| Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters February 6-7, 2004 | To Control Government Spending Voters Trust Kerry More than Bush | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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February 8,
2004--When it comes to controlling government spending, voters today
trust John Kerry more than George W. Bush. A Rasmussen Reports survey
found that 42% of voters believe that the Senator from Massachusetts is
better on this issue than the President. Only 33% say the President is
better. The political implications of this are significant in a nation where 64% of Americans say they prefer smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes. Only 22% want a more active government with more services and higher taxes. Being seen as a big spender is far more damaging than running up deficits. This latest data is consistent with an earlier survey showing that a plurality of voters view Kerry as politically moderate. Rasmussen Reports is tracking the Presidential race on a daily basis. The latest results are posted by noon each day. The Rasmussen Reports survey found that only 60% of Republicans say their party leader is better at controlling government spending than the Democratic contender. Democrats and unaffiliated voters say that Kerry is better. Fifty-three percent (53%) of conservative voters say Bush is better on controlling spending while 21% name Kerry. Among moderates, 20% think the President is better while 54% name Kerry. Self-identified liberal voters overwhelmingly say Kerry is better. On another contentious issue, Immigration, voters are evenly divided. Forty percent (40%) prefer Kerry and 37% Bush. Abortion is yet another issue where the public is evenly divided--43% trust Bush more while 39% say Kerry. The President does better on cultural issues. Bush is trusted more on the issue of gay marriage (48% to 29%) and on the role of religion in American society (46% to 30%). An earlier Rasmussen Reports survey found that the public is evenly divided between the candidates on the issue of who they trust more to handle the economy. The President has an edge on national defense issues while the Senator is preferred on health care. The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports February 6 and 7, 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 Bush-Kerry: Economy, Taxes, Social Security, National Defense Democratic Party Primary Preferences
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