DOI: 10.3886/icpsr09939
title: ABC News/Washington Post Poll, June 1992
title: Archival Version

description: This poll is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys 
 that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other 
 political and social issues. Respondents were asked if they felt that 
 things in the United States were going in the right direction and 
 whether they approved of how Bush was handling the presidency, the 
 economy, race relations, education, and the environment. Respondents 
 also offered approval ratings of Congress and their own Congressional 
 representatives, rated the condition of the economy, and indicated 
 whether they were better off financially than in 1989 when George 
 Bush became president. In addition, respondents gave their 
 impressions of Bush, Bill Clinton, Ross Perot, Dan Quayle, and 
 television character Murphy Brown. They were also asked whether Vice 
 President Quayle would be qualified to take over as president if 
 something happened to Bush, and whether after four years of Bush a 
 new president was needed that could set the country in a new 
 direction. Concerning the 1992 presidential election, those surveyed 
 rated their chances of voting, indicated for whom they would vote if 
 the election were held the day of the interview, and commented on 
 whether they supported a candidate because they liked him or because 
 they didn't like the other candidates. Perot supporters were asked 
 whether they would vote for Bush or Clinton if Perot did not run, and 
 whether they would switch their support from Perot to one of the two 
 major-party candidates in November. All respondents were asked if 
 they thought the candidates were qualified, whether there was a 
 candidate for whom they would definitely not vote under any 
 circumstances, and whether they would be better off financially under 
 Bush, Clinton, or Perot. Those surveyed were also asked which 
 candidate would do the best job of dealing with a variety of problems 
 including race relations, unemployment, foreign affairs, the economy, 
 the environment, health care, and protecting the Social Security 
 system. Respondents indicated the applicability of various 
 characteristics to each of the candidates including strong 
 leadership, vision for the future, trustworthiness in a crisis, 
 understanding the needs of average Americans, honesty, the right 
 temperament to serve as president, and high moral standards. In 
 addition, those surveyed indicated whether the views of Bush, 
 Clinton, and Perot were too liberal, too conservative, or just about 
 right, whether they had a good idea of where the three candidates 
 planned to lead the nation in the next four years, and whether they 
 would be more or less likely to support a presidential candidate who 
 had engaged in extramarital affairs, had never run for public office, 
 or had come from a wealthy, privileged background. Other topics 
 included assessments of the Republican and Democratic parties, 
 re-electing representatives in Congress, the role of the federal 
 government, and the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Background information 
 on respondents includes political alignment, voter registration 
 status, most recent presidential vote choice, education, age, 
 religion, social class, area of residence, marital status, household 
 composition, labor union membership, employment status, Hispanic 
origin, household income, and sex.
description: Households were selected by random digit dialing. Within 
 households, the respondent selected was the adult living in the 
 household who last had a birthday and who was at home at the time of 
the interview.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: ABC News/Washington Post Poll, June 1992
description: Adults aged 18 and over living in households with 
telephones in the 48 contiguous United States.
description: A weight variable with two implied decimal places has 
been included and must be used with any analysis.