A CNN / Time Poll - January 10-11, 1996

About the CNN/Time Polls
Sample size and poll information
Presidential Horse Race
Whitewater
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Bob Dole
The Federal Budget
Bosnia



Interviews with 1,000 adult Americans, including 829 
registered voters and 342 registered 
Republicans, conducted January 10-11, 1996.


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President Clinton's lead over Senate Majority Leader 
Bob Dole in a hypothetical match-up has shrunk from 
15 points among registered voters in December to six 
points now. If the election were held tomorrow, Clinton 
would beat Dole by a 47%-41% margin among the 
country's registered voters. Clinton's approval rating has 
dropped as well -- from 55% in December to 48% today. 
45% of all Americans currently disapprove of the way Clinton is 
handling his job as President. (NOTE: Clinton-Dole horse race figure 
is reported for all registered voters; 
ALL other results will be reported for all respondents.)


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Registered Voters'
Presidential Choice


           Now    December
Clinton    47%    52%
Dole       41     37

Sampling error: +/-3.5% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Clinton Approval Rating


            Now   December
Approve     48%   55%
Disapprove  45    36

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

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A majority of all Americans believe that 
Hillary Rodham Clinton has lied about her role in 
the Whitewater real estate deal or the firing 
of White House travel office employees. 49% 
believe Bill Clinton lied about his role in 
these same matters. 52% of the country also 
thinks that the suspicions against the Clintons 
in the controversy over the Whitewater real 
estate deal are very serious. In 1994, only 
38% thought those charges were very serious. 
49% also believe that the firing of personnel 
in the White House travel office is also a very 
serious issue.


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Did Hillary Clinton Lie
About Role in Whitewater?

Yes      52%
No       27
Unsure   21

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Did Bill Clinton Lie
About Role in Whitewater? 

Yes       49%
No        32
Unsure    19

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Suspicions Against Clintons
In Whitewater Controversy

                      Now      1994
Very serious          52%      38%
Not very serious      37       52

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

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The number of Americans with a favorable 
impression of Hillary Rodham Clinton has 
dropped from 57% in December to 43% today. The 
public is evenly divided over whether 
the level of her involvement in policy is 
appropriate. 47% of the general public says that her 
involvement in national policy is appropriate; 46% 
say it is inappropriate. In 1994, 56% 
found her involvement in policy appropriate. 39% of 
the country says she is more ethical 
than most politicians; 37% say she is not. In 
1994, 50% found her more ethical than most 
politicians. Nonetheless, by a 49%-43% margin, 
Americans approve of how she is 
handling her role as First Lady.


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Opinion of Hillary Clinton

               Now    December
Favorable      43%    57%
Unfavorable    46     33

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Hillary Clinton's 
Invovlement in Policy

               Now   1994
Appropriate    47%   56%
Inappropriate  46    38

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Is Hillary Clinton More
Ethical Than Most Politicians?

              Now       1994
Yes           39%       50%
No            37        21

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
How Hillary Clinton is Handling
Her Role as First Lady

Approve         49%
Disapprove      43

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


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Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole continues 
to lead all other Republican presidential 
candidates by a greater than four-to-one margin. 
If the election were held today, 42% of all 
registered voters who call themselves Republicans 
would vote for Dole. Bunched in a 
statistical tie for a distant second place 
are Steve Forbes at 9%, Phil Gramm at 8%, and Pat 
Buchanan at 7%. One reason for Dole's frontrunner 
status is that five out of six Americans 
are familiar with the Kansas Republican. Two-thirds 
of the country is not familiar with 
Forbes; half of all Americans are unfamiliar with 
Gramm, and over a third say they are 
unfamiliar with Buchanan. Dole's favorable rating, 
at 46%, lags behind Clinton's. (NOTE: 
Republican horse race numbers are for registered 
Republicans. ALL other results in this file 
are reported for all respondents.)
    

CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Registered Republicans'
Choice for Nomination

Dole         42%     Alexander 3%
Forbes        9      Keyes     3%
Gramm         8      Lugar     1%
Buchanan      7      Dornan    1%

Sampling error: +/-5% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Unfamiliar With
GOP Candidates

Forbes      67%
Gramm       51
Buchanan    38
Dole        16

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Opinion of Dole

Favorable       46%
Unfavorable     34

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Opinion of Clinton

Favorable      56%
Unfavorable    40

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


Only 43% of the general public thinks Dole 
should temporarily step down from his post as 
Senate Majority Leader while he is running for 
President; 48% don't think he should do so. 
A majority of the country approves of the way 
he is handling that job.


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Should Dole Temporarily
Step Down As Majority Leader?

Yes   43%
No    48

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
How Dole is Handling
Job as Majority Leader?

Approve       52%
Disapprove    33

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


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The public takes a dim view of recent suggestions 
by Clinton and some GOP leaders that 
the unresolved issues in the budget talks might 
be resolved in the election in November 
rather than settled now. Only 29% of the general 
public says that those issues should be 
debated during the coming presidential campaign 
and settled by the President and Congress 
elected in November. Nearly six in ten Americans 
want to see the two sides reach a budget 
agreement as quickly as possible.


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Budget Agreement Should
Be Reached...

As quickly as possible   59%
After election           29

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

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President Clinton continues to lose the advantage 
in public opinion that he had gained in the 
first government shutdown. In early December, 
51% thought that Clinton had acted more 
responsibly than the GOP leaders in Congress 
in the budget negotiations. Today, only 43% 
feel that way about him. But just 33% say that 
the GOP leadership has acted more 
responsibly than Clinton. Overall, 48% approve of 
how Clinton has handled the budget 
negotiations; 41% say that about Dole; and only 
a quarter approve of how Newt Gingrich 
has handled the budget negotiations.


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Who Has Acted More Responsibly
In Budget Negotiations?


Now December

Clinton    43%    51%
GOP        33     32

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Approval Ratings for
Budget Negotiations

Clinton    48%
Dole       41
Gingrich   26

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

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Half the country continues to oppose the 
presence of U.S. troops in Bosnia, although that 
opposition is down slightly from December. But 
although only 41% of all Americans 
approve of U.S. troops in the Balkans, 54% think 
Clinton is doing a good job of handling 
the situation in Bosnia.


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
U.S. Troops in Bosnia


           Now         December
Approve    41%         36%
Disapprove 50          57

Sampling error: +/-3% pts


CNN/TIME POLL
January 10-11
Clinton's Handling of
Situation in Bosnia


           Now     December
Good job   54%     43%
Poor job   29      43

Sampling error: +/-3% pts

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