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Poll: Bush's Second-Term Rating Lags Behind Others

President Bush's public approval rating lags those of other recent second-term presidents, a new pre-inaugural poll shows. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Bush begins his second term with a 50 percent approval rating -- well below the support enjoyed by Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan and Clinton at the start of their second terms, Kohut says.

The poll also shows differences between the concerns of Republicans and Democrats over key policy issues. For example, 81 percent of Democrats rate providing health insurance for the uninsured as a top priority, compared with just 35 percent of Republicans.

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Andrew Kohut
Commentator Andrew Kohut can be heard frequently on NPR programs, offering analysis and insights on the meaning and interpretation of opinion poll results ranging from Americans' attitudes about gay marriage to the issues driving the elections.
Robert Siegel
Prior to his retirement, Robert Siegel was the senior host of NPR's award-winning evening newsmagazine All Things Considered. With 40 years of experience working in radio news, Siegel hosted the country's most-listened-to, afternoon-drive-time news radio program and reported on stories and happenings all over the globe, and reported from a variety of locations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. He signed off in his final broadcast of All Things Considered on January 5, 2018.