| Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters February 4-5, 2004 | Bush vs. Kerry: Issue Comparisons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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February 6,
2004--Following victories in five states out of seven last Tuesday night, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry
looks more and more like he will be selected by Democrats to challenge President George W. Bush
this fall. For those who believe that elections can be won or lost on the them of "It's the Economy, Stupid," early data suggests a close race may be at hand. When it comes to managing the economy, 44% of Americans say they trust Bush more than Kerry while 43% take the opposite view. This is unchanged from a week ago, when Rasmussen Reports provided a look at voter first impressions of a Bush-Kerry competition. That data also showed that many conservatives view the President as politically moderate. Just 37% of voters viewed Kerry as being politically liberal. President Bush has an edge on the other major issue of the campaign season--national security. When asked who they trust more on national defense issues and the War on Terrorism, 52% of voters prefer Bush while 37% prefer Kerry. [Editor's NOTE: Data comparing Bush and Kerry on the Economy and War are updated weekly. Data in this release reflects the public perception in early February only]/ However, when the national security topic is limited to "the situation in Iraq." President Bush's edge is a bit smaller--48% to 37%. The Senator from Massachusetts has a solid edge on the issue of Health Care--44% to 34%. This comes despite (or perhaps because of) the President's recent efforts on Medicare. The two candidates are fairly even on the issues of Social Security, Education, and taxes. On Social Security, 43% say they trust Kerry more than Bush while 39% prefer Bush. On Education, Bush has the edge, 43% to 40%. On taxes, long a significant GOP issue, the President's approach is preferred by 46% while 39% prefer Kerry. In the so-called "Red States," those carried by Bush in the last election, the President's tax policies are preferred 49% to 37%. However, in the "Blue States," it's a toss-up. Forty-two percent (42%) of Blue State voters prefer the President on taxes while 43% prefer the Senator from Massachusetts. A related survey found that voters trust Kerry more than Bush on the issue of controlling government spending. Bush fares better on cultural issues like gay marriage and the role of religion in American society. The public is evenly divided as to who they trust more on Immigration and abortion. The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports February 4 and 5, 2004. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. (see Methodology) Rasmussen Reports provides daily updates on the Presidential Election and on the economic confidence of Consumers and Investors. |
Bush-Kerry Daily Presidential Tracking Poll Bush-Kerry: Voter First Impressions Democratic Party Primary Preferences
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