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

Impeachment polls conducted November-December:

ABC News (survey completed 12/16)
ABC News/Washington Post (12/20)
CBS News (12/18)
CBS News/New York Times (12/20)
CNN/Time (12/18)
Fox News/Opinion Dynamics (12/17)
Gallup/CNN/USA Today (12/20)
Harris (12/14)
NBC News (12/19)
NBC News/Wall Street Journal (12/6)
Newsweek (12/18)
Pew Research Center (12/21)
Zogby (12/13)

Recent impeachment polls
Lewinsky scandal polls conducted through October

 

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. December 19-20, 1998. N=1,285 adults nationwide.

.
"As you may know, the House of Representatives has voted to impeach Bill Clinton. Next the Senate will hold a trial to decide whether or not Clinton should be removed from office. First, do you approve or disapprove of the House vote to impeach Clinton?"
%
Approve 40
Disapprove 59
No opinion 1

.
"Clinton now will face trial by the Senate, which will decide whether or not he should be removed from office. Do you think the Senate should or should not remove Clinton from office?"
%
Should 33
Should not 66
No opinion 2

.
"Which would be your preference: for the Senate to remove Clinton from office, for the Senate to censure or officially reprimand Clinton, or for the Senate to drop the whole matter?"
%
Remove from office 29
Censure Clinton 39
Drop the matter 32
No opinion 1

.
"Do you think the House voted to impeach Clinton on the basis of the facts of the case, or on the basis of partisan politics?"
%
Facts of the case 36
Partisan politics 61
No opinion 3

 

ABC News Poll. December 16, 1998. N=510 adults nationwide.

.
"As you may know, the House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on whether or not to impeach Bill Clinton. If the House impeaches him, the Senate will hold a trial to decide whether or not Clinton should be removed from office. Based on what you know, do you think the House should or should not impeach Clinton?"
%
Should 40
Should not 58
No opinion 2

 

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. December 12-13, 1998. N=1,004 adults nationwide.
ABC News Poll. December 11, 1998. N=528 adults nationwide.

.
12/12-13/98 12/11/98
% %
"As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee in Congress has voted to recommend that the full House impeach Clinton. Do you support or oppose the committee's vote to recommend impeachment?"
Support 41 43
Oppose 58 55
No opinion 1 2

.
"The full House will vote on impeachment next week, and if the House impeaches Clinton the Senate will decide whether he should be removed from office. Based on what you know, do you think Congress should or should not impeach Clinton and remove him from office?"
Should 38 38
Should not 61 60
No opinion 1 2

.
"Given what you know, do you think Congress should or should not censure or officially reprimand Clinton for his actions in the (Monica) Lewinsky matter?"
Should 59 61
Should not 37 34
No opinion 4 4

.
"Just your best guess: Do you think Clinton did or did not lie under oath about having an affair with Lewinsky?"
Did 80 86
Did not 14 11
No opinion 5 4

.
"In general, do you think that lying under oath about an extramarital affair is or is not a good enough reason to impeach a president and remove him from office?"
Is 38 41
Is not 61 56
No opinion 1 2

.
"Just your best guess: Do you think Clinton did or did not obstruct the investigation of his affair with Lewinsky?"
Did 59 63
Did not 34 33
No opinion 7 5

.
"In general, do you think that obstructing the investigation of an extramarital affair is or is not a good enough reason to impeach a president and remove him from office?"
Is 38 38
Is not 61 59
No opinion 1 3

.
"Do you think the House Judiciary Committee hearings were fair to Clinton, or unfair?"
Fair 57
Unfair 38
No opinion 5

.
"If Congress impeaches Clinton and removes him from office, do you think the country would be better off, worse off, or don't you think that would make much of a difference?"
Better off 13
Worse off 51
Not much of a difference 33
No opinion 3

.

.
"Do you think most members of Congress will vote on Clinton's impeachment on the basis of the facts of the case, or on the basis of partisan politics?"
Facts of the case 29
Partisan politics 67
No opinion 4

.
"If the full House votes to impeach Clinton, what do you think Clinton should do: fight charges in the Senate or resign from office?"
Fight 38
Resign 58

.
No opinion 3

.
"Just your best guess: Do you think Clinton will be removed from office, or do you think he'll serve out his full term?"
Will be removed 21
Serve out his full term 76
No opinion 4

.
"Clinton appeared on television this afternoon to apologize for his actions and say he would accept congressional censure. Does Clinton's statement make you more likely to think he should be impeached and removed from office, more likely to think he should not be impeached and removed, or doesn't it affect your opinion on that?"
Should be 17
Should not be 21
Doesn't affect opinion 58
No opinion 4

 

ABC News and The Washington Post

.
12/2-6 * 11/20-22 * 10/29-
11/1 *		 10/22-25 * 10/15-18 * 10/8-10 **
% % % % % %
"As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee in Congress has been holding hearings on whether or not to impeach Bill Clinton. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the committee is handling its investigation?"
Approve 34
Disapprove 59
No opinion 7

.
"Based on what you know, do you think Congress should or should not impeach Clinton and remove him from office?"
Should 33 30 27 29 29 31
Should not 64 66 71 66 68 64
No opinion 3 4 2 5 3 4

.
"Do you think Congress should or should not censure or officially reprimand Clinton for his actions in the Lewinsky matter?"
Should 59 59 60 59
Should not 38 38 34 35
No opinion 3 3 5 6

.
"As you may know, the special prosecutor Kenneth Starr has said Clinton lied under oath about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton has said he did not lie. Do you think Clinton should or should not be charged with perjury and put on trial after he leaves office in two years?"
Should 51
Should not 45
No opinion 4

.
"From what you've heard, do you think Starr has made a strong case for impeachment, or a weak case?"
Strong 41
Weak 48
In between (vol.) 4
No opinion 7

.
Wording starting 11/20-22: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the investigation of these charges?"
Wording through 11/1: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the investigation of the Lewinsky issue?"
Approve 34 32 31 35
Disapprove 56 62 54 61
No opinion 10 6 15 4

.
"Do you think Starr is mainly interested in finding out the truth, or do you think he's mainly interested in hurting Clinton politically?"
Finding truth 36
Hurting Clinton 60
No opinion 4

.
"Do you think Congress should proceed with the impeachment hearings, or drop the whole matter?"
Proceed 39 34
Drop the matter 59 64
No opinion 2 2

.
"Given what you know about the Monica Lewinsky issue, do you think Clinton should remain in office as president, or should he resign the presidency?"
Remain in office 64 61 62 61
Resign 34 34 35 35
No opinion 2 5 2 3
N

1,006

1,008

2,105

1,227

1,208

802

.
* ABC News Poll
** Washington Post Poll

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. December 19-20, 1998. N=1,341 adults nationwide who had also been polled December 13-15 & 17..

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"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 31 61 10 31
Finished term 66 36 87 66
Don't know/No answer 3 3 3 3

.
"Do you think the Senate should hold a trial to decide whether or not to remove President Clinton from office, or do you think the Senate should work out a compromise, such as censure or a fine?"
Hold a trial 30 54 12 30
Work out a compromise 66 40 85 65
Don't know/No answer 4 6 3 5

.
"Some people say the Senate holding an impeachment trial would have a serious, negative impact on the country—affecting things like economic confidence and the ability to get work done. What do you think? Would an impeachment trial in the Senate have a serious, negative impact on the country, or not?"
Would have serious impact 55 40 68 54
Would not 38 52 27 38
Impact, not serious (vol.) 3 3 1 5
Don't know/No answer 4 5 4 3

 

CBS News Poll. December 18, 1998. N=548 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"The House is likely to vote on the four articles of impeachment tomorrow. When the full U.S. House of Representatives votes on whether or not to impeach President Clinton, do you want your representative to vote for or against impeachment?"
For 38 66 14 39
Against 58 27 84 58
Don't know/No answer 4 7 2 3

.
"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 62 49 55
Should not 35 29 43 31
Don't know/No answer 11 9 8 14

.
"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 36 59 16 37
Finished term 59 31 82 60
Don't know/No answer 5 10 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 39 68 16 38
Are not 58 28 81 59
Don't know/No answer 3 4 3 3

.
"When it comes to voting on the articles of impeachment, how much attention do you think members of Congress should pay to what the majority of Americans thinks about impeachment: a lot of attention, some attention, not much attention, or no attention at all?"
A lot 61 53 67 61
Some 22 22 23 22
Not much 5 7 3 6
None at all 8 14 3 8
Don't know/No answer 4 4 4 3

.
"If the full House votes to send impeachment articles to the Senate for a trial, then do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or not?"
Better if he resigned 49 71 30 49
Not better 44 24 62 44
Don't know/No answer 7 5 8 7

.
"If a member of Congress has been unfaithful to his or her spouse, is it important for the media to tell the American people that, or don't people need to know that?"
Important 18 16 13 23
Don't need to know that 73 77 72 70
Depends/Important now (vol.) 5 2 7 5
Don't know/No answer 4 5 8 2

 

CBS News Poll. December 16, 1998. N=413 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"When the full U.S. House of Representatives votes on whether or not to impeach President Clinton, do you want your representative to vote for or against impeachment?"
For 33 65 8 28
Against 63 34 84 68
Don't know/No answer 4 1 8 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 53 56 54 50
Should not 41 41 38 44
Don't know/No answer 6 3 8 6

.
"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 27 47 10 25
Finished term 71 51 89 73
Don't know/No answer 2 2 1 2

.
"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 34 67 12 25
Are not 63 31 86 69
Don't know/No answer 3 2 2 6

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. December 13-15, 1998. N=1,666 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"This week, the full U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on whether or not to impeach President Clinton. When the full House votes, do you want your representative to vote for or against impeachment?"
For 33 63 11 33
Against 62 30 87 60
Don't know/No answer 5 7 2 7

.
"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 59 53 52
Should not 37 34 36 40
Don't know/No answer 9 7 11 8

.
"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 53 10 31
Finished term 67 44 88 65
Don't know/No answer 3 3 2 4

.
12/14-15/98 only: "If the full House votes to send impeachment articles to the Senate for a trial, then do you think it would be better for the country if Bill Clinton resigned from office, or not?"
Better if he resigned 43 71 24 41
Not better 53 24 73 55
Don't know/No answer 4 6 4 4

.
12/14-15/98 only: "Some people say that the Senate holding an impeachment trial would have a serious, negative impact on the country -- affecting things like economic confidence and the ability to get work done. What do you think? Would an impeachment trial in the Senate have a serious, negative impact on the country, or not?"
Serious impact 59 49 70 55
Not a serious impact 32 41 22 36
Impact, but not serious (vol.) 4 5 2 4
Don't know/No answer 5 6 5 5

 

CBS News/New York Times Poll. December 13, 1998. N=653 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Which would you prefer happen right now: (1) the full House of Representatives vote to impeach President Clinton; OR, (2) the Republicans in Congress and President Clinton work out a compromise such as censure or a monetary fine; OR, (3) Congress drop the whole matter?"
House vote to impeach 21 47 7 25
Compromise 37 34 38 38
Drop the matter 37 18 54 35
Don't know/No answer 5 1 1

2

.
"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 57 10 34
Are not 66 40 88 64
Don't know/No answer 3 3 2 2

 

CBS News Poll. November 19, 1998, after 7 PM. N=584 adults nationwide who had previously been polled by CBS November 16-17. NOTE: Kenneth Starr testified before the House Judiciary Committee on November 19.

.
ALL Watched at least some
of Starr testimony onTV
11/16-17 11/19 11/16-17 11/19
% % % %
"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 30 34 37 40
Partisan 62 60 57 55
Don't know/No answer 8 6 6 5

.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the impeachment matter?"
Approve 41 47 48 54
Disapprove 43 39 40 34
Don't know/No answer 16 14 12 12

.
"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 49 51 48 56
Should not 41 41 41 34
Don't know/No answer 10 8 11 10

.
"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 18 22 24 27
Finished term 79 76 75 71
Don't know/No answer 3 2 1 2

.
"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 25 30 33 34
Are not 73 66 65 60
Don't know/No answer 2 4 2 6

.
"Would you be satisfied if no action were taken against President Clinton and the entire matter were dropped, or not?"
Yes 59 55 54 50
No 38 43 42 48
Don't know/No answer 3 2 4 2

 

CBS News Poll. November 16-17, 1998. N=1,118 adults nationwide.

.
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"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 28 50 13 25
Partisan 62 38 81 61
Don't know/No answer 10 12 6 14