plenty of disapproval

By a margin of 73-22%, people disapproved of Bush's handling of the gasoline crisis, while 60% said there were steps he could take to reduce fuel prices, which are headed higher still after Hurricane Katrina's damage to southern US refineries. Only 36% said gas prices were not his fault.

Bush also received negative ratings for his handling of immigration (57% disapproved, 33% approved), the economy (54-44%) and social security (52-40%).

Only the president's job in fighting terrorism met with the majority's approval, 56% against 43% who disapproved.

On the Iraq war, 53% of those surveyed said it was not worth fighting compared to 46% who thought it was, but 54% believed US troops should stay in Iraq against 44% who said they should be withdrawn.

For 68%, the US casualties of the Iraq war (close to 1 900 deaths) were unacceptable, while only 30% thought they were an acceptable cost of the war.

- AFP