Poll: People In Other Countries Say Clinton Doing Fine
By Keating Holland/CNN
WASHINGTON (Aug. 27) -- A new Gallup Poll shows most people in Great Britain, Canada, France and Germany approve of how Bill Clinton is handling his job as president and do not believe the Monica Lewinsky controversy has hurt his ability to represent America in its dealings with their country or the rest of the world.
Most of the public in each of the countries also thinks the personal life of a national leader is not relevant to how his or her performance in office should be judged, the poll found.
Clinton generally gets his highest marks in Germany and his lowest marks in Britain, which may be due to the fact that the British public is most likely to say that a leader's personal life is relevant.
Two-thirds of those surveyed in France say their country would have paid less attention than the U.S. if a French leader had been involved with a woman in the same way that Clinton was involved with Lewinsky.
Fifty-eight percent of Canadians and 48 percent of Germans feel the same way about a hypothetical controversy in their country. But only one in five people in Great Britain say a British scandal of that sort would have received less attention. Most of the British people questioned think that a similar scandal would receive the same amount of attention in the United Kingdom.
The results of the poll are based on interviews with about 500 adults in each of the four nations: Canada, France, Germany, and Great Britain. All interviews were conducted on Aug. 25-26, 1998. There is a sampling error of +/- 4 percentage points for most questions.
Approve of How Clinton
Is Handling His Job
Germany 82%
France 73
Canada 68
Great Britain 58
In your view, has the Monica Lewinsky controversy hurt or not hurt Bill Clinton's ability to represent America in its dealings with your country and the rest of the world?
Germany 71%
France 71
Canada 64
Great Britain 56
Clinton Does Good Job
Representing U.S. To World
France 85%
Germany 78
Canada 72
Great Britain 67
Personal Life Not Relevant
To Judgment of National Leader
France 90%
Germany 76
Canada 68
Great Britain 62
If the leader of your country had been involved with a woman in the same way that Bill Clinton has been involved with Monica Lewinsky in the United States, would the situation be given more attention than it is currently receiving in the U.S., less attention, or about the same amount of attention?
France 69%
Canada 58
Germany 48
Great Britain 22
FRANCE
Attention Your Country Would
Pay To Similar Controversy
Less 69%
Same 22
More 7
GREAT BRITAIN
Attention Your Country Would
Pay To Similar Controversy
Less 22%
Same 54
More 23
GERMANY
Attention Your Country Would
Pay To Similar Controversy
Less 48%
Same 22
More 27
CANADA
Attention Your Country Would
Pay To Similar Controversy
Less 58%
Same 36
More 4
A majority of the public in Canada and France approve of Clinton's
decision to attack alleged terrorist-related facilities in Afghanistan and the Sudan last week.
The German public is split on the issue and the British public disapproves of the military strikes.
If the U.S. launches similar strikes in the future, the Canadian and
French public are willing to see their own military forces join those attacks while the Germans and British would oppose their own country's involvement in such strikes.
Fear of becoming a victim of a terrorist attack is highest in France, lowest in Canada.
A majority in each of the four countries believes that Clinton ordered that military strike because it was in the best interests of the U.S., not to divert attention away from the Lewinsky controversy.
U.S. Strikes Against
Terrorist Facilities
Approve Disapprove
France 52% 29%
Canada 51 35
Germany 45 40
Great Britain 30 60
If the United States launches similar attacks against terrorist facilities in the future would you approve or disapprove of your country's military participating in those attacks?
Approve Disapprove
Canada 55% 37%
France 54 32
Great Britain 36 56
Germany 25 67
How worried are you that you or someone in your family will become a victim of a terrorist attack -- very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried? (figures below show the percent of respondents saying they are very worried plus percent saying they are somewhat worried)
France 72%
Germany 41
Great Britain 40
Canada 22
Clinton Ordered Military Strike
To Divert Attention From Lewinsky?
Yes No
Great Britain 38% 56%
Canada 27 64
Germany 25 66
France 21 68
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