Bush Gets Gonged On Environment

CBS News Poll, April 23-25, 2001

(CBS)  President Bush continues to receive some of his lowest marks from the public for his handling of environmental issues, according to the latest CBS News poll. Just 38 percent of the public approves of the way the president is handling the environment, and as many – 39 percent - disapprove.

As for the president's big tax-cut plan, more than half of Americans support it, but just over half think it is not possible to have the tax-cut package while still preserving Social Security and Medicare, and spending more on education.

Mr. Bush does get a boost in his approval ratings for the way he managed the China spy plane incident, which was resolved earlier this month with the safe return of 24 U.S. crew members.

One of the most telling reasons for Mr. Bush's low ratings on the environment is that the public views his priorities in this area as the opposite of theirs. By more than 2-1, the public places a priority on protecting the environment over producing energy. However, when asked which they think Mr. Bush feels is more important, Americans overwhelmingly think he is on the side of producing energy. While 58 percent of the public supports protecting the environment, 70 percent think Mr. Bush supports energy production.


These divergent priorities are clearly evident on the issue of drilling for oil in the Arctic, something Bush strongly supports. A majority of Americans oppose opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to drilling for oil and natural gas: 54 percent disapprove of this plan, and 37 percent approve of it. Public opposition to drilling in the Arctic has remained firm for the past few months.

The public is very clear on its priorities when it comes to the environment: 75 percent think we need to maintain our present environmental laws in order to preserve the environment for future generations, while 19 percent want to relax environmental laws in order to achieve economic growth.

Over the past twenty years, the public has become more supportive of maintaining environmental laws; in 1981, 67 percent supported maintaining environmental laws.

On the tax issue, public support for Mr. Bush's 10-year $1.6 trillion tax cut continues to outweigh opposition, as it has since he first proposed his plan early in his presidency. However, Americans continue to question the affordability of the tax cut as well as its actual impact on their own pocketbooks.

In the latest CBS News poll, 52 percent support Mr. Bush's tax cut and 37 percent oppose it. Public sentiment has changed little since earlier this year. Opinion is divided along partisan lines; 75 percent of Republicans favor it, but fewer than half as many Democrats - 34 percent - feel the same way. Fifty-three percent of independents support the Bush tax cut.

A number of factors contribute to the lack of widespread support for the Bush tax cut. An increasing number of Americans think it is unrealistic for the governmnt to cut taxes and still continue to pay for programs they value. Fifty-one percent think it is not possible to cut taxes while still preserving programs like Social Security and Medicare and increasing spending on education, and 38 percent think this is possible.

Possible to Cut Taxes, Preserve Social Security and Spend on Education?
	Yes	No
Now	38%	51%
	Yes	No
3/01	48%	43%

In March, a plurality believed it was possible to achieve all of these financial goals.

Most Americans continue to be skeptical about the ultimate effect of this tax cut, and don't believe it will make much difference in the amount of money they have after taxes. Only a third think it will make a difference in their disposable income, and 59 percent think it will not. This view has changed little in the past few months. Even among those with the highest incomes, only 33 percent think they will see a significant rise in the money in their pockets as a result of these tax cuts.

And as has been the case since his inauguration, most Americans do not think Mr. Bush will cut taxes for everyone. Fifty-six percent think he will not be able to cut taxes for all Americans, while 40 percent think he will.

Priorities for government spending also continue to be a factor in public reaction to Bush's tax cut. Just 18 percent want the budget surplus used for a tax cut, while 50 percent want it applied to preserve Social Security and Medicare. Fifteen percent want the money used to pay down the national debt. These priorities have remained consistent since the campaign last fall.

In addition, a decreasing number of Americans believe this tax cut will stimulate the economy. Now, 35 percent think it will be good for the economy, 22 percent think it will be bad, and 38 percent don't believe it will make much difference. One month ago, more viewed Mr. Bush's tax cut as good for the economy.

Finally, on relations with China, the president did receive a boost in approval ratungs for his handling of the spy plane incident, in which the crew of a U.S. surveillance plane was detained by the Chinese after their plane made an emergency landing.

However, it has not necessarily increased overall evaluations of Bush's skill at handling international crises.

Now, 57 percent approve of the way he is handling relations with China, and 31 percent disapprove. While the crew was being held in China, 49 percent approved of the way Mr. Bush was handling relations with that country, and 28 percent disapproved.

BUSH'S HANDLING OF RELATIONS WITH CHINA
	Approve	Dispprove
Now	57%	31%
	Approve	Dispprove
4/4-5	49%	28%

Most of the poll was conducted before news reports of President Bush's promise to use "whatever it took" to defend Taiwan from China. Right now, Americans are divided in their perceptions of China, with just as many saying it is a friend or an ally as saying it is unfriendly or an enemy. Forty-nine percent consider China friendly or an ally of the U.S., and 45 percent consider it an unfriendly nation or an enemy.

Mr. Bush's recent remarks about Taiwan and China aside, Americans are firmly against giving China the same international trading privileges it gives to friendly nations, perhaps as a result of the spy plane incident. In this poll, 38 percent think the U.S. should award China this status, but 49 percent think the U.S. should not. This was not the case ten years ago, after Tiananmen Square. In 1990, 52 percent felt the U.S. should give China trading privileges, and 37 percent were against it.

As for the outcome of the surveillance plane event, most Americans don't see either the U.S. or China as the clear "winner". Perhaps because the crew was returned to the U.S. but the plane was not, 73 percent believe neither side "won" the standoff. Nine percent think the U.S. won, and 11 percent think China won.

The incident with China has not, however, given the public greater confidence in Mr. Bush's ability to deal with foreign affairs. In this poll, 47 percent have confidence in Bush's ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, while just as many remain uneasy about him. Mr. Bush has struggled with this perception throughout last fall's campaign, and continues to do so during his presidency.

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This poll was conducted among a nationwide sample of 921 adults, interviewed by telephone April 23-25, 2001. The error due to sampling could be plus or minus three percentage points for results based on the entire sample.

For detailed information on how CBS News conducts public opinion surveys, click here.



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