President Bush also cannot count on support from his own party as six in ten Republicans (61%) believe the current state of the country is fair or poor. The numbers for Independents and Democrats are, not surprisingly, even worse. Almost all Democrats (95%) say the state of the country is fair or poor as do 87 percent of Independents.
How Certain Issues are Going
One reason for the general state of unhappiness in the country as a whole may be that there is a negative perception of the state of so many specific issues. Of the seven issues asked about, strong majorities say they are going poorly. Considering the economic news of the past few weeks, strengthening the economy is not looked at as going well at all. Four in five Americans (81%) say that is going poorly while just 16 percent say it is going well. Another economic issue, making taxes fairer, also does not do well, as three-quarters of Americans (75%) say that is going only fair or poor and one in five (19%) say it is going well.
Three in five (61%) Americans think the war on terrorism, normally one of President Bush’s strongest issues, is going poorly with just one-third (35%) saying it is going well. The war in Iraq fares even worse, as two-thirds (66%) say that is going poorly. Strengthening social security was one of President Bush’s signature initiatives, but Americans do not think highly at all of how that is going today. Just one in ten (10%) say that is going well in the country while 84 percent say it is going poorly. Three-quarters (76%) say making prescription drugs affordable is going poorly and two-thirds (66%) say protecting the environment is not going well.
In looking at the six issues that were also asked about last year, only one has seen an increase in people saying it is going well. Last year, one in five (19%) said the war in Iraq was going well, this year one-quarter (26%) say the same. While all the others are down, the one that has taken the largest drop is strengthening the economy. In 2007, over one-third (36%) of Americans said that was going well. One year later, just 16 percent say the same thing.
Issues to Emphasize in the State of the Union
As Americans watch the number of foreclosures rise and home values and portfolios drop, it may not be too surprising that strengthening the economy is the top issue people would like to see President Bush emphasize in the State of the Union. Almost two-thirds (64%) of Americans believe he should emphasize it up from just one-third (33%) who thought so last year. Half of Americans (49%) believe the war in Iraq should be emphasized; just about the same as last year’s 51 percent. Less than one-quarter of adults say any of the other issues asked about deserve emphasis in the State of the Union.
There are certain generations more worried about strengthening the economy than others – Generation X (those aged 32-43) and Baby Boomers (those aged 44-62). Seven in ten of both of these groups (69% and 71% respectively) believe strengthening the economy should be emphasized in the state of the union. This number drops to just over half of Matures (58% of those aged 63 and older) and Echo Boomers (57% of those aged 18-31).
Is Anyone Watching?
Looking at whether Americans will even be watching the final State of the Union for the President, the answer is maybe. Just under half (46%) of Americans say they may watching the address while just one-quarter (25%) say they will be and three in ten (29%) say they will not be watching. Again, the President can’t really count too much on his own party faithful to tune in as just one-third (34%) of Republicans will watch while half (51%) say they might.
So What?
The final year of the Bush Administration is starting off in worse shape than a year which saw record lows in Bush’s approval ratings (Harris Poll #36) and near record lows in the direction of the country (Harris Poll #121). While this does not mean that the President’s marks will get any lower, it does set the stage for a year in which President Bush is hoping to ensure his legacy will be left. He may be able to do just that. But he will need the support of Congress and the attention of the American public.
At the moment, both of these groups are focused on other things. For Congress, it is an election year, not only for themselves, but also for the next person to occupy the White House. For the American public, their focus, at the moment, is probably less on elections and more on the economy and protecting their own wallets and pocketbooks. At the end of the year we’ll have to look back and see if President Bush has managed to make himself heard through all of this.
