Carter's Job Ratings Indicate He Has Made No Progress in Restoring the Public's Confidence in Him

Home , September 1979

- - ' ABC News - Harris Survey * For Release: Tuesday AM, October 23, 1979 Vol. I No. 131 ISSN 0163-4846 CARTER'S JOB RATINGS INDICATE HE HAS MADE NO PROGRESS IN RESTORING THE PUBLIC'S CONFIDENCE IN HIM

By Louis Harris

President Carter's job rating has dropped to 74-25 percent negative, which equals his all-time low in a previous ABC News - Harris Survey in late July. In fact, since May, the overall Carter rating has ranged between 25 and 29 percent positive, and the President has been unable to make any appreciable progress in restoring public confidence in his performance in office. Public reaction to his ability to "inspire confidence in the White House" keeps dropping to new lows: --In the latest ABC News - Harris Survey, taken among a cross section of 1,500 adults nationwide earlier this month, only 17 percent give President Carter positive marks on this key personal dimension of inspiring confidence, while a record high 79 percent give him a negative rating. Last month, he was rated 76-20 percent negative on this dimension, while the month before his rating was 71-23 percent negative. A year ago, the same test of inspiring confidence found the President with a better rating of 55-38 percent negative. Past ABC News - Harris Surveys have indicated that when a president's personal confidence rating runs below his overall job performance standing, then it is a precursor to even lower ratings for him in the future. Thus, it is entirely conceivable that Jimmy Carter's downward slide in the polls has not yet seen a bottoming out, let alone the improvement he needs if he is to be a viable presidential candidate in L 1980.

On just about every specific aspect of the President's activity, he has slipped in public confidence:

--In the pivotal area of handling the domestic economy, Carter comes up with 84-14 percent negative marks, tying his all-time low recorded in late July. Closely related is his 86-12 percent negative rating on his efforts to curb the rising rate of inflation.

--On his handling of relations with Congress, which is a key factor in getting his legislative program enacted, Americans give Carter no better than 80-16 percent negative marks, scarcely changed since July.

--On his new energy program, his rating is now 69-22 percent negative, a decline from his 61-27 percent negative score in September.

--On foreign policy as a whole, the President achieves marks of 63-33 percent negative. Last April, after the signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, he was rated 56-41 percent positive on foreign policy matters.

--However, on his working for peace in the Middle East, the Carter rating remains 58-39 percent positive, no change since last month, although it is well below his 78-18 percent positive standing after the Sadat-Begin agreement in 1978. The President's Middle East efforts have yielded his best scores by far.

--By contrast, in his handling of relations with Russia, the President comes up with a 71-22 percent negative rating, his lowest ever on this dimension. Americans also rate the President 60-33 percent negative on his working for a SALT I1 arms limitation agreement with the Russians. This is a marked deterioration from the narrow 44-43 percent negative rating he received after signing the SALT I1 treaty in Vienna last June.

--In the political area, the initial public response to the way Carter is - handling the challenge by Senator Edward Kennedy is 61-30 percent negative. --Finally, on the general question of "getting things done," President Carter is given 80-18 percent negative marks by Americans, down from a comparable 78-20 percent negative standing in late July. Americans have become dubious about Jimmy Carter's capacity to really get things done, and nothing to date has led them to change their minds. TABLES Between September 26th and October lst, the ABC News - Harris asked a cross section of 1,500 adults nationwide by telephone: "How would you rate the job President Carter is doing as President--excellent, pretty good, only fair or poor?" CARTER OVERALL JOB RATING *Positive Negative Not sure % % % October 1979 25 74 1 September 2 8 70 2 Late July 25 74 1 Mid-July 29 7 0 1 June 25 7 3 2

"Now let me ask you about some specific things President Carter has done. How would you rate him on (READ LIST)--excellent, pretty good, only fair or poor?" CARTER RATINGS ON SPECIFICS *Positive Negative Not sure % % a Working for a peace settlement in the Middle East October 1979 September 1979 September 1978 His working for a SALT I1 arms agreement with the Russians to limit nuclear arms October 1979 September 1979 Late July 1979 June 1979 His handling of foreign policy matters October 1979 September 1979 Late July 1979 April 1979 September 1978 His handling of the challenge by Senator Kennedy for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980 October 1979 His new energy program October 1979 September 1979

TABLE CONTINUED CARTER RATINGS ON SPECIFICS CONT'D. *Positive Negative Not sure % % % His handling of relations with the Russians October 1979 June 1979 December 1978 Getting things done October 1979 Late July 1979 Inspiring confidence in the White House October 1979 September 1979 Late July 1979 September 1978 His handling of relations with Congress October 1979 September 1979 Late July 1979 September 1978 His handling of the economy October 1979 September 1979 Late July 1979 September 1978 His handling of inflation October 1979 September 1979 September 1978 *Positive=excellent and pretty good Negative=only fair and poor

Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. subscribes to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The principles are that all reports of survey findings of member organizations, prepared specifically for public release, will include reference to the following: sponsorship of the survey; dates of interviewing; method of obtaining the interviews; population that was sampled; size of the sample; size and description of the sub-sample, if the survey report relies primarily on less than the total sample; complete wording of questions upon which the release is based; and, the percentages upon which conclusions are based. All of this information is provided in this release.