Tables

Question: In your opinion, do you believe that the country is moving in the right direction or do you believe it has gotten off on the wrong track?

September 29

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Right direction

35%

11

19

73

41

31

Wrong track

52%

79

56

17

50

54

Don’t know/Unsure

13%

10

26

10

9

16

July ‘04

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Right direction

36%

14

31

64

40

34

Wrong track

51%

77

49

23

49

53

Don’t know/Unsure

12%

9

20

13

11

13

April ’04

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Right direction

38%

13

35

65

43

33

Wrong track

48%

73

52

21

46

50

Don’t know/Unsure

14%

14

14

14

11

17

January ‘04

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Right direction

47%

25

47

75

54

41

Wrong track

38%

56

37

16

33

42

Don’t know/Unsure

15%

19

16

10

14

17

Sept ‘03

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Right direction

36%

20

30

61

43

31

Wrong track

52%

72

52

25

45

58

Don’t know/Unsure

12%

9

18

14

12

12

Last April ‘03

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Right direction

55%

35

51

77

60

50

Wrong track

32%

49

34

14

30

34

Don’t know/Unsure

13%

17

15

9

10

17

 

Question: How would you rate the job George W. Bush is doing as President—excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

September 29

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

16%

2

9

35

17

15

Good

29%

13

29

49

30

28

Only fair

24%

33

30

10

21

26

Poor

30%

51

26

5

31

29

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

2%

2

6

1

2

2

July ‘04

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

16%

2

9

34

19

13

Good

26%

11

21

43

25

27

Only fair

27%

33

39

18

26

28

Poor

29%

52

24

4

27

30

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

2%

1

7

1

3

2

April ‘04

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

15%

1

10

31

19

12

Good

28%

11

27

44

27

28

Only fair

27%

35

36

17

26

29

Poor

29%

50

25

7

28

30

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

1%

1

2

--

--

2

January ‘04

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

17%

4

11

36

23

12

Good

34%

17

44

53

33

36

Only fair

28%

45

29

7

24

32

Poor

19%

33

13

4

19

19

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

2%

2

4

--

2

2

Sept ‘03

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

16%

3

7

36

22

11

Good

28%

18

35

40

29

28

Only fair

29%

36

41

17

24

33

Poor

26%

43

16

6

24

27

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

1%

1

1

2

2

1

Last April ‘03

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

28%

6

23

52

32

24

Good

34%

32

36

37

33

35

Only fair

21%

33

21

9

20

23

Poor

16%

28

15

2

14

17

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

1%

1

4

0

1

2

 

Question: How would you rate the job George W. Bush is doing handling the economy—excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

September 29

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

9%

--

1

23

10

8

Good

27%

11

26

46

26

27

Only fair

27%

30

29

23

26

28

Poor

37%

59

39

7

37

36

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

1%

--

5

1

2

1

 

Question: How would you rate the job George W. Bush is doing handling foreign affairs and national security—excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

September 29

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

Excellent

19%

2

13

44

21

18

Good

23%

14

18

37

25

22

Only fair

19%

23

29

11

16

22

Poor

37%

59

34

8

36

37

Don’t know/Unsure (vol)

2%

2

6

--

2

2

 

Question: Later this year, there will be an election for President of the United States. If the election were held today do you think you would vote for …. or …. [ROTATE] ? If “unsure,”or “don’t know”ask “which way do you lean?”

September 29

Base= 489 likely voters

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

George Bush,

the Republican Candidate

41

11

35

85

45

38

lean Bush

3

2

--

3

1

4

John Kerry,

the Democratic candidate

43

76

35

5

43

43

lean Kerry

2

3

3

1

2

2

Nader or Other (vol.)

2

--

1

2

2

2

Don’t know (vol.)

10

7

25

4

8

11

July ’04/Base=834 reg. voters

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

George Bush,

the Republican Candidate

41%

9

30

81

46

36

lean Bush

2%

0

3

5

3

2

John Kerry,

the Democratic candidate

42%

77

32

6

38

44

lean Kerry

3%

5

6

1

2

4

Nader or Other (vol.)

2%

2

6

2

3

2

Don’t know (vol.)

10%

8

24

6

9

11

April ’04/Base=405 reg.voters

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Men

Women

George Bush, the Republican Candidate

40%

10

26

78

47

35

lean Bush

7%

2

20

6

5

8

John Kerry, the Democratic candidate

41%

75

31

9

40

42

lean Kerry

7%

8

13

3

3

10

Other/Don’t know (vol)

4%

5

9

4

5

5

 

Question: Are you satisfied with choice of candidates you have for President in this election or do you wish there were different candidates?


All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep.

Satisfied

41%

39

21

52

Wish for different choices

54%

59

68

42

Don’t know (vol.)

5%

3

11

6

 

Question: In deciding their vote for president, people focus on different things. Which one of the following issues is the most important to you in deciding who to vote for for President…?

On that issue, _____, which candidate would do a better job?

[ROTATE]

All

Dem

Ind

Rep

Men

Women

Bush

Kerry

N=

The state of the economy

21%

23

23

18

27

16

31%

50%

101

national security and the war on terror

42%

28

37

61

42

42

66%

21%

204

quality of the environment

3%

5

2

1

4

2

9%

91%

13

providing health care insurance

11%

15

7

6

10

12

17%

62%

54

improving education

5%

5

8

3

5

4

24%

59%

22

Other (vol)

2%

4

-

1

1

3


None (vol.)

1%

--

--

1

1

--

All (vol.)

17%

20

23

9

11

21

Don’t know (vol.)

--%

--

--

--

1

--


Question: Now, in deciding their vote for president, people also focus on different qualities in a candidate. Which one of the following qualities is most important to you in deciding who to vote for for President…?

And which candidate is better described by that quality…?

[ROTATE]

All

Dem

Ind

Rep

Men

Women

Bush

Kerry

N=

Being a strong leader

31%

24

23

44

29

32

67%

20%

150

Understanding the concerns of the average person

22%

31

19

11

26

19

16%

71%

108

Honest and trustworthy

33%

32

41

34

33

33

39%

41%

162

Other (vol)

1%

2

--

--

2

1


None (vol.)

1%

1

1

--

--

1

All (vol.)

11%

10

12

12

11

12

Don’t know (vol.)

1%

1

3

--

1

1

 

Question: How well is the U.S. military effort in Iraq going…?


All

Dem

Ind

Rep


July

04

April

04

Jan

04

Sept

03

Very well

9

5

5

15


17

17

21

21

Fairly well

31

12

26

56


42

38

48

40

Not too well

31

38

33

20


25

27

19

25

Not at all well

26

42

25

7


13

12

8

10

Unsure

4

4

11

1


4

6

3

4


Question: Considering everything, do you think the United States did the right thing in going to war with Iraq, or do you think it was a mistake?


Party

Gender

September 29

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep

Men

Women

Right thing

42%

17

32

77

45

40

Mistake

51%

77

61

17

48

54

Don’t know (vol.)

7%

7

7

6

7

6

July ‘04

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep

Men

Women

Right thing

44%

19

40

74

48

41

Mistake

48%

74

46

20

45

50

Don’t know (vol.)

8%

7

11

6

6

9

April ‘04

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep

Men

Women

Right thing

47%

22

42

75

54

42

Mistake

43%

69

48

16

39

47

Don’t know (vol.)

10%

9

10

9

7

12

Jan. ‘04

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep

Men

Women

Right thing

55%

35

57

82

58

52

Mistake

37%

57

33

12

35

38

Don’t know (vol.)

8%

8

10

6

7

9

Sept ‘03

All

Dem.

Ind.

Rep

Men

Women

Right thing

54%

34

52

80

62

47

Mistake

40%

59

40

15

33

45

Don’t know (vol.)

6%

7

8

5

4

8

Last April ‘03

All

Dem

Ind.

Rep

Men

Women

Right thing

67%

49

66

86

73

62

Mistake

23%

40

26

6

20

27

Don’t Know (vol.)

10%

10

8

8

8

12


Question: Now, regardless of which candidate you want to win, if you had to guess, who would you say is going to win the election for President in November…or …?

[ROTATE]

All

Dem

Ind

Rep.

John Kerry

22%

34

18

8

George Bush

66%

49

60

88

Don’t Know/Too close to call [don’t read]

13%

16

22

4

 

Question: Regardless of who you think will win the national election, which candidate do you think will get the most votes in New Jersey?

[ROTATE]

All

Dem

Ind

Rep.

John Kerry

60%

76

45

47

George Bush

24%

13

33

33

Don’t Know/Too close to call [don’t read]

16%

11

22

20

 

Contacts:
Rick Thigpen, academic associate, 609-394-0888.
Steve Salmore, research professor of political science: 973-292-3633.
Peter Woolley, coordinator: 973-443-8725

Radio actuality line: (201) 692-2846.

For more information, please call (201) 692-7032.

see also:

Survey Analysis
Salmore's Analysis
Thigpen's Analysis
Survey Details

Copyright © 2004, Fairleigh Dickinson University. All rights reserved. FDU PublicMind Poll [Latest update 040929]