Poll: Most Americans Don't Want To Hear Tripp Tapes
By Keating Holland/CNN
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 9) -- Most Americans say the tape recordings that Linda Tripp secretly made of her
conversations with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky should not be made public no matter how
important they might be as evidence, and 70 percent say they are not interested in
listening to the tapes themselves, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll.
Also in this story:
But 70 percent also say they think most other
Americans would be interested in hearing the tapes. And 63 percent want the investigation
into the Monica Lewinsky matter to stop completely, even if it means that the
public would never know what really happened.
The figures are based on interviews with 1,035 adults on July 7-8,
and the survey has a margin of sampling error of +/- 3 to +/- 5 percentage points, depending on the question.
Here are the numbers:
| Should Linda Tripp Tapes Be Made Public? |
Yes
No | 35%
59% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Are You Interested in Hearing Linda Tripp Tapes? |
Yes
No | 29%
70% |
| Sampling error: +/-5% pts |
| Are Most Americans Interested In Hearing Linda Tripp Tapes? |
Yes
No | 70%
26% |
| Sampling error: +/-5% pts |
| Investigation Into Monica Lewinsky Matter Should |
Continue
Stop | 35%
63% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
What happens if Monica Lewinsky testifies before Ken Starr's grand jury?
If
she contradicts President Bill Clinton's denial of any extramarital affair with her, the
public is now prepared to believe her rather than Clinton.
That's a change
from February, when a majority were more willing to believe Clinton than
Lewinsky if their stories conflicted. Today 47 percent would believe Lewinsky if she
said that she had sex with Clinton and Clinton continued to deny it; just 38 percent
would believe Clinton in such "he said/she said" circumstances.
But if
Lewinsky says that Clinton advised her to lie under oath and Clinton denies
that ever happened, the public is evenly split.
Forty-two percent would believe Clinton's
testimony over Lewinsky's when it comes to obstruction of justice charges, while 39 percent
would believe Lewinsky's version of events.
Nonetheless, Clinton has lost a
lot of credibility since February. The fact that the public is less likely to
believe Lewinsky when it comes to suborning perjury takes on added significance
in light of the public's attitudes toward impeachment.
Half the country now
believes that Clinton should not be impeached if it were proven that he lied
under oath about having an affair with Lewinsky. But the public is split, 48-45 percent, over whether he should be impeached if it were proven that he tried to
get Lewinsky to lie under oath about an affair.
| If Lewinsky Says She Had Affair With Clinton |
Believe Lewinsky
Believe Clinton |
Now 47%
38% |
February 38%
53% |
| Sampling error: +/-5% pts |
| If Lewinsky Says Clinton Asked Her To Lie Under Oath |
Believe Lewinsky
Believe Clinton |
Now 39%
42% |
February 32%
60% |
| Sampling error: +/-5% pts |
| Impeach Clinton If You Were Convinced That He... |
Lied under oath
Obstructed justice |
Yes 45%
48% |
No 50%
45% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Most Americans approve of Clinton's trip to China, but the visit produced
only a slight change in the public's opinion of that country, and Americans
continue to oppose so-called "most-favored-nation" trade status for China.
Forty-four percent of all Americans
now have a favorable view of China, up from the 39 percent who had a positive view of
China just before Clinton's trip, but still less than the 47 percent who still have an
unfavorable view of China.
Fifty-five percent oppose granting "most-favored-nation" status to
China, virtually identical to the 53 percent who opposed MFN last year.
(For the
record, the question points out that "the United States grants a trade status
to most nations it trades with known as Most Favored Nation status," so the
poll respondents were aware that MFN status would not convey special privileges to China.)
Nearly half believe that Clinton's trip significantly improved
relations with China, but only one in five say that the visit will
significantly improve the way China treats its citizens.
| Opinion of China |
Favorable
Unfavorable |
Now 44%
47% |
June 39%
51% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Most Favored Nation Status For China |
Favor
Oppose
No Opinion |
35%
55%
10% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Clinton's Trip to China |
Approve
Disapprove |
64%
27% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Did Clinton's Trip Improve U.S. Relations With China? |
Yes
No |
49%
38% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Did Clinton's Trip Improve China's Treatment of its Citizens? |
Yes
No |
22%
61% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Americans continue to give the U.S. economy high ratings and are optimistic
about the next 12 months. A full 79 percent say the economy is in good condition, up from 69 percent who felt that way last summer. And 73 percent say that economic conditions will be good a year from now. That's a key reason why Clinton's approval rating has
remained steady at 61 percent, just about where Ronald Reagan's rating was in the summer of his sixth year in office.
| Clinton Approval Rating |
Approve
Disapprove | 61%
34% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Economic Conditions Today |
Good
Poor | 79%
20% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
| Economic Conditions A Year From Now |
Good
Poor | 73%
21% |
| Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
|
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