CBS News Monthly Poll #3, April 2003 (ICPSR 3824)

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This poll, conducted April 26-27, 2003, is part of a continuing series of monthly polls that solicit opinions on political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his overall job performance, as well as his handling of military action against Iraq and the economy. Respondents were also asked whether President Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, and the Bush administration shared the priorities of the respondent and the degree to which the president's economic policies had affected the national economy. Views were elicited on the most important issue facing the United States, the national economy, whether it was improving, getting worse, or staying the same, whether the economy was better or worse than one year ago, whether the respondent's financial situation was better or worse than one year ago, whether it was getting better or getting worse, what the overall condition of the stock market was, whether the federal budget deficit had affected the respondent's financial situation, and how concerned the respondent was that a member of their family would lose his or her job. In addition, respondents were asked whether the federal government should provide further economic aid to states or not provide aid and let the states raise taxes and/or cut spending, whether tax cuts in 2001 helped, hindered, or had no effect on the economy, whether a large tax cut would help, hinder, or have no effect on the economy, whether cutting taxes or reducing the federal deficit was a better way to improve the economy, and what the condition of the national economy would be if the September 11, 2001, attacks had not occurred. Respondents were queried on the responsibility of the United States to intervene in international crises, whether respondents felt safer, less safe, or about the same from the threat of terrorism compared to one year ago, whether the United States was more respected, less respected, or maintained the same amount of respect by the world compared to one year ago, whether it was more important that other countries like the policies or respect the power of the United States, and whether it was more important that the Arab world like the policies or respect the power of the United States. Those polled also commented on who was winning the war against terrorism, whether the United States should only attack once it was itself attacked or if the United States should attack before being attacked if there was a legitimate threat by another country, and the degree of threat North Korea posed to the United States. Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with military action against Iraq, whether removing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was worth the human and economic costs, whether they thought Saddam Hussein was alive or dead, whether the war against Iraq was worth the costs if Saddam Hussein was not found, whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, whether the United States would find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, whether the war against Iraq was worth the human and economic costs if weapons of mass destruction were not found, whether the Iraqi people were grateful to the United States for ridding them of Saddam Hussein or resentful of the United States for their presence in Iraq, and whether the United States was in control of the events occurring in Iraq. Other questions focused on how long respondents thought the United States military would have to be in Iraq, whether that length of time was too long, too short, or the right amount of time, whether the United States had a responsibility to establish a new government in Iraq, whether the United States would intervene if it appeared that the new Iraqi government would be an Islamic fundamentalist government, and whether the United States should support an Islamic fundamentalist government in Iraq. Backgroundvariables on respondents include age, sex, the number of children under the age of 18 in the household, the number of children in the household aged 12 to 17, whether the respondent voted in the 2000 United States presidential election and if so, for whom, political orientation, political ideology, marital status, religious orientation, education, ethnicity, family income, and the willingness to be called again.

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