Clinton: Scandals II

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Clinton: Scandals I ] [ Clinton: Scandals II ] [ Clinton: Scandals III ] [ Clinton: Scandals IV ]

President Clinton: Scandals and Investigations, continued
All data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

Impeachment polls conducted November-December:

ABC News (survey completed 12/16)
ABC News/Washington Post (12/20)
CBS News (12/18)
CBS News/New York Times (12/20)
CNN/Time (12/18)
Fox News/Opinion Dynamics (12/17)
Gallup/CNN/USA Today (12/20)
Harris (12/14)
NBC News (12/19)
NBC News/Wall Street Journal (12/6)
Newsweek (12/18)
Pew Research Center (12/21)
Zogby (12/13)

Recent impeachment polls
Lewinsky scandal polls conducted through October

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll.** December 19-20, 1998. N=1,285 adults nationwide.
			.
"As you may know, the House of Representatives has voted to impeach Bill Clinton. Next the Senate will hold a trial to decide whether or not Clinton should be removed from office. First, do you approve or disapprove of the House vote to impeach Clinton?"
		%
	Approve	40
	Disapprove	59
	No opinion	1
			.
"Clinton now will face trial by the Senate, which will decide whether or not he should be removed from office. Do you think the Senate should or should not remove Clinton from office?"
		%
	Should	33
	Should not	66
	No opinion	2
			.
"Which would be your preference: for the Senate to remove Clinton from office, for the Senate to censure or officially reprimand Clinton, or for the Senate to drop the whole matter?"
		%
	Remove from office	29
	Censure Clinton	39
	Drop the matter	32
	No opinion	1
			.
"Do you think the House voted to impeach Clinton on the basis of the facts of the case, or on the basis of partisan politics?"
		%
	Facts of the case	36
	Partisan politics	61
	No opinion	3

ABC News Poll. December 16, 1998. N=510 adults nationwide.
			.
"As you may know, the House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on whether or not to impeach Bill Clinton. If the House impeaches him, the Senate will hold a trial to decide whether or not Clinton should be removed from office. Based on what you know, do you think the House should or should not impeach Clinton?"
		%
	Should	40
	Should not	58
	No opinion	2

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll.** December 12-13, 1998. N=1,004 adults nationwide. ABC News Poll. December 11, 1998. N=528 adults nationwide.
				.
		12/12-13/98	12/11/98
		%	%
"As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee in Congress has voted to recommend that the full House impeach Clinton. Do you support or oppose the committee's vote to recommend impeachment?"
	Support	41	43
	Oppose	58	55
	No opinion	1	2
				.
"The full House will vote on impeachment next week, and if the House impeaches Clinton the Senate will decide whether he should be removed from office. Based on what you know, do you think Congress should or should not impeach Clinton and remove him from office?"
	Should	38	38
	Should not	61	60
	No opinion	1	2
				.
"Given what you know, do you think Congress should or should not censure or officially reprimand Clinton for his actions in the (Monica) Lewinsky matter?"
	Should	59	61
	Should not	37	34
	No opinion	4	4
				.
"Just your best guess: Do you think Clinton did or did not lie under oath about having an affair with Lewinsky?"
	Did	80	86
	Did not	14	11
	No opinion	5	4
				.
"In general, do you think that lying under oath about an extramarital affair is or is not a good enough reason to impeach a president and remove him from office?"
	Is	38	41
	Is not	61	56
	No opinion	1	2
				.
"Just your best guess: Do you think Clinton did or did not obstruct the investigation of his affair with Lewinsky?"
	Did	59	63
	Did not	34	33
	No opinion	7	5
				.
"In general, do you think that obstructing the investigation of an extramarital affair is or is not a good enough reason to impeach a president and remove him from office?"
	Is	38	38
	Is not	61	59
	No opinion	1	3
				.
"Do you think the House Judiciary Committee hearings were fair to Clinton, or unfair?"
	Fair	57
	Unfair	38
	No opinion	5
				.
"If Congress impeaches Clinton and removes him from office, do you think the country would be better off, worse off, or don't you think that would make much of a difference?"
	Better off	13
	Worse off	51
	Not much of a difference	33
	No opinion	3		.
				.
"Do you think most members of Congress will vote on Clinton's impeachment on the basis of the facts of the case, or on the basis of partisan politics?"
	Facts of the case	29
	Partisan politics	67
	No opinion	4
				.
"If the full House votes to impeach Clinton, what do you think Clinton should do: fight charges in the Senate or resign from office?"
	Fight	38
	Resign	58		.
	No opinion	3
				.
"Just your best guess: Do you think Clinton will be removed from office, or do you think he'll serve out his full term?"
	Will be removed	21
	Serve out his full term	76
	No opinion	4
				.
"Clinton appeared on television this afternoon to apologize for his actions and say he would accept congressional censure. Does Clinton's statement make you more likely to think he should be impeached and removed from office, more likely to think he should not be impeached and removed, or doesn't it affect your opinion on that?"
	Should be		17
	Should not be		21
	Doesn't affect opinion		58
	No opinion		4

ABC News and The Washington Post
.
		12/2-6 *	11/20-22 *	10/29- 11/1 *	10/22-25 *	10/15-18 *	10/8-10 **
		%	%	%	%	%	%
"As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee in Congress has been holding hearings on whether or not to impeach Bill Clinton. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the committee is handling its investigation?"
	Approve	34
	Disapprove	59
	No opinion	7
							.
"Based on what you know, do you think Congress should or should not impeach Clinton and remove him from office?"
	Should	33	30	27	29	29	31
	Should not	64	66	71	66	68	64
	No opinion	3	4	2	5	3	4
							.
"Do you think Congress should or should not censure or officially reprimand Clinton for his actions in the Lewinsky matter?"
	Should	59		59		60	59
	Should not	38		38		34	35
	No opinion	3		3		5	6
							.
"As you may know, the special prosecutor Kenneth Starr has said Clinton lied under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton has said he did not lie. Do you think Clinton should or should not be charged with perjury and put on trial after he leaves office in two years?"
	Should	51
	Should not	45
	No opinion	4
							.
"From what you've heard, do you think Starr has made a strong case for impeachment, or a weak case?"
	Strong		41
	Weak		48
	In between (vol.)		4
	No opinion		7
							.
Wording starting 11/20-22: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the investigation of these charges?" Wording through 11/1: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the investigation of the Lewinsky issue?"
	Approve		34	32	31	35
	Disapprove		56	62	54	61
	No opinion		10	6	15	4
							.
"Do you think Starr is mainly interested in finding out the truth, or do you think he's mainly interested in hurting Clinton politically?"
	Finding truth		36
	Hurting Clinton		60
	No opinion		4
							.
"Do you think Congress should proceed with the impeachment hearings, or drop the whole matter?"
	Proceed		39	34
	Drop the matter		59	64
	No opinion		2	2
							.
"Given what you know about the Monica Lewinsky issue, do you think Clinton should remain in office as president, or should he resign the presidency?"
	Remain in office			64	61	62	61
	Resign			34	34	35	35
	No opinion			2	5	2	3

	N	1,006	1,008	2,105	1,227	1,208	802
			.
	* ABC News Poll ** Washington Post Poll

*CBS News/New York Times* Poll.** December 19-20, 1998. N=1,341 adults nationwide who had also been polled December 13-15 & 17..
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
"Given what you know right now, do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton finished his term as president?"
	Resigned	31	61	10	31
	Finished term	66	36	87	66
	Don't know/No answer	3	3	3	3
					.
"Do you think the Senate should hold a trial to decide whether or not to remove President Clinton from office, or do you think the Senate should work out a compromise, such as censure or a fine?"
	Hold a trial	30	54	12	30
	Work out a compromise	66	40	85	65
	Don't know/No answer	4	6	3	5
					.
"Some people say the Senate holding an impeachment trial would have a serious, negative impact on the country—affecting things like economic confidence and the ability to get work done. What do you think? Would an impeachment trial in the Senate have a serious, negative impact on the country, or not?"
	Would have serious impact	55	40	68	54
	Would not	38	52	27	38
	Impact, not serious (vol.)	3	3	1	5
	Don't know/No answer	4	5	4	3

CBS News Poll. December 18, 1998. N=548 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
"The House is likely to vote on the four articles of impeachment tomorrow. When the full U.S. House of Representatives votes on whether or not to impeach President Clinton, do you want your representative to vote for or against impeachment?"
	For	38	66	14	39
	Against	58	27	84	58
	Don't know/No answer	4	7	2	3
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think Congress should censure President Clinton -- that is, should Congress vote to publicly reprimand President Clinton for what he has done -- or don't you think Congress should censure him?"
	Should	54	62	49	55
	Should not	35	29	43	31
	Don't know/No answer	11	9	8	14
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton finished his term as president?"
	Resigned	36	59	16	37
	Finished term	59	31	82	60
	Don't know/No answer	5	10	2	3
					.
"Just from the way you feel right now, do you think President Clinton's actions are serious enough to warrant his being impeached and removed from the presidency, or not?"
	Are serious enough	39	68	16	38
	Are not	58	28	81	59
	Don't know/No answer	3	4	3	3
					.
"When it comes to voting on the articles of impeachment, how much attention do you think members of Congress should pay to what the majority of Americans thinks about impeachment: a lot of attention, some attention, not much attention, or no attention at all?"
	A lot	61	53	67	61
	Some	22	22	23	22
	Not much	5	7	3	6
	None at all	8	14	3	8
	Don't know/No answer	4	4	4	3
					.
"If the full House votes to send impeachment articles to the Senate for a trial, then do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or not?"
	Better if he resigned	49	71	30	49
	Not better	44	24	62	44
	Don't know/No answer	7	5	8	7
					.
"If a member of Congress has been unfaithful to his or her spouse, is it important for the media to tell the American people that, or don't people need to know that?"
	Important	18	16	13	23
	Don't need to know that	73	77	72	70
	Depends/Important now (vol.)	5	2	7	5
	Don't know/No answer	4	5	8	2

CBS News Poll. December 16, 1998. N=413 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
*"When the full U.S. House of Representatives votes on whether or not to impeach President Clinton, do you want your* representative to vote for or against impeachment?"**
	For	33	65	8	28
	Against	63	34	84	68
	Don't know/No answer	4	1	8	4
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think Congress should censure President Clinton -- that is, should Congress vote to publicly reprimand President Clinton for what he has done -- or don't you think Congress should censure him?"
	Should	53	56	54	50
	Should not	41	41	38	44
	Don't know/No answer	6	3	8	6
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton finished his term as president?"
	Resigned	27	47	10	25
	Finished term	71	51	89	73
	Don't know/No answer	2	2	1	2
					.
"Just from the way you feel right now, do you think President Clinton's actions are serious enough to warrant his being impeached and removed from the presidency, or not?"
	Are serious enough	34	67	12	25
	Are not	63	31	86	69
	Don't know/No answer	3	2	2	6

*CBS News/New York Times* Poll.** December 13-15, 1998. N=1,666 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
"This week, the full U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on whether or not to impeach President Clinton. When the full House votes, do you want your representative to vote for or against impeachment?"
	For	33	63	11	33
	Against	62	30	87	60
	Don't know/No answer	5	7	2	7
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think Congress should censure President Clinton -- that is, should Congress vote to publicly reprimand President Clinton for what he has done -- or don't you think Congress should censure him?"
	Should	54	59	53	52
	Should not	37	34	36	40
	Don't know/No answer	9	7	11	8
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton finished his term as president?"
	Resigned	30	53	10	31
	Finished term	67	44	88	65
	Don't know/No answer	3	3	2	4
					.
12/14-15/98 only: "If the full House votes to send impeachment articles to the Senate for a trial, then do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or not?"
	Better if he resigned	43	71	24	41
	Not better	53	24	73	55
	Don't know/No answer	4	6	4	4
					.
12/14-15/98 only: "Some people say that the Senate holding an impeachment trial would have a serious, negative impact on the country -- affecting things like economic confidence and the ability to get work done. What do you think? Would an impeachment trial in the Senate have a serious, negative impact on the country, or not?"
	Serious impact	59	49	70	55
	Not a serious impact	32	41	22	36
	Impact, but not serious (vol.)	4	5	2	4
	Don't know/No answer	5	6	5	5

*CBS News/New York Times* Poll.** December 13, 1998. N=653 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
"Which would you prefer happen right now: (1) the full House of Representatives vote to impeach President Clinton; OR, (2) the Republicans in Congress and President Clinton work out a compromise such as censure or a monetary fine; OR, (3) Congress drop the whole matter?"
	House vote to impeach	21	47	7	25
	Compromise	37	34	38	38
	Drop the matter	37	18	54	35
	Don't know/No answer	5	1	1	2
					.
"Just from the way you feel right now, do you think President Clinton's actions are serious enough to warrant his being impeached and removed from the presidency, or not?"
	Are serious enough	31	57	10	34
	Are not	66	40	88	64
	Don't know/No answer	3	3	2	2

CBS News Poll. November 19, 1998, after 7 PM. N=584 adults nationwide who had previously been polled by CBS November 16-17. NOTE: Kenneth Starr testified before the House Judiciary Committee on November 19.
					.
		ALL		Watched at least some of Starr testimony onTV
		11/16-17	11/19	11/16-17	11/19
		%	%	%	%
"Do you think Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr has mostly conducted an impartial investigation to find out if anything illegal occurred, or has mostly conducted a partisan investigation to damage Bill Clinton?"
	Impartial	30	34	37	40
	Partisan	62	60	57	55
	Don't know/No answer	8	6	6	5
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the impeachment matter?"
	Approve	41	47	48	54
	Disapprove	43	39	40	34
	Don't know/No answer	16	14	12	12
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think Congress should censure President Clinton -- that is, should Congress vote to publicly reprimand President Clinton for what he has done -- or don't you think Congress should censure him?"
	Should	49	51	48	56
	Should not	41	41	41	34
	Don't know/No answer	10	8	11	10
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton finished his term as president?"
	Resigned	18	22	24	27
	Finished term	79	76	75	71
	Don't know/No answer	3	2	1	2
					.
"Just from the way you feel right now, do you think President Clinton's actions are serious enough to warrant his being impeached and removed from the presidency, or not?"
	Are serious enough	25	30	33	34
	Are not	73	66	65	60
	Don't know/No answer	2	4	2	6
					.
"Would you be satisfied if no action were taken against President Clinton and the entire matter were dropped, or not?"
	Yes	59	55	54	50
	No	38	43	42	48
	Don't know/No answer	3	2	4	2

CBS News Poll. November 16-17, 1998. N=1,118 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
"Do you think Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr has mostly conducted an impartial investigation to find out if anything illegal occurred, or has mostly conducted a partisan investigation to damage Bill Clinton?"
	Impartial	28	50	13	25
	Partisan	62	38	81	61
	Don't know/No answer	10	12	6	14
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the impeachment matter?"
	Approve	40	55	31	36
	Disapprove	43	30	53	43
	Don't know/No answer	17	15	16	21
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think Congress should censure President Clinton -- that is, should Congress vote to publicly reprimand President Clinton for what he has done -- or don't you think Congress should censure him?"
	Should	49	58	45	46
	Should not	40	33	43	42
	Don't know/No answer	11	9	12	12
					.
"Given what you know right now, do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton finished his term as president?"
	Resigned	19	35	5	20
	Finished term	78	60	94	76
	Don't know/No answer	3	5	1	4
					.
"Just from the way you feel right now, do you think President Clinton's actions are serious enough to warrant his being impeached and removed from the presidency, or not?"
	Are serious enough	26	48	10	26
	Are not	70	47	88	70
	Don't know/No answer	4	5	2	4
					.
"Would you be satisfied if no action were taken against President Clinton and the entire matter were dropped, or not?"
	Yes	57	33	77	56
	No	38	60	21	38
	Don't know/No answer	5	7	2	6

*CNN/Time* Poll** conducted by Yankelovich Partners. December 17-18, 1998. N=1,031 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Ind.	Dem.
		%	%	%	%
"As you probably know, the House of Representatives is considering a resolution to impeach President Clinton. If the majority of the House votes for impeachment, the Senate would have to decide whether Clinton is guilty and should be removed from office. Based on what you know, do you think the House should vote for or against the impeachment of Bill Clinton?"
	For impeachment	37	69	37	15
	Against impeachment	61	29	59	85
	Not sure	2	2	4	-
					.
"Thinking again about impeachment, if the vote goes through in the House of Representatives, an impeachment trial will be conducted in the Senate, where a two-thirds vote could remove Clinton from office. Which of these options do you think would be best for the country: for the Senate trial to go ahead in order to determine guilt or innocence, OR, for the Senate to end the trial immediately and vote to censure, OR, for Clinton to end the trial immediately by resigning from office?"
	Senate trial to go ahead	16	19	14	15
	Senate vote to censure	48	24	50	61
	Clinton resign	31	53	32	17
	Not sure	5	4	4	7

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. December 17, 1998. N=613 registered voters nationwide.
			.
"As you know, impeachment by the House of Representatives does not remove the president from office. It simply means that a majority of the House thinks that charges against the president are serious enough to justify a trial by the Senate. Two-thirds of the senators have to vote to convict the president to remove him from office. "If the House of Representatives votes to impeach President Clinton, do you think the Senate should then vote to convict him and remove him from office?"
		%
	Yes	37
	No	57
	Don't know	6
			.
"If the U.S. House of Representatives votes to impeach President Clinton and send the matter to the Senate for trial, do you think Clinton should resign before the Senate trial or should he defend himself at the Senate trial?"
		%
	Resign	40
	Defend himself	53
	Not sure	7
			.
"Do you think President Clinton has made a good faith effort to cooperate with the congressional inquiry?"
		%
	Yes	37
	No	57
	Not sure	6
			.
"If President Clinton either resigns or is forced to leave office, do you think it will seriously hurt the economy, slightly hurt the economy, do nothing to the economy, or actually help the economy?"
		%
	Seriously hurt the economy	27
	Slightly hurt the economy	29
	Do nothing to the economy	32
	Actually help the economy	6
	Not sure	6
			.
"Let’s assume that President Clinton either resigns or is forced to leave office because of this scandal. How confident are you that Al Gore could handle the job of president: very confident, somewhat confident, not very confident, or not at all confident?"
		%
	Very confident	22
	Somewhat confident	41
	Not very confident	19
	Not at all confident	13
	Not sure	5
			.
"From what you know now, do you think President Clinton will finish out his term?"
		%
	Yes	67
	No	19
	Not sure	14
			.
"If Clinton is forced to leave for legal reasons, do you think Gore should pardon him?"
		%
	Yes	41
	No	46
	Not sure	13
			.
"Do you think President Clinton really believes he did not lie in his sworn testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, or is he just refusing to admit that he lied?"
		%
	Believes he did not lie	17
	Refusing to admit that he lied	73
	Not sure	10

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. December 2-3, 1998. N=517 registered voters nationwide.
			.
*"If President Clinton is not* impeached, do you think Congress should vote to censure him or should they drop the whole matter?"**
		%
	Vote to censure	39
	Drop the matter	52
	Not sure	9
			.
"Some Members of Congress say that in order for President Clinton not to be impeached, he should have to admit he committed perjury. Other members say it is ridiculous to ask the President to confess to a crime as part of a deal not to punish him. Do you think the President should be required to admit to specific wrong doing in order not to be impeached?"
		%
	Yes	39
	No	50
	Not sure	11
			.
"Assuming President Clinton is not removed from office because of current accusations, do you think he should face charges in court after he leaves office?"
		%
	Yes	45
	No	47
	Not sure	8

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll**
.
"As you may know, removing a president from office involves two major steps in Congress. First, the House of Representatives must vote on whether there is enough evidence to bring a president to trial before the Senate. This step is called impeachment. Next, the Senate must vote on whether to remove the president from office, or not. "As you may know, the House has now impeached Clinton and the case will be sent to the Senate for trial. If the Senate holds a trial, what would you want your senators to do: vote in favor of convicting Clinton and removing him from office, OR, vote against convicting Clinton, so he will remain in office?"
		Vote In Favor	Vote Against	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	12/19-20/98	29	68	3	852
						.
"Now thinking about the action taken by the House of Representatives this weekend, do you approve or disapprove of the House decision to vote in favor of impeaching Clinton and sending the case to the Senate for trial?"
		Approve	Disap- prove	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	12/19-20/98	35	63	2	852

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll**
.
"As you may know, removing a president from office involves two major steps in Congress. First, the House of Representatives must vote on whether there is enough evidence to bring a president to trial before the Senate. This step is called impeachment. Next, the Senate must vote on whether to remove the president from office, or not. "What would you want your member of the House of Representatives to do: vote in favor of impeaching Clinton and sending the case to the Senate for trial, OR, vote against impeachment of Clinton?"
		Vote In Favor	Vote Against	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	12/15-16/98	36	62	2	1,089
	12/12-13/98	38	59	3	865
	12/4-6/98	32	66	2	1,070
	11/20-22/98	33	64	3	1,015
	11/13-15/98	31	66	3	1,039
	10/23-25/98	33	61	6	1,013
	10/9-12/98	34	62	4	1,004
						.
"If the House does vote to impeach Clinton and send the case to the Senate for trial, what would you want your senators to do: vote in favor of convicting Clinton and removing him from office, OR, vote against convicting Clinton, so he will remain in office?"
		Vote In Favor	Vote Against	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	12/15-16/98	34	63	3	1,089
	12/12-13/98	35	61	4	865
	12/4-6/98	33	65	2	1,070
	11/20-22/98	33	64	3	1,015
	11/13-15/98	30	68	2	1,039
	10/23-25/98	30	63	7	1,013
	10/9-12/98	31	63	6	1,004

					.
Wording starting 10/6-7: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following is handling the current investigation into the charges against Bill Clinton? . . ." Wording through 9/23-24: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following has handled the controversy over Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky? . . ."
		Approve	Disap- prove	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	The Republicans in Congress
	12/15-16/98	38	56	6	1,089
	12/4-6/98	32	61	7	1,070
	11/20-22/98	34	58	8	1,015
	11/19/98	41	51	8	652
	11/13-15/98	31	62	7	1,039
	10/9-12/98	38	55	7	1,004
	10/6-7/98	34	58	8	861
	9/23-24/98	32	59	9	1,046
	9/11-12/98	43	48	9	902
	8/10-12/98	33	52	15
	2/13-15/98	44	44	12
					.
	Democrats in Congress
	12/15-16/98	52	40	8	1,089
	12/4-6/98	47	44	9	1,070
	11/20-22/98	44	46	10	1,015
	11/19/98	48	42	10	652
	11/13-15/98	44	46	10	1,039
	10/9-12/98	44	46	10	1,004
	10/6-7/98	44	45	11	861
	9/23-24/98	45	41	14	1,046
	9/11-12/98	43	44	13	902
	8/10-12/98	44	39	17
					.
	The news media
	12/15-16/98	32	63	5	1,089
					.
	Hillary Clinton
	12/15-16/98	67	23	10	1,089
					.
	Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr
	11/20-22/98	36	59	5	1,015
	11/19/98	35	58	7	652
	11/13-15/98	31	63	6	1,039
	9/23-24/98	30	63	7	1,046
	9/11-12/98	35	60	5	902
	8/10-12/98	29	58	13
	2/13-15/98	31	54	15
					.
	Bill Clinton
	9/23-24/98	30	66	4	1,046
	9/11-12/98	27	70	3	902
	8/10-12/98	48	49	3
	2/13-15/98	49	47	4
					.

"Regardless of how you feel about impeachment, what is your best guess? Do you think that eventually the full House of Representatives will or will not vote to impeach Clinton and send the case to the Senate for trial?"
		Will	Will Not	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	12/12-13/98	54	41	5	865
	12/8/98	37	59	4	544
						.
"And what is your best guess about what the Senate would do if the House does in fact impeach Clinton? Do you think that the Senate would or would not vote to convict Clinton and remove him from office?"
		Would	Would Not	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	12/12-13/98	37	58	5	865
						.

"Now, thinking about the House Judiciary Committee: Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following has handled the current investigation into the charges against Bill Clinton? . . ."
		Approve	Disap- prove	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	The Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee
	12/12-13/98	35	58	7	865
	12/8/98	34	49	17	544
						.
	The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee
	12/12-13/98	44	46	10	865
	12/8/98	36	42	22	544
						.

"How closely have you been following the congressional impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?"
		Very Closely	Some- what Closely	Not Too Closely	Not At All	No Opinion
		%	%	%	%	%	N
	12/15-16/98	26	49	21	4	-	1,089
	12/12-13/98	25	52	20	3	-	865
	12/11/98	18	41	25	16	-	568
	12/10/98	20	36	31	12	1	550
	12/9/98	16	38	29	17	-	568
	12/8/98	19	36	28	17	-	544

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll**
.
"As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee is holding hearings on whether to recommend impeachment of Bill Clinton to the full House of Representatives. In your view, should the House Judiciary Committee vote for or against impeachment?"
		12/11/98	12/10/98	12/9/98	12/8/98
		%	%	%	%
	For	37	34	34	34
	Against	58	63	61	59
	No opinion	5	3	5	7
					.
	N	568	550	568	544

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll.** December 10, 1998, from 6-9 PM EST. N=550 adults nationwide.
.
"Now I am going to read you four charges that have been made against Bill Clinton related to the current impeachment hearings. Regardless of whether you think Clinton should be impeached on any of the charges, please indicate if you think the charge against Clinton is or is not true. . . ."
		True	Not True	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	"The charge that Clinton committed perjury be providing false and misleading testimony to Ken Starr's grand jury."	71	23	6
				.
	"The charge that Clinton committed perjury by providing false and misleading testimony as part of the Paula Jones lawsuit."	64	27	9
				.
	"The charge that Clinton obstructed justice by trying to influence the testimony of Monica Lewinsky, his secretary, and others in the Paula Jones lawsuit."	50	43	7
				.
	"The charge that Clinton misused and abused his office and impaired the administration of justice by making false and misleading statements to the public, his aides, and Congress."	63	35	2
				.
"Now for each of those charges, I would like you to tell me whether you think that the offense is serious enough -- if you were convinced that Clinton had actually behaved in that way -- to justify impeachment by the House and a trial by the Senate, or if you think the offense is not serious enough to justify impeachment. . . ."
		Serious Enough	Not Serious Enough	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	"The charge that Clinton committed perjury be providing false and misleading testimony to Ken Starr's grand jury."	40	57	3
				.
	"The charge that Clinton committed perjury by providing false and misleading testimony as part of the Paula Jones lawsuit."	37	60	3
				.
	"The charge that Clinton obstructed justice by trying to influence the testimony of Monica Lewinsky, his secretary, and others in the Paula Jones lawsuit."	40	57	3
				.
	"The charge that Clinton misused and abused his office and impaired the administration of justice by making false and misleading statements to the public, his aides, and Congress."	47	51	2

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll.** December 9, 1998, from 6-9 PM EST. N=568 adults nationwide.
.
"In addition to a vote on impeachment, the House Judiciary Committee may also consider a resolution to censure Bill Clinton—that is, express formal disapproval of his actions. In your view, should the House Judiciary Committee vote for or against censure?"
		%
	For	55
	Against	38
	No opinion	7
					.
"Next, we’d like you to think ahead to the actions the full House of Representatives might take after the Judiciary Committee has voted. Would you, personally, be angry or not angry if the full House of Representatives . . . ?"
		Angry	Not Angry	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	"Votes to impeach Bill Clinton and send the matter to the Senate for a trial"	47	50	3
					.
	"Votes to censure Bill Clinton, but not impeach him"	29	68	3
					.
	"Votes against both impeachment and censure, and therefore takes no formal action against Bill Clinton"	42	54	4

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll

"Based on what you know at this point, do you think that Bill Clinton should or should not be impeached and removed from office?"
		Should Be	Should Not Be	No Opinion
		%	%	%	N
	10/6-7/98	32	65	3	861
	9/23-24/98	29	68	3	1,046
	9/21/98	32	66	2	631
	9/20/98	35	60	5	637
	9/13/98	31	66	3	631
	9/11-12/98	30	64	6	902
	9/10/98	31	63	6	645
	8/21-23/98	29	67	4
	8/18/98	26	70	4
	8/17/98	25	69	6
	8/10-12/98	20	76	4
	8/7-8/98	23	75	2
	6/5-7/98	19	77	4

The Harris Poll. December 9-14, 1998. N=1,005 adults nationwide.
					.
"Do you think President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office or continue as president until his term ends?"
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
	Impeached and removed	27	60	7	31
	Continue as president	68	35	91	62
	Don't know/Refused	4	5	2	7

The Harris Poll. November 11-15, 1998. N=1,010 adults nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Rep.	Dem.	Ind.
		%	%	%	%
"Do you think President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office or continue as president until his term ends?"
	Should be impeached and removed	24	49	7	22
	Continue as president	73	45	93	74
	Don't know	3	5	1	3
					.
"When President Clinton and the Republicans who control the Congress disagree about how to move forward the impeachment process, who do you tend to agree with: the Congress or the President?"
	The Congress	37	73	15	35
	The President	50	18	74	48
	Neither (vol.)	8	6	7	11
	Don't know/Refused	5	4	4	5

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Conducted the afternoon of December 19, 1998, following the House impeachment vote. N=510 adults nationwide.
			.
"As you may know, today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Clinton and send the matter to the U.S. Senate for trial. Do you support or oppose the House of Representatives passing articles of impeachment and sending the matter to the Senate for trial?"
		%
	Support	43
	Oppose	55
	Not sure	2
			.
"Now that the House of Representatives has passed articles of impeachment against President Clinton and sent the matter to the U.S. Senate, what do you think the U.S. Senate should do: (A) drop the matter entirely, (B) hold a trial to determine whether or not to remove President Clinton from office, OR (C) negotiate a compromise such as censure or a fine?"
		%
	Drop the matter	21
	Hold a trial	35
	Negotiate a compromise	40
	Other (vol.)	2
	Not sure	2
			.
"Now that the House of Representatives voted in favor of sending articles of impeachment to the Senate, do you think that President Clinton should resign from office to avoid a Senate trial, or do you think that he should remain in office and take his case to the Senate?"
		%
	Resign	34
	Remain in office	62
	Not sure	4

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). December 16, 1998. N=503 adults nationwide.
					.
"As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on the articles of impeachment against President Clinton and whether to send the matter to the U.S. Senate for trial. Do you favor or oppose the House of Representatives passing articles of impeachment and sending the matter to the Senate for trial?"
		12/16/98	12/15/98	12/3-6/98
		%	%	%
	Favor	40	43	36
	Oppose	57	55	61
	Not sure	3	2	3

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). December 15, 1998. N=507 adults nationwide.
			.
"If the House of Representatives passes articles of impeachment and sends the matter to the U.S. Senate for trial, do you think that the Senate should or should not remove President Clinton from office?"
		%
	Should	38
	Should not	57
	Not sure	5
			.
"If the House of Representatives votes in favor of having an impeachment trial in the Senate, do you think that President Clinton should resign from office to avoid a Senate trial, or do you think that he should remain in office and take his case to the Senate?"
		%
	Resign	44
	Remain in office	51
	Not sure	5
			.
"Do you think that President Clinton should or should not admit to lying under oath, in order to avoid impeachment?"
		%
	Should	59
	Should not	25
	Not sure	16
			.
"Now I'm going to read you two statements and I'd like you to tell me which one you agree with more. Statement A: An impeachment trial in the Senate would be good for the nation because President Clinton may have lied under oath and this is the best way to resolve the matter. Statement B: An impeachment trial in the Senate would be bad for the nation because President Clinton's actions do not meet the standard for impeachment and removal from office."
		%
	Statement A: Good	40
	Statement B: Bad	54
	Neither (vol.)	4
	Not sure	2
			.
"Do you think that the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton have been handled in a fair and impartial manner, or do you think that the impeachment proceedings have been handled in a partisan, political manner?"
		%
	Fair and impartial	33
	Partisan and political	57
	Some of both (vol.)	5
	Not sure	5

*NBC News/Wall Street Journal* Poll** conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). December 3-6, 1998. N=2,106 adults nationwide.
				.
Asked of half the sample: "Now that the House of Representatives hearings on impeachment are nearly completed, let me read you some actions that Congress may take. For each one, please tell me whether that is something you would favor or would oppose. . . ."
		Favor	Oppose	Not Sure
		%	%	%
	"Pass a resolution to censure the President"	45	49	6
				.
	"Drop the matter without further action"	44	54	2
				.
	"Pass articles of impeachment and send the matter to the Senate for trial"	36	61	3
				.
	"Drop the matter for now with the promise of criminal action when the President is out of office"	27	70	3

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 17-18, 1998. N=753 adults nationwide.
					.
"The issue of impeachment is now before Congress. Do you think the House of Representatives should impeach President Clinton and make him stand trial in the U.S. Senate, or not?"
		Should	Should Not	Don't Know
		%	%	%
	ALL	42	55	3
	Men	48	50	2
	Women	37	59	4
	18-29 years old	37	60	3
	30-49 years old	45	52	3
	50 & older	42	56	2
	Republicans	66	30	4
	Democrats	19	80	1
	Independents	45	52	3
					.
"Suppose the House votes to impeach Clinton. Do you think it would be better for the country if Clinton resigns before a Senate trial begins, or if he does not resign and continues as president?"
		Resigns	Doesn't Resign	Don't Know
		%	%	%
	ALL	45	49	6
	Men	50	46	4
	Women	42	51	7
	18-29 years old	44	53	3
	30-49 years old	50	46	4
	50 & older	42	50	8
	Republicans	65	29	6
	Democrats	26	69	5
	Independents	49	46	5
					.
"If the House votes for impeachment, how likely is it that the Senate will convict Clinton and remove him from office: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely?"
		%
	Very likely	22
	Somewhat likely	34
	Not too likely	22
	Not at all likely	16
	Don't know	6

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 10-11, 1998. N=806 adults nationwide.
					.
"The issue of impeachment is now before Congress. Do you think the House of Representatives should impeach President Clinton and make him stand trial in the U.S. Senate, or not?"
		Should	Should Not	Don't Know
		%	%	%
	ALL	35	60	5
	Men	35	60	5
	Women	35	59	6
	18-29 years old	37	59	4
	30-49 years old	36	62	2
	50 & older	35	57	8
	Republicans	57	40	3
	Democrats	13	83	4
	Independents	37	57	6
					.
"Which of the following do you think would be more damaging to our country and political system: having a trial in the U.S. Senate over the charges in the Lewinsky matter, OR, allowing President Clinton to finish he term with no official punishment for his behavior in the Lewinsky matter?"
		%
	Senate trial	39
	No official punishment	41
	Both equally (vol.)	6
	Neither (vol.)	6
	Don't know	8
					.
"In dealing with the impeachment issue, do you think the House Judiciary Committee has paid enough attention to what the American people think, or not?"
		%
	Enough	31
	Not enough	61
	Don't know	8

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 19-21, 1998. N=805 adults nationwide who had also been polled December 9-13.
			.
"Based on what you know at this point, do you think the Senate should or should not find Bill Clinton guilty and remove him from office?"
		%
	Should	31
	Should not	65
	Don't know/Refused	4
			.
"Why do you think most members of Congress voted in favor of impeaching President Clinton: because they think what he has done is serious enough to end his presidency OR for political reasons?"
		%
	Serious enough	25
	Political reasons	67
	Both (vol.)	5
	Don't know/Refused	3

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 9-13, 1998. N=1,201 adults nationwide.
				.
"Based on what you know at this point, do you think that Bill Clinton should or should not be impeached and removed from office?"
		%
	Should	29
	Should not	67
	Don't know/Refused	4
				.
"If the House of Representatives decides to impeach President Clinton, will your opinion of the Republicans in Congress be changed for the better, for the worse, or won't impeachment have an effect on your opinion of them?"
		%
	Changed for the better	13
	Changed for the worse	33
	Won't have an effect	50
	Don't know/Refused	4
				.
"Why do you think most Republicans are pursuing the impeachment of President Clinton: because they think what he has done is serious enough to end his presidency or for political reasons?"
			%
	Serious enough to end presidency		18
	For political reasons		71
	Both (vol.)		8
	Don't know/Refused		3
				.
"Why do you think most Democrats are against impeaching President Clinton: because they don't think what he has done is serious enough to end his presidency or for political reasons?"
			%
	Not serious enough to end presidency		26
	For political reasons		61
	Both (vol.)		8
	Don't know/Refused		5
				.
"In your opinion, how can we best avoid things like the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the future: by electing a president with high moral character, or by making sure that a president's private life remains private?"
			%
	Electing president with high moral character		34
	Making sure private life remains private		60
	Don't know/Refused		6

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. November 6-10, 1998. N=1,005 adults nationwide.
			.
"Which party do you have the most confidence in to make the right decision about whether or not President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office: the Republicans or the Democrats?"
		%
	Democrats	44
	Republicans	29
	Neither (vol.)	19
	Don't know/Refused	8
			.
"Do you think Congress should proceed with impeachment hearings or drop the whole matter?"
		%
	Drop the whole matter	64
	Proceed with hearings	31
	Don't know/Refused	5

Zogby International "America Poll." December 10-13, 1998. N=1,003 likely voters nationwide.
					.
		ALL	Men	Women
		%	%	%
"Should the House of Representatives vote 'yes' or 'no' to impeach the President and send him to trial in the Senate?"
	Yes	44	47	41
	No	52	51	54
	Not sure	4	3	6
					.
"If the trial in the Senate were held today, should the Senate vote to remove the President or keep him in office?"
	Remove him	35	38	33
	Keep him	59	57	61
	Not sure	6	6	6

HOME | TABLE OF CONTENTS | SEARCH THE SITECopyright � 2015 POLLING REPORT, INC., and polling/sponsoring organizations