CBS News Monthly Poll #1, February 2000

Résumé 0

This poll, fielded February 6-9, 2000, is part of an ongoing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, and the economy, as well as their views on the 2000 presidential election. Other survey questions elicited opinions on government representation at the national and local levels, what the single most important problem for the government was, and whether respondents would vote for a Democrat or a Republican if voting for a House Representative today. Respondents were asked if they had favorable or unfavorable opinions of Texas governor George Bush, former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, Arizona senator John McCain, publisher Steve Forbes, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, and talk show host Alan Keyes. Other questions asked if respondents were following the presidential campaign, if they would vote Democratic or Republican if they were voting today, if they would be voting in a caucus, whom they would vote for and if that was their final decision, and out of various possible Democrat/Republican pairings, which of the two they would vote for in a presidential election (e.g., McCain vs. Gore, Bush vs. Bradley, etc.). Another focus of this poll was race relations and the role of national and local government in addressing this issue. Questions probed respondents' knowledge of American Black history and to what degree public schools teach Black history, who the most important Black role model was, whether computers and the Internet would improve opportunities for Blacks, and whether respondents viewed the following organizations and persons favorably: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Nation of Islam, General Colin Powell, Jesse Jackson, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Respondents were asked whether America was ready for a Black president, whether they would vote for a party-nominated Black presidential candidate, which political party was more likely to try to fix race relations, what they thought about South Carolina's flying the Confederate flag, and whether the presidential candidates should express their opinions on this issue. Questions were asked regarding race equality, race relations in the respondent's community, how respondents viewed the existence and persistence of racial discrimination, whether it could be cured, and how important this issue was to the future of the United States. Respondents were asked additional questions concerning race relations, including whether the government should try to improve race relations, whether it was paying the appropriate amount of attention to the needs of minorities, and if the criminal justice system was racially biased. Further questions addressed attitudes and behaviors of the police toward individuals and minorities, including the use of inappropriate language, respectful behavior, and "racial profiling," and if police were considered friends or enemies. Regarding personal experiences with racism and perceptions of its relevance in society, respondents were asked how many Black people they worked with, how many lived in their neighborhoods, attended local public schools, and shopped at their stores, whether respondents made a point to patronize minority-owned businesses, how respondents perceived the number of white people who disliked Blacks and vice versa, and if the respondent had ever felt discriminated against and why. In regard to racism in the workplace, questions were asked to gauge respondents' opinions of affirmative action, personal experience with discrimination on the job or in trying to obtain a job, and whether successful Blacks had a duty to help other Blacks. Respondents were also asked if there were adequate numbers of Blacks employed as teachers, professional sports players, businesspersons who owned large companies, medical doctors, and coaches and team executives. Also asked were questions about opportunities to succeed in today's world as compared to the respondents' parents' generation and future generations. A set of questions was asked to assess perceptions of the poor in America, including whether respondents believed being poor was the result of a lack of effort or circumstances, if it was still possible in America to start from humble beginnings and become wealthy, and if Blacks or whites were more likely to be poor. General questions focused on whether respondents had access to a computer, the Internet, or email, if they voted in the 1996 presidential election and, if so, for whom they voted, whether the respondent did volunteer work in the last year, whether there were children in the respondent's household under the age of 18 or between the ages of 12 and 18, and if any of the children were a part of the class of 2000. Background information on respondents includes voter registration status, employment status, marital status, party affiliation, self-placement on the liberal-conservative continuum, religious preference and frequency of attendance, military service, education, age, Hispanic descent, income, and whether there was another phone line in their house.