Nation also split whether Bush plan will solve immigration problem; Bush approval - 32% President Bush’s speech to the nation on immigration reform Monday night drew mixed reviews, but left a plurality of likely voters across the nation skeptical that the illegal immigration problem would be solved by Washington, an overnight Zogby Interactive poll shows.
This as the President’s overall job approval numbers fall to 32%, according to a separate Zogby International survey conducted via telephone before the immigration speech Monday.
Overall, 47% said they liked the Monday speech, while 47% said they were disappointed.
About seven in 10 Republicans said they generally liked the speech, while 29% said they were disappointed. Among Democrats, 70% said they were disappointed, while 19% said they liked the speech, a slightly higher percentage of Democrats than usually support Bush. Eleven percent of Democrats said they were undecided.
Independents were split down the middle, with about half liking the speech and half disappointed. Among moderates, 34% said they liked the speech, while 58% said they were disappointed.
Public Skeptical About Reform Effort, Politics
Asked whether they thought the Bush plan meant the illegal immigration problem would be solved, 47% said it is more likely to get solved, while 49% said they think the plan makes it less likely to be solved.
There was a slight difference in reaction to the speech based on gender – 48% of men said the Bush plan is likely to succeed, while 44% of women agreed.
Despite the mixed reviews on the speech’s content, a majority of viewers saw the speech more as an exercise to gain political advantage in Washington and less as an effort to inform the American public about the issue. While 37% said they believed Bush was trying to bring the public up to speed on immigration, 58% said they believed he was simply trying to gain a political edge by stemming criticism of reform proposals that he backs.
Congress is now split over the issue. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that calls for, among other things, a more aggressive effort at border security and at stemming the influx of illegal immigration. The Senate favors an approach that includes a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for longtime illegal immigrants who have otherwise obeyed U.S. laws.
Bush’s speech came as his job approval rating for dealing with immigration languishes at 17%, and just 16% give him positive marks for his work on border security. A Zogby International telephone poll taken May 12–16 shows just 32% give him positive overall job approval marks.
The Zogby Interactive poll was conducted after the President’s Monday night speech, and included 805 interviews with likely voters who viewed the televised speech. It carries a margin of error of +/– 3.5 percentage points. The Zogby International telephone poll that included questions about the President’s job approval ratings was conducted May 12–16, included 979 respondents, and carries a margin of error of +/– 3.2 percentage points.