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The Harris Poll® #31, April 28, 2004
Blame for 9/11?
Most People Feel Bush Administration Was Warned about
Possible Terrorist Attacks Before 9/11 and Many Believe He Did Not Take Them
Very Seriously
However, more people blame Clinton than Bush, and majority has
a great deal or some confidence in government’s ability to reduce likelihood
of another attack
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – April 28, 2004 – Public reaction to the 9/11
Commission and to all the controversy provoked by Richard Clarke, Condoleezza
Rice and other witnesses are mixed.
On the one hand, most people do not think the Bush administration did all it
could reasonably have done to prevent the attack. And most people believe the
Bush administration was warned about possible terrorist attacks and many believe
that he did not take them very seriously. On the other hand, slightly more
people blame President Clinton than President Bush for not doing more to prevent
the 9/11 attacks.
These are the findings of a new Harris Poll conducted online by Harris
Interactive® between April 13 and 18, 2004, with a nationwide sample
of 2,415 adults.
The main findings are:
- Slightly more people blame President Clinton (54%) than blame President
Bush (48%) for not doing enough to prevent the 9/11 attacks. However, only
22% blame each of them "a lot."
- The public is more or less equally split between those who believe that
the Bush administration "did all that it could reasonably have been
expected to do to prevent the attack" (39%) and those who think it
"failed to take steps it could and should have taken" (43%), with
18% unsure. Replies to this question are highly polarized by party.
- Most people (by 62% to 16%) believe "the Bush administration was
warned by intelligence reports about possible terrorist attacks in this
country."
- Most of the people who believe the administration was warned also believe
(by 70% to 20%) that the administration "did not think it was a big
risk" and did not "take it very seriously."
It is worth noting that some of the questions referred to the "Bush
administration." If these questions had been about President Bush
personally, we believe that fewer people would have held him personally
responsible than are critical of his administration.
How about the future?
While only 12% have a great deal of confidence "in the ability of the
government to reduce the likelihood of a terrorist attack," a majority
(64%) has at least some confidence in its ability to do so.
TABLE 1
HOW MUCH BLAME ON CLINTON AND BUSH FOR NOT PREVENTING 9/11
ATTACKS
"How much do you blame each of the following for not
doing more to prevent the 9/11 attacks?"
Base: All Adults
| |
|
Some/ A Lot (Net) |
A Lot |
Some |
Not Much |
Not At All |
Not Sure |
|
President Clinton |
% |
54 |
22 |
31 |
20 |
19 |
7 |
|
President Bush |
% |
48 |
22 |
26 |
19 |
28 |
5 |
Note: The "Net" may not add up to the "a lot" and
"some" due to rounding.
TABLE 2
DID BUSH ADMINISTRATION DO ALL IT COULD REASONABLY HAVE BEEN
EXPECTED TO DO?
"Based on what they were told before 9/11, do you think
that the Bush administration . . . ?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Total |
Republican |
Democrat |
Independent |
| |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
Did all that it could reasonably have been expected to do to prevent
the attack |
39 |
71 |
16 |
39 |
|
Failed to take steps it could and should have taken |
43 |
13 |
68 |
45 |
|
Not sure |
18 |
16 |
16 |
17 |
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
TABLE 3
BELIEVE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WAS WARNED OF POSSIBLE TERRORIST
ATTACKS IN U.S.
"Do you believe that the Bush administration was warned
by intelligence reports about possible terrorist attacks in this country?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Total |
| |
% |
|
Believe |
62 |
|
Do not believe |
16 |
|
Not sure |
22 |
TABLE 4
BELIEVE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TOOK WARNINGS SERIOUSLY
"Do you believe that the Bush administration took these
warnings seriously or that they did not think it was a big risk?"
Base: Believe it was warned
| |
Total |
| |
% |
|
They took it very seriously |
20 |
|
They did not think it was a big risk |
70 |
|
Not sure |
9 |
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
TABLE 5
CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE LIKELIHOOD OF TERRORIST
ATTACK
"How much confidence do you have in the ability of the
government to reduce the likelihood of a terrorist attack?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Total |
| |
% |
|
A great deal of confidence |
12 |
|
Some confidence |
52 |
|
Not much confidence |
32 |
|
No confidence |
5 |
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Methodology
The Harris Poll® was conducted online within the United
States between April 13 and 18, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 2,415
adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and
household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with
their actual proportions in the population. "Propensity score"
weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95
percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of ±2
percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been
polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible
sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than
theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be
interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting.
It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This
online sample is not a probability sample.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National
Council on Public Polls.
____________________________________________
W21026
Q552, Q553, Q555, Q557, Q560
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