Bush less popular after Iraq war, jobs, economy: poll

WASHINGTON, July 19 (AFP) - President George W. Bush's popularity slipped on growing doubts about the Iraq war and the flagging US economy some 16 months ahead of the 2004 presidential elections, according to a poll released Saturday.

Bush's approval rating is at nearly its lowest point in his presidency, with just 53 percent of those polled approving of the job he is doing, down from 58 percent a month before.

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A growing number, 47 percent, said the time has come for new head of state, according to a Zogby International poll. That percentage rose by 11 percent in a month.

"What has been propping up the president in the past few months is his personal favorability rating," now at 57 percent, said John Zogby, pollster of Zogby International.

"This alone has slipped nine points in the pasts months. If he cannot count on a large majority of Americans to like him personally, this could spell doom for his re-election hopes because he has little support for his overall performance and how he is rated on the issues."

Likewise the percentage in the United States who hold a negative opinion of Bush rose from 41 to 46.

Bush's approval rating hit its lowest point at 50 percent in August 2001, before the September 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington.

In Saturday's poll, respondents gave Bush positive marks in conducting the war on terrorism, at 59 percent, while 40 percent gave him a negative grade.

However, opinion was divided almost evenly on Bush's handling of foreign affairs, with 49 percent positive an 50 percent negative.

On domestic issues, Bush's ratings are lower. On health, Bush got 31 percent positive versus a 65 percent negative response.

His environmental policy got positive marks from 31 percent while 65 percent gave him negative marks.

Jobs and the economy were graded 33 percent positive and 66 percent negative. His budget policy was viewed as positive by 45 percent and negative by 54 percent.

And for the first time, the percentage feeling it was time for Bush to be replaced in the White House, 47, rose past the percentage hoping Bush would be reelected, 46.

"There is potential there for more than the usual amount of trouble for the president. But at this stage it's only potential," said John Green, political scientist at the University of Akron.

Still, Bush's drop in popularity does not translate into a win for Democrats. Forty-eight percent plan to vote for Bush and 43 percent would vote for a Democrat.

The poll was taken July 16-17 among 1,000 adults intending to vote. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

In another poll, released Friday, Time magazine and CNN found that two-thirds in the United States think Bush will win the November 2004 election, though the number of people who say they will vote for him is down.

Fifty percent of those surveyed said they are very likely or somewhat likely to vote for Bush, according to the poll.

But that number was down from May, when 56 percent of poll respondents said they would vote for him.

The Time/CNN poll surveyed 1,004 US adults on July 16 and 17 and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.

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