Background Memo  

The most recent survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind was conducted by telephone from May 29 through June 3 using a randomly selected sample of 602 registered voters statewide in New Jersey and 776 additional registered voters nationally.  The sampling error for 602 respondents is +/-4 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence, and the sampling error for 776 respondents is +/-3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence. Sample error for subgroups varies with the size of the subgroup. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling error. This kind of error, which cannot be measured, arises from a number of factors including, but not limited to, non-response (eligible individuals refusing to be interviewed), question wording, the order in which questions are asked, and variations among interviewers. All PublicMind interviews are conducted by professionally trained interviewers using a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) system. Random selection >is achieved through computerized random-digit dialing. This technique gives every person with a phone number (including those with unlisted numbers) an equal chance of being selected. Results are mathematically weighted to match known demographics. The questions included in this release are as follows:

Question: Next year will be elections for President of the United States. I know it's early, but which candidate would you be most likely to support?

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?

Question: In general, do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as President?

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

• Very well
• Fairly well
• Not too well
• Not at all well

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?

see also:
Survey Analysis
Tabular Results