12-15-2001

POLLING: Poll Track For December 15, 2001

In the News


Faith, Dough, and Charity


The Red Cross has taken a beating in the media since critics began
questioning the organization's handling of charitable funds earmarked for
victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. To most Americans, however,
the negative publicity hasn't mattered: 59 percent of those surveyed by
Princeton Survey Research Associates for Newsweek said they haven't
changed their opinion of the Red Cross one way or another. Ten percent
said their opinion of the group is actually better as a result, and 27
percent said it's worse.


More than half of Americans also think the money raised by all charities
for the September 11 victims is being spent properly. Fifty-six percent
said they're confident that all contributions are "generally being
used for the purposes donors intended." Forty-two percent aren't so
confident. (12/7/01; 1,003 adults; margin of error plus or minus
3%)


Duplicative Efforts


Adults surveyed by Gallup Organization Inc. for CNN and USA Today
overwhelming oppose the use of cloning to create another human being, but
find cloning in medical research somewhat more acceptable. In a split
sample, 88 percent of respondents said they do not approve of cloning that
is "designed specifically to result in the birth of a human
being," and only 9 percent approved. Respondents in the other half of
the sample were asked whether they approved of cloning "that is not
designed to specifically result in the birth of a human being, but is
designed to aid medical research that might find treatments for certain
diseases." Fifty-four percent said they approved of using cloning in
medical research, and 41 percent said they did not approve. (11/27/01;
1,025 adults; plus or minus 3%)


Legal Affairs


Alien Thoughts


More than half of Americans think that noncitizens living legally in this
country should not be afforded the same legal rights as citizens,
according to a poll for National Public Radio, Harvard University's John
F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. The
question specifically excepted the right to vote or hold public office.
Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said that noncitizens visiting or
living legally in the United States should have different rights than U.S.
citizens, while 42 percent said they should have the same rights.
(11/25/01; 1,010 adults; margin of error plus or minus 3%)


Job-Approval Snapshot


Attorney General John Ashcroft


Approve   Disapprove


76	     15


(Ipsos-Reid; 12/2/01;


1,000 adults; plus or minus 3%)


Tribunals: OK by Us


In a Newsweek poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates, 68 percent of
respondents said they supported the Bush Administration's plan to use
military tribunals, not the regular court system, to try those suspected
of committing acts of terrorism against the United States. The
NPR-Harvard-Kaiser poll drew similar results: 64 percent favored military
tribunals for noncitizens detained both inside and outside the country.
Opinion became more varied, however, when respondents were asked about
details of the process. In the Newsweek poll, 58 percent said the trials
should be conducted "entirely" or "mostly" in public,
and 38 percent supported closed proceedings. More than half favored some
international involvement: 55 percent, a plurality, said that the
tribunals should "have some international involvement or
representation." Forty percent disagreed. (11/30/01; 1,002 adults;
plus or minus 3%)


If military tribunals are used to try noncitizens, do you think that the
judges should be able to sentence someone to death for committing
terrorism against the United States?


Should be able to impose death sentence        68%


Should not be able to impose death sentence    25


Don't know					6


(NPR-Harvard-Kaiser; 11/25/01; 1,010 adults; plus or minus 3%)


Election Matchups


It's the GOP All the Way-Today


If the presidential election were held today, the winner would be
President Bush, an Ipsos-Reid poll shows. Fifty-six percent of the adults
surveyed said they'd "definitely vote" to keep Bush in office.
Twenty-four percent said they would consider voting for someone else, 16
percent said they would definitely vote for someone else, and 4 percent
weren't sure.


Republicans on Capitol Hill also got the hypothetical thumbs-up from
respondents. Asked about their vote if the election were held today, 48
percent said they'd like to see the Republican Party win control of
Congress. Thirty-nine percent favored the Democrats, and 13 percent were
unsure. (12/2/01; 1,000 adults; plus or minus 3%)


Deborah L. Acomb

National Journal