America's Leaders Like America's Course

Pew Center poll finds influentials are more confident about country's path than the general public

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Oct. 13) -- The nation's opinion leaders are getting the hang of what it means for the United States to be the lone global superpower, and are liking it, according to a new poll.

Compared to a similar study four years ago, America's leaders are far more confident about America's role in the post-Cold War world, and are increasingly confident of the Clinton Administration's ability to grapple with the new challenges the U.S. faces.

The survey of 591 leaders in various fields was conducted by The Pew Research Center For The People & The Press, an independent journalism opinion research group.

The poll asked how different leaders whether they approve of the way President Bill Clinton is doing his job. Of the business leaders polled, 54 percent now approve, compared to 16 percent in 1993. Of the journalists polled, 45 percent now approve, compared to 38 percent in 1993.

Pew surveyed leaders from the foreign affairs and security communities, as well as journalists; scholars; scientists; religious leaders; governors and mayors; top business executives; congressional staff and labor leaders.

Pew also asked the same questions of 2,000 randomly selected Americans, and found that the general public was far more pessimistic about the United States' role in the world, a gap that the study's authors said "in part may reflect the public's scant knowledge of international affairs and a media focus on violence, conflict and instability."

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