Parties Spinning the Polls: Who's Right, Who's Wrong?

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58916-2003Nov18.html

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Some polls, including the Washington Post/ABC News poll, give respondents a range of options on job approval questions. The Post/ABC poll asks: Do you strongly approve of the way the president is handling his job? Somewhat approve of it? Strongly disapprove of it? Somewhat disapprove?

Monday, The Post and ABC News released a poll that put the president's approval at 57 percent, up slightly from a late October poll putting his approval at 56 percent.

Not bad, at first blush.

Of the 57 percent of the people who said they approved of the president's job performance, 23 percent said they only "somewhat approved"; the rest of the 57 percent "strongly" approved.

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Adding to the confusion are polls such as the independent Zogby International poll. The president has consistently fared worse in these polls, which ask people to rate the president's performance as excellent, good, fair or poor. Excellent and good are considered positive -- and Bush received 48 percent in the latest poll. Fair and poor are considered negative -- and Bush received 52 percent in the latest poll.