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

Lewinsky Scandal polls conducted through October (see below)

Recent impeachment polls
Impeachment polls conducted November-December

 

ABC News Poll. September 21, 1998. N=523 adults nationwide.

.

ALL

 Heard/Read About
Videotaped
Testimony
% %
"As you may know, the video of Clinton's grand jury testimony shows prosecutors asking about details of Clinton's sexual activity with Lewinsky. In the tape, Clinton says he had improper sexual activity with Lewinsky but refused to discuss any of the details of that activity. Do you think Clinton was right not to talk about these sexual details or wrong to not talk about them?"
Right 70 68
Wrong 27 30
No opinion 3 2

.
"Do you think the prosecutors were right to ask about these sexual details or wrong to ask about the details?"
Right 41 44
Wrong 59 55
No opinion 1 1

.
"Do you think the words 'sexual relations' refer just to sexual intercourse or do you think the words 'sexual relations' refer to both sexual intercourse and other sexual activity, such as oral sex?"
Just intercourse 13 14
Other activity as well 81 81
No opinion 6 5

.
"Does Clinton's videotaped testimony make you more likely to think Clinton should leave office, less likely to think he should leave, or what?"
More likely 37 45
Less likely 39 43
Didn't see or hear (vol.) 18 5
No opinion 6 6

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. August 19-21, 1998. N=1,015 adults nationwide.

.
"How did you feel when you first heard that Clinton had admitted he misled the country about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky? Did you feel [see below] or not? How about [see below]?"
Yes No No
Opinion
% % %
"Bored" 45 53 2
"Disgusted" 45 54 1
"Relieved" 39 57 4
"Sad" 37 62 1
"Embarrassed" 36 64 0
"Angry" 33 66 1
"Surprised" 18 81 2

 

ABC News Poll. Latest: Conducted Monday night, August 17, 1998.

.
8/17/98 8/15-16/98
% %
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling his job as president?"
Approve 61 62
Disapprove 36 33
No opinion 3 4

.
"Clinton said that he did nothing to obstruct justice in the investigation of his relationship with Lewinsky. Do you believe him, or not?"
Yes 41
No 52
No opinion 8
.
"Given what you know about this issue, do you think Clinton should remain in office as president, or should he resign the presidency?"
Remain in office 68
Resign 28
No opinion 4
.
"If he does not resign, do you think Congress should or should not impeach Clinton and remove him from office?"
Should impeach 25
Should not 69
No opinion 6
.
"Do you think the investigation of this issue should end now, or should the investigation continue in order to find out if Clinton broke any laws by trying to conceal the affair?"
Investigation should end 69
Investigation should continue 29
No opinion 2
.
N 587 1,023

 

American Viewpoint (R). October 9-13, 1998. N=800 likely voters nationwide.

.
"Do you favor or oppose the House of Representatives' action to begin a formal impeachment inquiry against Bill Clinton?"
%
Favor 43
Oppose 52
Don't know 4

.
"And do you agree or disagree that Congress has been fair and impartial in reviewing charges against Bill Clinton?"
%
Agree 47
Disagree 47
Don't know/Refused 6

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. October 12-13, 1998. N=926 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Last week, the full U.S. House of Representatives voted to authorize the House Judiciary Committee to begin a formal impeachment inquiry of President Clinton. Do you approve or disapprove of Congress beginning an impeachment inquiry?"
Approve 45 75 22 47
Disapprove 53 24 75 50
Don't know/No answer 2 1 3 3

.
Asked of registered voters (N=794): "If your representative voted for beginning an impeachment inquiry, would that make you more likely to vote to reelect your representative, less likely to reelect him or her, or wouldn't your representative's vote on impeachment make much difference to you one way or the other?"
More likely to reelect 21 37 11 18
Less likely 20 7 30 19
No difference 55 52 53 59
Don't know/No answer 4 4 6 4

.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the impeachment matter?"
Approve 37 58 24 36
Disapprove 48 26 62 49
Don't know/No answer 15 16 14 15

 

CBS News Poll. October 7-8, 1998. N=997 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
Asked on Oct. 8 only (N=526): "The full U.S. House of Representatives voted to authorize the House Judiciary Committee to begin a formal impeachment inquiry of President Clinton. Do you approve or disapprove of Congress beginning an impeachment inquiry?"
Approve 46 72 27 51
Disapprove 50 26 69 46
Don't know/No answer 4 2 4 3

.
Asked on Oct. 8 only (N=526): "If your representative voted for beginning an impeachment inquiry, would that make you more likely to vote to reelect your representative, less likely to reelect him or her, or wouldn't your representative's vote on impeachment make much difference to you one way or the other?"
More likely to reelect 20 35 10 17
Less likely 20 9 26 22
No difference 56 52 58 56
Won't vote (vol.) 1 0 1 1
Don't know/No answer 3 4 5 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 54 57 54 53
Should not 34 32 35 34
Don't know/No answer 12 11 11 13

.
"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 28 51 10 29
Finished term 68 44 87 66
Don't know/No answer 4 5 3 5

.
"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 59 12 30
Are not 64 37 83 65
Don't know/No answer 5 4 5 5

.
"Of all the options available to Congress, which one do you favor the most: censuring or publicly reprimanding President Clinton, OR impeaching President Clinton, OR dropping the matter?"
Censure/Reprimand 30 26 34 28
Impeachment 27 51 9 27
Drop the matter 41 21 56 41
Don't know/No answer 2 2 1 3

 

CBS News Poll. October 3-4, 1998. N=902 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the matter involving Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?"
Approve 34 54 22 31
Disapprove 53 36 65 55
Don't know/No answer 13 10 13 14

.
"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 51 66 39 50
Should not 38 25 47 39
Don't know/No answer 11 9 14 11

.
"(Next week) the House Judiciary Committee will vote on whether or not to recommend to the entire U.S. House of Representatives that a formal impeachment inquiry of President Clinton be conducted. Do you think the House Judiciary Committee should or should not begin a formal impeachment inquiry of  President Clinton?"
Should 38 65 13 40
Should not 56 29 83 51
Don't know/No answer 6 5 4 9

.
"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 54 12 29
Finished term 67 42 86 68
Don't know/No answer 3 4 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 36 66 13 35
Are not 60 31 84 58
Don't know/No answer 4 3 3 7

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. September 22-23, 1998. N=960 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you think Bill Clinton shares the moral values most Americans try to live by, or doesn't he?"
Does 30 17 41 30
Does not 63 81 50 61
Don't know/No answer 7 2 9 9

.
"Do you think of this whole situation more as a private matter having to do with Bill Clinton's personal life, or more as a public matter having to do with Bill Clinton's job as president?"
Private 65 40 83 67
Public 29 53 15 26
Both equally (vol.) 4 6 1 4
Don't know/No answer 2 1 1 3

.
"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 27 49 11 25
Partisan 64 40 82 64
Don't know/No answer 9 11 7 11

.
"Do you think the time, effort and money spent on the Independent Counsel's investigation has been worth it, or not?"
Worth it 18 34 5 19
Not worth it 78 62 93 74
Don't know/No answer 4 4 2 7

.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the matter involving Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?"
Approve 35 56 20 34
Disapprove 54 34 67 55
Don't know/No answer 11 10 13 11

.
"Do you think the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives should begin holding hearings to determine whether or not to impeach President Clinton, or don't you think it's necessary?"
Should begin hearings 31 51 17 30
Not necessary 65 43 80 66
Depends (vol.) 1 2 0 1
Don't know/No answer 3 4 3 3

 

CBS News Poll. September 21, 1998. N=696 adults nationwide who had previously been polled by CBS September 19-20; includes 384 who said they watched at least some of Clinton's videotaped testimony.

.

ALL

 Watched
Videotaped
Testimony
% %

.
"Do you think Bill Clinton was cooperative enough in answering the questions he was asked during his [grand jury] testimony, or not?"
Yes 49
No 48
Don't know/No answer 3

.
"In his testimony, do you think Bill Clinton mostly answered the questions he was asked, or do you think he mostly tried to avoid answering the questions?"
Answered 32
Avoided 63
Don't know/No answer 5

.
"Did Bill Clinton's testimony make you think better of him, worse of him, or didn't it affect your opinion of Bill Clinton?"
Better 7
Worse 29
No effect 62
Don't know/No answer 2

.
"Do you think it was necessary for the House Judiciary Committee to release President Clinton's videotaped testimony to the public, or don't you think that was necessary?"
Necessary 27 32
Not necessary 72 68
Don't know/No answer 1 0

.
"Do you think the House Judiciary Committee released the videotaped testimony mostly so others can judge whether Bill Clinton committed perjury, or mostly to embarrass and damage Bill Clinton?"
Prove perjury 39 46
Embarrass Clinton 58 52
Don't know/No answer 3 2

.
"From what you've heard or read, do you think the claims that Bill Clinton committed perjury in his testimony before the Independent Counsel's grand jury are probably true, or probably not true, or don't you know enough about it yet to say?"
Probably true 51 55
Probably not true 17 22
Don't know enough yet to say 30 21
Don't know/No answer 2 2

.
"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 38 46
Finished term 60 52
Don't know/No answer 2 2

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Conducted Monday night, August 17, 1998. N=403 adults nationwide who had also been polled by CBS August 11-13, 1998.

.
ALL Speech
Watchers
% %
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling his job as president?"
Approve 68 69
Disapprove 27 30
Don't know/No answer 5 1

.
"Are you satisfied with what President Clinton said in his public statement tonight, or does he need to say more?"
Satisfied 58
Needs to say more 38
Don't know/No answer 4

.
"Has Bill Clinton's statement made you think better of him, worse of him, or hasn't Bill Clinton's statement affected your opinion of him one way or the other?"
Better 11
Worse 25
No effect 63
Don't know/No answer 1

.
"Now that President Clinton has testified before Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's grand jury and has made a public statement, what do you think should happen: Clinton should resign, OR, Congress should begin impeachment proceedings, OR, the matter should be dropped?"
Matter should be dropped 63 63
Clinton should resign 18 18
Begin impeachment proceedings 12 13
Don't know/No answer 7 6

.
N 403 256

 

CBS News Poll. August 6, 1998. N=784 adults nationwide who had also been polled by CBS July 28-30, 1998.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you think President Clinton will or will not testify truthfully before the grand jury?"
Will 54 34 74 49
Will not 33 55 18 32
Don't know/No answer 13 11 8 19

.
"After President Clinton testifies later this month, do you want him to make a statement to the public about the allegations involving Monica Lewinsky, or not?"
Yes 53 61 44 55
No 42 33 51 40
Don't know/No answer 5 6 5 5

.
"Who do you blame more for creating the current situation: Bill Clinton himself, or his political enemies?"
Clinton 39 68 18 40
Political enemies 51 23 76 48
Both equally (vol.) 3 2 2 5
The media (vol.) 1 0 0 3
Other (vol.) 1 1 1 1
Don't know/No answer 5 6 3 3

 

CBS News Poll. July 30, 1998. N=514 adults nationwide.
.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you think of this whole situation more as a private matter having to do with Bill Clinton's personal life, or more as a public matter having to do with Bill Clinton's job as president?"
Personal 64 37 80 68
Public 28 53 16 22
Both equally (vol.) 3 6 1 2
Don't know/No answer 5 4 3 8
.
"Do you think Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr is mostly conducting an impartial investigation to find out if anything illegal occurred, or is mostly conducting a partisan investigation to damage Bill Clinton?"
Impartial 26 45 12 25
Partisan 60 41 77 57
Don't know/No Answer 14 14 11 18

 

CBS News Poll. July 28, 1998. N=413 adults nationwide.
.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you want Bill Clinton to say more now about the allegations involving Monica Lewinsky, or are you satisfied to wait until the investigation into these allegations is completed, or would you be satisfied if he never said anything more about these allegations?"
More now 24 43 9 25
Wait 22 29 22 18
Never 47 25 60 50
Don't know/No answer 7 3 9 7

.
"Do you think Monica Lewinsky will testify to something that could be used to help bring criminal charges against President Clinton, or not?"
Yes 53 64 56 43
No 26 23 28 27
Don't know/No answer 21 13 16 30

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. July 19-20, 1998. N=567 adults nationwide.
.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you think it is appropriate or not appropriate to make Secret Service agents testify about what they have seen or heard while protecting the president of the United States?"
Appropriate 36 49 22 38
Not appropriate 58 44 74 55
Don't know/No answer 6 7 4 7
.
"What about in the current investigation of President Clinton? Do you think it is appropriate or not appropriate to make Secret Service agents testify about conversations they may have heard between President Clinton and his attorneys -- conversations which are usually protected by attorney-client privilege?"
Appropriate 14 22 6 15
Not appropriate 21 25 17 21
Don't know/No answer 7 9 4 9
Not asked this question -- answered "Not appropriate" on previous question 58 44 74 55
.
"Do you think requiring Secret Service agents to testify about a president -- any president -- would interfere with their ability to effectively do their job of protecting the president, or not?" If "Yes": "Do you think that would seriously interfere, or not?"
No, wouldn't interfere 36 48 22 38
Yes, seriously 44 34 61 38
Yes, but not seriously 14 13 10 19
Don't know/No answer 6 5 7 5

 

CNN/Time Poll conducted by Yankelovich Partners. October 14-15, 1998. N=1,036 adults nationwide.
.
ALL Rep. Ind. Dem.
% % % %
"Which of the following possible outcomes of the investigation of Bill Clinton would you most like to see happen? Clinton is impeached and removed from office. Clinton resigns from office. Clinton is censured by Congress, and remains in office. Clinton remains in office and Congress takes no action against him."
Impeached and removed 12 23 14 4
Resigns 21 44 21 7
Censured and remains 28 16 25 41
Remains, Congress takes no action 34 14 37 45
Not sure 5 3 3 3

.
"In general, do you approve or disapprove of how the House Judiciary Committee is handling the inquiry into whether or not to impeach Bill Clinton?"
Approve 34 60 35 18
Disapprove 56 33 56 72
Not sure 10 7 9 10

.
"Now assume for a moment that Congress is faced with a decision about whether to impeach Bill Clinton. If a candidate running for Congress in your district were to support impeachment, would this make you more likely to vote for the candidate, less likely, or would it not affect your decision whether to vote for the candidate?"
More likely to support 17 31 16 8
Less likely to support 32 13 30 48
Would not affect decision 47 53 51 41
Won't vote (vol.) 1 1 1 1
Not sure 3 2 2 2

 

CNN/Time Poll conducted by Yankelovich Partners. September 23-24, 1998. N=1,019 adults nationwide.
.
ALL Rep. Ind. Dem.
% % % %
"Based on what you have read or heard, do you believe that President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office, or don't you feel that way?"
Should be impeached and removed 29 57 25 13
Don't feel that way 67 38 69 85
Not sure 4 5 6 2

.
"Based on what you have read or heard, do you believe that President Clinton should resign from office and Al Gore become president, or don't you think so?"
Should resign 32 57 32 17
Don't think so 63 37 63 80
Not sure 5 6 5 3

.
"Would you favor or oppose Congress and Bill Clinton reaching an agreement in which Congress would censure Clinton but leave him in office?"
Favor 57 40 56 70
Oppose 37 58 38 24
Not sure 6 2 6 6

.
"In general, do you approve or disapprove of how the House Judiciary Committee is handling the inquiry into whether or not to impeach Bill Clinton?"
Approve 37 58 33 26
Disapprove 51 30 54 65
Not sure 12 12 13 9

.
"Do you have more confidence in President Clinton or in the Republicans in Congress to deal with the major issues facing the country today?"
Clinton 53 17 52 83
Republicans in Congress 35 73 34 11
Both equally (vol.) 3 5 1 2
Neither (vol.) 4 2 7 2
Not sure 5 3 6 2

.
"Now assume for a moment that Congress is faced with a decision about whether to impeach Bill Clinton. If a candidate running for Congress in your district were to support impeachment, would this make you more likely to vote for the candidate, less likely, or would it not affect your decision whether to vote for the candidate?"
More likely to support 16 30 13 10
Less likely to support 34 16 32 48
Not affect decision 46 51 51 37
Won't vote (vol.) 2 1 2 1
Not sure 2 2 2 4

 

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. September 16-17, 1998. N=901 registered voters nationwide.

.
"Do you believe the videotape of Bill Clinton’s grand jury testimony should be released to the public?"
%
Yes 33
No 58
Not sure 9

.
"Based on all that you know about the Clinton/Lewinsky matter, what do you think should happen? He should be impeached and removed from office. He should resign from office. There should be some other penalty. Nothing."
%
Resign 30
Some other penalty 28
Nothing 19
Impeached and removed 17
Not sure 6

.
"President Clinton misled the nation for over seven months about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Do you think it would be appropriate for Clinton to repay taxpayers for the cost of the investigation during those seven months – approximately $4.4 million dollars?"
%
Yes 45
No 45
Not sure 10

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. October 6-7, 1998. N=861 adults nationwide.

.
"Next, comparing the charges against Bill Clinton today with the charges against Richard Nixon in the Watergate controversy, which do you think are more serious: the charges against Richard Nixon, the charges against Bill Clinton, or do you think the charges against both men are about equally serious?"
%
Nixon charges more serious 64
Clinton charges more serious 10
Equally serious 23
No opinion 3

.
"Finally, we would like to ask you one overall question about what you would prefer to see happen with President Clinton. Would you prefer to see him stay in office for the remaining two years of his term, OR, would you prefer to see him leave office before the end of his term, either through impeachment or resignation?"
%
Stay in office 65
Leave office 34
No opinion 1

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. September 21, 1998. N=631 adults nationwide.

.

.
Watched Videotape
ALL Yes No
% % %
"As you may know, the videotape of Bill Clinton's testimony in the Starr investigation was released to the public today. Thinking about both the release and the contents of the videotape and documents from the Starr investigation, has what you've seen or heard about these matters made you feel less favorably toward [see below] than you did before, or not?"

.
Bill Clinton
Less favorably 41 45 36
Not less favorably 51 51 51
No opinion 8 4 13
.
The Republicans in Congress
Less favorably 37 38 34
Not less favorably 50 54 46
No opinion 13 8 20
.
Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr
Less favorably 45 42 49
Not less favorably 43 50 34
No opinion 12 8 18

.
"Based on what you heard or saw of the videotape, did you feel that the investigators treated Bill Clinton fairly or unfairly?"
Fairly 70
Unfairly 27
No opinion 3

.
"How do you think Bill Clinton appeared on the videotape [rotate]: more as someone guilty of no crime, who was wrongly accused of one, OR, more as someone who is guilty of a crime, and trying to hide something?"
Wrongly accused 26
Hiding something 62
Other (vol.) 7
No opinion 5

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. September 14-15, 1998. N=1,028 adults nationwide.

.

.
ALL Rep. Ind. Dem.
% % % %
"If the investigations into the Clinton-Lewinsky matter continue, what position would you prefer the U.S. representative from your congressional district take? 1. Favor impeaching and removing Clinton from office. 2. Favor a formal reprimand or censure of Clinton, but not removing him from office. OR, 3. Favor taking no formal action against Clinton."
Impeach 27 51 27 7
Reprimand 45 35 43 56
No formal action 24 10 26 33
No opinion 4 4 4 4

.

.
"What do you think Congress should do with Ken Starr's report [rotate]: hold hearings to investigate the charges contained in the report, OR, take no action on the report and end the investigation into these matters immediately?"
Hold hearings 50 73 45 34
End the investigation 44 24 46 60
Other (vol.) 2 1 3 3
No opinion 4 2 6 3

.
"All things considered, are you glad Bill Clinton is president, or not?"
Yes, glad 59
No, not glad 38
No opinion 3

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll

.

.
9/13/98 9/11-12/98 9/10/98
% % %
"Regardless of whether or not you think Clinton should be impeached, do you think Congress should or should not vote to censure Clinton -- that is, pass a formal resolution expressing disapproval of his actions?"
Should 60 59 58
Should not 36 35 36
No opinion 4 6 6

.
"What do you think Congress should do with Ken Starr's report [rotate]: hold hearings to investigate the charges contained in the report, OR, take no action on the report and end the investigation into these matters immediately?"
Hold hearings 46 52
End the investigation 52 44
Other (vol.) - 2
No opinion 2 2

.
"Just your impression -- Do you think the Starr report [rotate:] is a fair and accurate account of Clinton's actions, OR, do you think it is an unfair and distorted account of Clinton's actions?"
Fair and accurate 45 45
Unfair and distorted 43 42
Other (vol.) 1 2
No opinion 11 11

.
"In his report to Congress, Ken Starr concluded that Bill Clinton committed acts which were not consistent with the President's constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. Do you agree or disagree with this conclusion?"
Agree 49
Disagree 46
No opinion 5

.
"Here is a different question about the possible impeachment of President Clinton. Do you think members of Congress should stick closely to American public opinion when deciding what steps to take next -- including the results of polls like this one -- or should members of Congress do what they think is best regardless of what the American public thinks?"
Stick to public opinion 63
What they think best 34
No opinion 3
N 631 902 645

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. Latest: Conducted between 10:15 PM and 10:50 PM Eastern Standard Time, August 17, 1998.

.
8/17/98
ALL Speech
Watchers		 8/10-12
% % %
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill Clinton is handling his job as president?"
Approve 62 64 65
Disapprove 32 32 30
No opinion 6 4 5

.
"Now thinking about Bill Clinton as a person, do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him?"
Favorable 40 39
Unfavorable 48 53
No opinion 12 8

.
"If you had to choose, which do you think would be better for the country: if Clinton were to remain in office until the end of his term, or if Clinton were to resign now and turn the presidency over to Al Gore?"
Remain in office 72 70
Resign now 23 24
No opinion 5 6
.
"Are you personally satisfied or not satisfied with the explanation of the Lewinsky matter which Clinton gave tonight in his speech to the country?"
Satisfied 53
Not satisfied 39
No opinion 8
.
N 633 416 1,276

 

The Gallup Poll. Aug. 7-8, 1998. N=616 adults nationwide.

.
"As you may know, Monica Lewinsky testified before the grand jury in Ken Starr's investigation on Thursday. Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify later this month. If some of the statements made by Clinton and Lewinsky conflict, who would you tend to believe more: Bill Clinton or Monica Lewinsky?"
%
Bill Clinton 44
Monica Lewinsky 44
Neither (vol.) 7
No opinion 5

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. July 7-8, 1998.
.
"As you may know, a former White House employee named Linda Tripp secretly tape recorded conversations she had with Monica Lewinsky, in which Lewinsky allegedly discussed her relationship with Bill Clinton . . . ."

Split Sample A (N=523): "How interested would you, personally, be in hearing the tapes made by Linda Tripp: very interested, somewhat interested, not too interested, or not at all interested?"

Split Sample B (N=512): "How interested do you think most Americans would be in hearing the tapes made by Linda Tripp: very interested, somewhat interested, not too interested, or not at all interested?"
You,
Personally		 Most
Americans
% %
Very interested 11 41
Somewhat interested 18 29
Not too interested 14 15
Not at all interested 56 11
No opinion 1 4

 

The Harris Poll. September 9-13, 1998. N=1,009 adults nationwide.

.
"Do you think that President Clinton should resign or continue as president until his term ends?"
%
Should resign 31
Continue as president 66
Don't know 2

 

The Los Angeles Times Poll. September 13, 1998. N=968 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Dem. Ind. Rep. Men Women
% % % % % %
"From what you have heard about the allegations in the Starr Report and President Clinton's response to it, do you believe that President Clinton should resign, or not?"
Should resign 32 13 32 58 34 31
Should not 63 83 61 36 60 64
Don't know 5 4 7 6 6 5

.
"From what you have heard, do you believe that Congress should impeach President Clinton, or censure him -- meaning that Congress reprimands the president but does not impeach -- or should Congress drop the matter?"
Impeach Clinton 18 6 19 34 19 16
Censure Clinton 34 32 31 43 35 33
Drop the matter 41 58 44 14 39 44
Don't know 7 4 6 9 7 7

 

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). September 21, 1998. N=508 adults nationwide.
.

ALL

 Watched
Videotaped
Testimony
% %
"Based on what you have seen or heard of the President's grand jury testimony, do you believe that President Clinton told the whole truth in his grand jury testimony?"
Yes, told whole truth 26 28
No, did not 60 65
Not sure 14 7

.
"Do you think that President Clinton has the ability to continue leading the country, or do you believe that he has lost his ability to lead the country?"
Has the ability 65 62
Has lost the ability 32 35
Depends (vol.) 1 1
Not sure 2 2

.
"Given the things that you've heard or seen about Bill Clinton over the past few weeks regarding the Monica Lewinsky situation, what do you think is the best course of action for Congress to follow: begin the impeachment process now; pass a resolution of censure, which is a formal reprimand; OR, drop the matter without any further action?"
Begin impeachment process 27 29
Pass a resolution of censure 30 31
Drop the matter 39 36
Not sure 4 4

.
"Do you think that President Clinton should or should not resign from office?"
Should resign 36 40
Should not 60 57
Depends (vol.) 2 2
Not sure 2 1

 

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). September 10-13, 1998. N=2,005 adults nationwide.
.
Asked of half the sample: "From what you know, do you believe that President Clinton has or has not obstructed justice in his handling of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky?"
%
Has 60
Has not 31
Not sure 9

.
Asked of half the sample: "Do you favor or oppose Congress passing a resolution censuring -- that is, formally reprimanding -- President Clinton for his actions in the Monica Lewinsky matter as an alternative to impeachment?"
%
Favor 60
Oppose 34
Not sure 6

.
Asked of half the sample: "Do you think that President Clinton should or should not resign from office?"
%
Should 34
Should not 61
Depends (vol.) 3
Not sure 2

 

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). July 25-27, 1998. N=500 adults nationwide.
.
"I'm going to read you a list of some of the principal people involved in the investigation of President Clinton. Please tell me which one you dislike the most. . . ."
%
Linda Tripp 32
President Clinton 22
Kenneth Starr 21
Monica Lewinsky 13
All (vol.) 3
None (vol.) 5
Not sure 4

 

Pew Research Center Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. September 21-22, 1998. N=706 adults nationwide.
.

9/21-22/98

9/19-20/98

%

%
"Now, a few questions about the allegation that President Clinton lied under oath about a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Thinking specifically about this allegation, how important an issue do you think this whole situation is to the nation: of great importance, of some importance, or of very little importance?"
Great importance 37 42
Some importance 19 23
Very little importance 42 33
None (vol.) - -
Don't know/Refused 2 2

.
"In your opinion, in this [videotaped] testimony, did Bill Clinton make a good case for himself, or didn't he?"
Made a good case 31
Did not 46
Didn't see video (vol.) 12
Don't know/Refused 11

.
"In your opinion, were the prosecutors fair or unfair in their questioning of Bill Clinton?"
Fair 47
Unfair 33
Didn't see video (vol.) 12
Don't know/Refused 8

.
"If Congress decided to begin impeachment hearings against President Clinton, how would you feel about the members who voted in favor of beginning these hearings? Would your opinion of them be very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable?"
Very favorable 14 15
Mostly favorable 22 28
Mostly unfavorable 24 23
Very unfavorable 32 28
Depends (vol.) 1 1
Don't know/Refused 7 5

.
"If it turns out that President Clinton lied under oath about having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, do you think that he should be impeached and removed from office, or not?"
Should be 37 42
Should not 61 53
Don't know 2 5

 

Pew Research Center Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. August 21-24, 1998. N=1,001 adults nationwide.
.

8/21-
24/98

 8/7-
11/98		 7/29 - 8/2/98 3/98 2/98

%

%

 % % %
Asked of half the sample: "Now, a few questions about the allegations of sexual misconduct against President Clinton. Thinking specifically about these allegations, how important an issue do you think this whole situation is to the nation: of great importance, of some importance, or of very little importance?"
Great importance 26 24 22 26 22
Some importance 25 21 22 24 25
Very little importance 48 49 51 46 50
None (vol.) 1 3 3 2 3
Don't know/Refused - 3 2 2 -

.
"If it turns out that President Clinton lied under oath about having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, do you think that he should be impeached and removed from office, or not?"
Yes, should be impeached 30 29 31 40
No, should not 66 65 63 55
Don't know 4 6 6 5
.
"If it turns out that President Clinton encouraged Monica Lewinsky to lie under oath about the nature of their relationship, do you think that he should be impeached and removed from office, or not?"
Yes, should be impeached 41 39 41 48
No, should not 55 55 53 47
Don't know 4 6 6 5

.
"Bill Clinton has told the American people that he had an inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky but misled the public earlier to protect his family. In your opinion, should Clinton's statement be enough to end the matter OR do you think Congress should still consider impeachment hearings?"
Enough to end matter 61
Still consider impeachment 32
Don't know 7

 

U.S. News & World Report Poll conducted by the Tarrance Group (R) and Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates (D). September 16-17, 1998. N=1,006 registered voters nationwide.

.
Asked of half the sample: "In your opinion, what should happen to Bill Clinton for his actions involving Monica Lewinsky? Should he be impeached or fired, OR, be censured or reprimanded, OR, should nothing happen to him?"
%
Censured or reprimanded 47
Impeached or fired 32
Nothing 15
Don't know 7

.
Asked of half the sample: "From Hillary Clinton's point of view, how does the relationship between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton appear to you? Do you think it is more a loving marriage that has troubles, a practical business and political relationship, a marriage that is now mainly for their daughter's sake, or a marriage held together because it is better for the country?"
%
Business and political relationship 48
Loving marriage 18
Marriage for country's sake 13
Marriage for daughter's sake 10
All (vol.) 3
None (vol.) 1
Don't know 7

.
"In your opinion, which of the following statements best describes Monica Lewinsky? She was taken advantage of by Bill Clinton. She was equally responsible for the relationship between Bill Clinton and herself. She took advantage of Bill Clinton."
%
She was equally responsible 66
She took advantage 20
She was taken advantage of 11
More than one (vol.) 2
Don't know 2

 

Wirthlin Worldwide (R). September 11-14, 1998. N=824 registered voters nationwide.

.
"Based on what you know about all the issues and events involving the Lewinsky matter, do you think President Clinton should either resign or be removed from office, or should he stay in office?"
%
Resign/Be removed 40
Stay in office 57
Don't know/Refused 3

 

Zogby International "America Poll"

.
10/4-6/98 9/21-22/98 9/11-13/98 7/98
% % % %
"Are you proud or ashamed to have Bill Clinton as your president?"
Proud 36 35 32 46
Ashamed 47 50 50 31
Not sure 17 15 18 23

.
"Regarding the Clinton-Lewinsky investigation, how would you rate the way congressional Republicans have responded: excellent, good, fair, or poor?"
Excellent/Good 32 30 43
Fair/Poor 64 65 50
Not sure 5 5 7

.
"On the same matter, how would you rate the way congressional Democrats have responded: excellent, good, fair, or poor?"
Excellent/Good 23 26 33
Fair/Poor 71 70 62
Not sure 6 4 5

.
"If your congressperson were to vote for impeachment, would that make you much more likely, more likely, less likely, or much less likely to vote for him or her, or would it make no difference?"
Much more likely 7
More likely 11
Less likely 16
Much less likely 14
No difference 49
Not sure 3

.
"If your congressperson were to vote against impeachment, would that make you much more likely, more likely, less likely, or much less likely to vote for him or her, or would it make no difference?"
Much more likely 11
More likely 17
Less likely 11
Much less likely 10
No difference 48
Not sure 5

.
N (likely voters) 861 898

 

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