CBS News/New York Times Monthly Poll #2, December 2003 (ICPSR 3984)

Summary View help for Summary

This poll, conducted December 10-14 and 16, 2003, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit opinions on political and social issues. Views were sought on the 2004 presidential campaign and the war with Iraq, as well as President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, and the economy. Respondents were asked whether the country was going in the right or wrong direction, whether President Bush legitimately won the 2000 presidential election, whether it was acceptable to publicly criticize him on terrorism issues, whether his tax cuts were good or bad for the economy, and the condition of the national economy. A series of questions asked whether the result of the war with Iraq and the removal of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was worth the human and economic costs, whether Iraq was an immediate threat to the United States, how well the United States was doing to bring stability and order to Iraq, how long troops should remain there, and whether the United States won the war with Iraq. Several questions asked about the effects of Saddam Hussein's capture on attacks against United States troops in Iraq and threats of terrorism against the United States, whether the United States could win the war in Afghanistan without the capture or death of Osama bin Laden, and who was winning the war on terrorism. Questions were posed regarding the progress made by the Bush administration in reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, whether it had a clear plan for rebuilding Iraq and the campaign against terrorism, whether it was too quick or too slow in getting the United States involved in a war with Iraq, and whether the administration told everything it knew about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq prior to the war. Respondents were also polled on how much attention they paid to the 2004 presidential campaign, whether they would vote for President George W. Bush or a Democratic candidate for president, how certain they were about their choice, which one issue candidates should discuss, whether candidates should support or oppose the war in Iraq and gay marriage, and whether candidates should have political experience inside or outside of Washington. Opinions were solicited on former Vice-President Al Gore, the Democratic presidential nominees (Carol Moseley-Braun, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dick Gephardt, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman, Al Sharpton), and the effect of Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean for president. Respondents were polled on whether the Democratic or Republican party would do a better job of ensuring a strong economy, dealing with terrorism, creating new jobs, and rebuilding Iraq, and whether political leaders from middle class backgrounds did a better job representing the middle class than those from wealthy backgrounds. Views were sought on whether homosexuality was immoral, whether it was a choice, whether homosexual couples should be able to form legal civil unions and marry, and whether marriage was mostly a legal or religious matter. Additional topics addressed the use of steroids in professional sports, the recently passed Medicare bill, whether the government should promote traditional values, the public viewing of caskets of soldiers killed in Iraq, and whether President Bush should have attended the funerals of military personnel. Background variables include sex, age, ethnicity, income, marital status, education, religion, religiosity, number of phone lines in household, date of interview, political orientation, political party affiliation, and voter registration and participation history.

Citation View help for Citation

Export Citation:

• RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
• EndNote

Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage

Restrictions View help for Restrictions

This data collection may not be used for any purpose other than statistical reporting and analysis. Use of these data to learn the identity of any person or establishment is prohibited.

Distributor(s) View help for Distributor(s)