President Bush ranked by PEW 2008 survey

William Atkins
Saturday, 27 December 2008 23:09

Science - Health

Based on statistics garnered by PEW, President George W. Bush is critiqued in his eight years as the president of the United States. He is given only a 11% above average score from the U.S. public, however, his mark on the history of America is far more, as the article discusses in greater details.


The Pew Research Center (PEW) article “Bush and Public Opinion: Reviewing the Bush Years and the Public's Final Verdict,” states, “As George W. Bush prepares to leave the White House, the United States is in many ways dramatically different from when he took the oath of office in 2001.”

It continues, “His first few months as president were largely unremarkable, despite the contentious 2000 election. But the horrific terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 greatly altered the course forward.”

Bush’s rating skyrocketed to a 86% approval rating after the September 9, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

He began to lose momentum as the war in Iraq continued and some of his policies began to be questioned.

He gained points with the initial U.S. victory in Iraq, and the later capture of its leader Saddam Hussein.

However, Bush never overcame these victories, and continued to drop in his public popularity scores.

Now, in December 2008, near the end of his two terms in office, Bush is ranked by the PEW statistics based on voting by the American people as: 11% above average president; 28% average, and 58% below average.

In comparison, according to PEW, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, at the end of his presidency, stood at 59%, 25%, and 14%, respectively.

For additional information, please read the complete December 18, 2008 PEW report “Bush and Public Opinion: Reviewing the Bush Years and the Public's Final Verdict. ”