Just Over One-Quarter of U.S. Adults Believe the Country Is Going in the Right Direction

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- After reaching an all-time low last month, President Bush's job approval rating has risen from 29 percent in May to 33 percent this month. Two-thirds of U.S. adults have a negative view of the President's job performance. The view of the direction of the country has also taken a slight up-tick this month. In May, almost seven in ten (68%) said the country was going off on the wrong track and 24 percent felt it was going in the right direction. This month, 28 percent of U.S. adults believe the country is going in the right direction while 64 percent believe it is going off on the wrong track.

These are some of the results from the latest Harris Poll of 1,001 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone between June 2 and 5, 2006 by Harris Interactive(R). One thing to keep in mind with regard to these presidential job approval ratings is that this survey was conducted before the death of the Iraqi al Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. As with the capture of Saddam Hussein, this may well be beneficial to President Bush's approval numbers.

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One interesting break we have seen recently is how Republicans and Conservatives have not been standing by their man, as it were. This month, two-thirds of Republicans (68%) have a positive view of the president's job performance which is just about the same as last month when 67 percent felt this way. When we look at political philosophy, however, we see there is a change. In May, less than half (46%) had a positive view of the President Bush's job while this month 55 percent view his job performance in a positive light.

Administration ratings

Vice President Cheney continues to receive positive marks from three in ten (31%) U.S. adults while two-thirds (65%) view his job performance in a negative light. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice still receives the highest performance ratings among all political figures measured in the poll as 52 percent have a positive view of her job performance as compared to 43 percent who have a negative view. This is just slightly better than her ratings in March when 51 percent had a positive view of her job performance and 44 percent had a negative view. As for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, his positive rating has remained steady (34% now as compared to 35% in March), while his negative rating has decreased slightly (61% in March to 60% now).

US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts' positive job numbers have remained unchanged since March at 41 percent. His negative job ratings, however, have increased -- up to 41 percent from 36 percent in March.

Congressional ratings

As we get closer to the November mid-term elections, both Democrats and Republicans have much work to do to repair their image in the public's eye. Only one-quarter of U.S. adults have a positive view of the job Republicans in Congress are doing while 26 percent have a positive view of the job Democrats are doing. Seven in ten U.S. adults view the job Democrats are doing negatively while 72 percent feel the same about the job the Republicans in Congress are doing.

Much of this negativity toward the two parties in Congress is also seen in the job performance numbers of some of its leaders.

-- Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has a 23 percent positive
approval rating and a 55 percent negative rating. In March, he had a
positive rating of 21 percent and the same negative rating of 55
percent.

-- Things aren't much better for Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid as about one in five adults (19%) gives him a positive job
approval rating while over half (54%) view his job performance
negatively. This is virtually unchanged from March when 19 percent had
a positive view of his job performance and 53 percent had a negative
view.

-- In the House, Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert has seen a slight
decrease in his approval ratings. This month they are at 24 percent
positive, down from 26 percent in March, while his negative job rating
is at 56 percent, up from 49 percent.

-- Republican House Majority Leader John Boehner may still be relatively
new to the job, but he is viewed in the same vein as the other leaders
as only 22 percent of U.S. adults view his job performance positively
while 51 percent view it in a negative light. In March, the first time
he was rated, his job approval was 23 percent positive and 50 percent
negative.

Important issues

Again this month, the most important issue for the government to address according to the American public is the war in Iraq, as 27 percent of U.S. adults believe it is the most important issue to address as compared to last month when 28 percent felt this way. Immigration is next, as one in five adults (20%) feel this is the most important issue for the government to address. The economy is next followed by health care (14% and 12% respectively).