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A CNN / Time Poll - May 15-16, 1996


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Interviews were conducted with 1,009 adults, including 808 registered voters, on May 15-16, 1996.

Bob Dole's announcement that he would resign his Senate seat has beefed up his approval rating, but has not helped him in the presidential race. If the election were held today, 56% of all registered voters would vote for Bill Clinton; 34% would choose Dole. A week ago, Clinton's lead was 50%-38%. Nonetheless, Dole's approval rating among the general public is higher than it was last week. 53% of all Americans currently approve of how Dole has handled his job as Majority Leader; just a week ago, 46% gave him a positive rating.

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CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16
Registered Voters'
Presidential Choice

          
Clinton   56%
Dole      34%

Sampling error: +/-3.5% pts


CNN/TIME POLL May 15-16 Dole Approval Rating Now 53% Last week 46% Sampling error: +/-3% pts

A majority of the general public agrees with Dole's decision to step down from the Senate. 54% say the Kansas Republican should have resigned; 34% say he should have remained in the Senate. But nearly eight in ten registered voters say that Dole's decision to leave the Senate would not affect their vote. 11% say his announcement would make them more likely to vote for Dole; 9% say it would make them less likely to choose Dole.


CNN/TIME POLL

Should Dole Resign from Senate?

Yes     54%
No      34%

Sampling error: +/- 3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL Effect of Dole's Resignation on Registered Voters No effect 78% More likely to vote for Dole 11% Less likely to vote for Dole 9% Sampling error: +/-3.5% pts

Bob Dole's announcement that he would resign from the Senate has improved the public's image of him, but Bill Clinton's numbers have also risen in the past week. Dole has managed to pull his favorable rating above 50% for the first time in over a year, but it is still nine points lower than Clinton's figure. By a thin 46%-44% margin, Americans now say that Dole is someone they would be proud to have as President. A week ago, only 41% said they would be proud to have Dole as President; 47% did not feel this way. But Dole still lags behind Clinton on this measure. 54% of the public say that Clinton is someone they would be proud to have as President, a six-point gain over the past week. Clinton's approval rating has also jumped five points in that time, to 56%. Except during the national outpouring of grief immediately following the Oklahoma City bombing, Clinton's approval rating has never been higher. (Dole's approval rating, as reported on Friday, rose from 46% a week ago to 53% now.)


CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16

Favorable Ratings
                     Now       February
Clinton              60%         57%
Dole                 51%        43%


Sampling error: +/-3% pts

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proud May 15-16 Proud to Have Dole as President? Now May 8-9 Yes 46% 41% No 44% 47% Sampling error: +/-3% pts CNN/TIME Poll May 15-16 Proud to Have As President Clinton 54% Dole 46% Sampling error: +/-3% pts CNN/TIME Poll May 15-16 Clinton Approval Rating Approve 56% Disapprove 34% Sampling error: +/-3% pts

With the end of Dole's 35-year tenure in Congress in sight, a majority of the public says he was a good or great U.S. Senator. 9% say he was one of the greatest Senators in history; an additional 46% say he was good but not great. Just over a third said he was an average Senator, and only 7% said his service in the Senate was poor.





CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16
Dole As Senator

Great         9%
Good         46%
Average      35%
Poor          7%

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

Dole is leaving the Senate at a time when the public has soured on Republican control of Congress. Last spring, at the end of the "Hundred Days" period that marked the start of the GOP era on Capitol Hill, 58% of the public said that the Republican Congress had done a good job. Today, only 30% feel that way. And slightly more Americans have a favorable view of the Democrats in Congress than they do of the Republicans in Congress. Nonetheless, slightly more Americans blame Clinton for the current gridlock in Washington than blame Dole.


CNN/TIME POLL
Nay 15-16
Republican Congress
Doing a Good Job

Now               30%    
March, 1995       58%

Sampling error: +/-3% pts



CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16
Favorable Ratings

                              Favorable    Unfavorable

Democrats in Congress            42%          34%
Republicans in Congress          38%          39%

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16

Who Is More Responsible
For Current Gridlock?

Clinton        36%
Dole           33%
Both           10%

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

Airline Safety

Most Americans are still confident of the safety standards of major commercial airlines, but they express reservations about the safety standards of discount airlines. 54% say they are very or fairly confident in the safety standards of commerical airlines; 38% say they have some reservations or a lot of reservations. By contrast, 57% say they have reservations about the discount airlines; only 31% say they are very or fairly confident in those airlines' safety standards.



CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16

Safety Standards of
Major Airlines

Confident         54%
Reservations      38%

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

CNN/TIME POLL
May 15-16

Safety Standards of
Discount Airlines

Confident         31%
Reservations      57%

Sampling error: +/-3% pts
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