| Results of SurveyUSA News Poll #6972 |
| The Hurrieder President Bush Goes, The Behinder He Gets: 3 polling days after George W. Bush's prime-time speech to the nation from Jackson Square in New Orleans, a "can't win" dynamic is unfolding for the President, according to exclusive SurveyUSA data gathered Friday 9/16, Saturday 9/17 and Sunday 9/18. The number of Americans who now approve of the President's response to Hurricane Katrina is down: 40% today compared to 42% before he announced the Gulf Opportunity Zone. The number of Americans who disapprove of the President's response to Katrina is up: 56% today compared to 52% before the speech. Bush went from "Minus 10" on his Response to Katrina before the speech to "Minus 16" today. One way to make sense of these numbers is to look at the number of Americans who today say the Federal Government is doing "too much" for Katrina victims. That's up to 16% today, more than triple what the number has been on 7 of the 19 days that SurveyUSA has conducted daily tracking since the storm. The more cash President Bush throws on the fire, as compensation for what some see as an inadequate initial response, the more it antagonizes his core supporters. Consider, for example: the number of Whites who today say the Government is "not doing enough" for Katrina victims is statistically the same as the number of Whites who say the Government is doing "just the right amount." (41% "right amount"; 40% "not enough.") The number of Blacks who today say the Government is "not doing enough" is 51 percentage points higher than the number of Blacks who say the Government is doing the "right amount" (70% "not enough"; 19% "right amount.") That's a 53-point disagreement between Whites and Blacks on this question. What other poll results point to the conclusion that the President is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't? 41% of Americans today say that the city of New Orleans should be rebuilt with "private money," the highest that number has been in the 19 days since the storm. The number of Americans who today say New Orleans should be rebuilt with "public money" is 27%, as low as it has been in 19 days of daily tracking. |
| Logistics: SurveyUSA interviewed 600 adults nationwide on Thursday 9/15, before the President spoke. 1,200 adults were interviewed Friday 9/16. (Friday interviews were conducted during the daytime.) 600 adults were interviewed Saturday 9/17. 600 adults were interviewed Sunday 9/18. In total: 2,400 adults nationwide have now been interviewed since the President's speech. Margin of sampling error for each poll question, and for each demographic subpopulation, is stated on the summary page and on the daily tracking graphs. Exact question wording follows. |
 | Is the federal government doing too much? Not enough? Or just the right amount to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina? |
| 600 Adults | All | Gender | Age | Race | Region | ||||||||
| Credibility Interval: ± 4.1 pct points | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black | Hispanic | Northeas | Midwest | South | West | |
| Too Much | 15% | 16% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 19% | 16% | 7% | 18% | 10% | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Not Enough | 46% | 41% | 51% | 50% | 47% | 41% | 40% | 70% | 51% | 51% | 42% | 45% | 48% |
| Right Amount | 37% | 41% | 33% | 36% | 37% | 38% | 41% | 19% | 31% | 38% | 41% | 37% | 34% |
| Not Sure | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 4% | 0% | 1% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Composition of Adults | 100% | 48% | 52% | 31% | 41% | 28% | 72% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 22% | 36% | 23% |
 | At this hour, are local officials on the Gulf Coast prepared? ... Or unprepared to respond to the challenge that is before them? |
| 600 Adults | All | Gender | Age | Race | Region | ||||||||
| Credibility Interval: ± 3.5 pct points | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black | Hispanic | Northeas | Midwest | South | West | |
| Prepared | 17% | 17% | 16% | 16% | 19% | 14% | 18% | 10% | 21% | 14% | 16% | 21% | 13% |
| Unprepared | 75% | 78% | 73% | 74% | 75% | 77% | 73% | 81% | 74% | 78% | 74% | 73% | 78% |
| Not Sure | 8% | 5% | 11% | 10% | 5% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 6% | 8% | 10% | 6% | 9% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Composition of Adults | 100% | 48% | 52% | 31% | 41% | 28% | 72% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 22% | 36% | 23% |
 | Has the government's response to the hurricane been ... surprisingly organized? About what you would expect given the size of the damage? Or, surprisingly disorganized? |
| 600 Adults | All | Gender | Age | Race | Region | ||||||||
| Credibility Interval: ± 4.1 pct points | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black | Hispanic | Northeas | Midwest | South | West | |
| Surprisingly Organized | 11% | 13% | 9% | 13% | 7% | 15% | 11% | 12% | 16% | 6% | 10% | 13% | 13% |
| About What You Would Expect | 38% | 39% | 37% | 35% | 43% | 35% | 41% | 22% | 41% | 28% | 43% | 40% | 38% |
| Surprisingly Disorganized | 50% | 48% | 52% | 53% | 50% | 49% | 48% | 65% | 43% | 66% | 47% | 46% | 48% |
| Not Sure | 1% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Composition of Adults | 100% | 48% | 52% | 31% | 41% | 28% | 72% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 22% | 36% | 23% |
 | Thinking just about the President of the United States ... Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina? |
| 600 Adults | All | Gender | Age | Race | Region | ||||||||
| Credibility Interval: ± 4.1 pct points | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black | Hispanic | Northeas | Midwest | South | West | |
| Approve | 40% | 45% | 35% | 32% | 42% | 45% | 46% | 18% | 33% | 30% | 45% | 43% | 39% |
| Disapprove | 56% | 52% | 59% | 62% | 54% | 51% | 49% | 77% | 67% | 67% | 52% | 52% | 55% |
| Not Sure | 5% | 3% | 6% | 6% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 0% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Composition of Adults | 100% | 48% | 52% | 31% | 41% | 28% | 72% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 22% | 36% | 23% |
 | In general, when coastal areas are damaged by hurricanes, should those areas be rebuilt with public money? Rebuilt with private money? Or should they not be rebuilt? |
| 600 Adults | All | Gender | Age | Race | Region | ||||||||
| Credibility Interval: ± 4.1 pct points | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black | Hispanic | Northeas | Midwest | South | West | |
| Rebuilt With Public Money | 32% | 27% | 37% | 38% | 30% | 30% | 32% | 34% | 29% | 43% | 27% | 33% | 28% |
| Rebuilt With Private Money | 47% | 56% | 40% | 40% | 51% | 50% | 46% | 46% | 57% | 35% | 50% | 48% | 54% |
| Not Rebuilt | 12% | 10% | 15% | 11% | 12% | 13% | 15% | 9% | 4% | 16% | 15% | 9% | 11% |
| Not Sure | 8% | 7% | 9% | 11% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 10% | 10% | 7% | 8% | 10% | 7% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Composition of Adults | 100% | 48% | 52% | 31% | 41% | 28% | 72% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 22% | 36% | 23% |
 | Now focusing specifically on the City of New Orleans, which is below sea level: should the city of New Orleans be rebuilt with public money? Rebuilt with private money? Or should the city not be rebuilt? |
| 600 Adults | All | Gender | Age | Race | Region | ||||||||
| Credibility Interval: ± 4.1 pct points | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | White | Black | Hispanic | Northeas | Midwest | South | West | |
| Rebuilt With Public Money | 27% | 22% | 31% | 29% | 27% | 24% | 27% | 28% | 27% | 33% | 24% | 26% | 26% |
| Rebuilt With Private Money | 41% | 49% | 33% | 37% | 44% | 42% | 38% | 52% | 47% | 30% | 40% | 44% | 47% |
| Not Rebuilt | 27% | 25% | 30% | 30% | 25% | 28% | 31% | 13% | 23% | 31% | 30% | 26% | 24% |
| Not Sure | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 4% | 7% | 2% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Composition of Adults | 100% | 48% | 52% | 31% | 41% | 28% | 72% | 11% | 11% | 19% | 22% | 36% | 23% |