Poll: Public Divided On Willey's Credibility
Clinton's approval rating remains high despite Willey, Jones and Lewinsky
By Keating Holland/CNN
WASHINGTON (March 20) -- The public remains divided over whether President Bill Clinton made an unwanted sexual advance toward Kathleen Willey, but the White House attempts to raise questions about her may be working, according to the latest CNN/TIME poll.
Nearly half the country believes that Willey told her story on "60 Minutes" mostly for personal or monetary gain. Only a quarter believe that she did so to let the public know her side of the story while 21 percent say she went public in order to damage Clinton politically.
Also in this poll:
Half also say that they are less likely to believe her description of the incident after hearing about the friendly letters Willey sent to Clinton and her acceptance of several positions within the administration.
Only one in seven Americans have a favorable view of Willey although over half are still unsure how they feel about her. Clinton, by contrast, is viewed favorably by 58 percent of the public. That figure is exactly the same favorable rating he had in February, indicating that Willey's story has not affected the public's view of him.
The survey of 1,032 adult Americans was conducted March 18-19, 1998 and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Did Clinton Make Unwanted Sexual Advance Toward Willey? |
Yes No |
|
41% 44% |
Why Did Willey Tell Her Story Publicly? |
Monetary/personal gain Hurt Clinton politically Tell her side of the story |
|
48% 21% 24% |
Less Likely To Believe Willey After Hearing About Letters? |
Yes No |
|
51% 43% |
Opinion of Willey |
Favorable Unfavorable Unsure |
|
14% 32% 54% |
Opinion of Clinton |
Favorable Unfavorable |
|
58% 37% |
Which Allegation Is The Most Serious? |
Monica Lewinsky Kathleen Willey Paula Jones |
|
35% 28% 9% |
Most Americans believe that Clinton has engaged in a pattern of sexual misconduct while president, but they continue to believe that Clinton's moral standards are about the same as those of the average married man and only a third think that he is addicted to sex.
A majority -- 58 percent -- say that Independent Counsel Ken Starr is going too far in investigating Clinton's sexual behavior, and 60 percent say he should end his investigation now and present his results to Congress.
Most of the public does not think that Clinton should be impeached even if the evidence shows that he made an unwanted sexual advance toward Willey. Even fewer Americans believe that Clinton should be impeached if the allegations about him in the Paula Jones or Monica Lewinsky case turn out to be true.
And in any case, three-quarters say that if it were true that Clinton made a sexual advance toward Willey, they would be more bothered by his lying about it under oath than about the act itself.
Has Clinton Engaged In Pattern of Sexual Misconduct? |
Yes No |
|
52% 28% |
Clinton's Moral Standards Compared To Average Married Man |
Higher Lower About the same |
|
8% 37% 51% |
Is Starr Going Too Far? |
Yes No |
|
58% 37% |
Should Starr End Investigation And Give Results To Congress? |
Yes No |
|
60% 34% |
Should Clinton Be Impeached If Willey's Story Is True? |
Yes No |
|
32% 60% |
If Willey's Story Is True, What Would Bother You More? |
Clinton lying under oath Clinton making advance |
|
74% 15% |
Another reason why Clinton remains popular is that the public thinks things are
going well in the country and give Clinton credit for that.
Seventy-six percent say that things are going very well or fairly well in the country today -- about as high as that figure has been in 25 years. And 77 percent approve of how Clinton is handling the economy, up significantly since January.
And Clinton's overall approval rating is 67 percent, essentially unchanged for the past eight weeks -- more evidence that Willey or any other allegation has not affected Clinton's standing with the public.
Things Are Going Well These Days |
Yes No |
|
76% 24% |
How Clinton Is Handling The Economy |
Approve Disapprove |
|
77% 16% |
How Clinton Is Handling His Job As President |
Approve Disapprove |
|
67% 28% |
|