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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

.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the House Judiciary Committee is handling the impeachment matter?"
Approve 40 55 31 36
Disapprove 43 30 53 43
Don't know/No answer 17 15 16 21

.

"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 58 45 46
Should not 40 33 43 42
Don't know/No answer 11 9 12 12

.

"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 19 35 5 20
Finished term 78 60 94 76
Don't know/No answer 3 5 1 4

.

"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 26 48 10 26
Are not 70 47 88 70
Don't know/No answer 4 5 2 4

.

"Would you be satisfied if no action were taken against President Clinton and the entire matter were dropped, or not?"
Yes 57 33 77 56
No 38 60 21 38
Don't know/No answer 5 7 2 6

 

CNN/Time Poll conducted by Yankelovich Partners. December 17-18, 1998. N=1,031 adults nationwide.

.

ALL Rep. Ind. Dem.
% % % %
"As you probably know, the House of Representatives is considering a resolution to impeach President Clinton. If the majority of the House votes for impeachment, the Senate would have to decide whether Clinton is guilty and should be removed from office. Based on what you know, do you think the House should vote for or against the impeachment of Bill Clinton?"
For impeachment 37 69 37 15
Against impeachment 61 29 59 85
Not sure 2 2 4 -

.

"Thinking again about impeachment, if the vote goes through in the House of Representatives, an impeachment trial will be conducted in the Senate, where a two-thirds vote could remove Clinton from office. Which of these options do you think would be best for the country: for the Senate trial to go ahead in order to determine guilt or innocence, OR, for the Senate to end the trial immediately and vote to censure, OR, for Clinton to end the trial immediately by resigning from office?"
Senate trial to go ahead 16 19 14 15
Senate vote to censure 48 24 50 61
Clinton resign 31 53 32 17
Not sure 5 4 4 7

 

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. December 17, 1998. N=613 registered voters nationwide.

.

"As you know, impeachment by the House of Representatives does not remove the president from office. It simply means that a majority of the House thinks that charges against the president are serious enough to justify a trial by the Senate. Two-thirds of the senators have to vote to convict the president to remove him from office.

"If the House of Representatives votes to impeach President Clinton, do you think the Senate should then vote to convict him and remove him from office?"

%
Yes 37
No 57
Don't know 6

.

"If the U.S. House of Representatives votes to impeach President Clinton and send the matter to the Senate for trial, do you think Clinton should resign before the Senate trial or should he defend himself at the Senate trial?"
%
Resign 40
Defend himself 53
Not sure 7

.

"Do you think President Clinton has made a good faith effort to cooperate with the congressional inquiry?"
%
Yes 37
No 57
Not sure 6

.

"If President Clinton either resigns or is forced to leave office, do you think it will seriously hurt the economy, slightly hurt the economy, do nothing to the economy, or actually help the economy?"
%
Seriously hurt the economy 27
Slightly hurt the economy 29
Do nothing to the economy 32
Actually help the economy 6
Not sure 6

.

"Let’s assume that President Clinton either resigns or is forced to leave office because of this scandal. How confident are you that Al Gore could handle the job of president: very confident, somewhat confident, not very confident, or not at all confident?"
%
Very confident 22
Somewhat confident 41
Not very confident 19
Not at all confident 13
Not sure 5

.

"From what you know now, do you think President Clinton will finish out his term?"
%
Yes 67
No 19
Not sure 14

.

"If Clinton is forced to leave for legal reasons, do you think Gore should pardon him?"
%
Yes 41
No 46
Not sure 13

.

"Do you think President Clinton really believes he did not lie in his sworn testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, or is he just refusing to admit that he lied?"
%
Believes he did not lie 17
Refusing to admit that he lied 73
Not sure 10

 

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. December 2-3, 1998. N=517 registered voters nationwide.

.

"If President Clinton is not impeached, do you think Congress should vote to censure him or should they drop the whole matter?"
%
Vote to censure 39
Drop the matter 52
Not sure 9

.

"Some Members of Congress say that in order for President Clinton not to be impeached, he should have to admit he committed perjury. Other members say it is ridiculous to ask the President to confess to a crime as part of a deal not to punish him. Do you think the President should be required to admit to specific wrong doing in order not to be impeached?"
%
Yes 39
No 50
Not sure 11

.

"Assuming President Clinton is not removed from office because of current accusations, do you think he should face charges in court after he leaves office?"
%
Yes 45
No 47
Not sure 8

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll

.

"As you may know, removing a president from office involves two major steps in Congress. First, the House of Representatives must vote on whether there is enough evidence to bring a president to trial before the Senate. This step is called impeachment. Next, the Senate must vote on whether to remove the president from office, or not.

"As you may know, the House has now impeached Clinton and the case will be sent to the Senate for trial. If the Senate holds a trial, what would you want your senators to do: vote in favor of convicting Clinton and removing him from office, OR, vote against convicting Clinton, so he will remain in office?"

Vote In
Favor
Vote
Against
No
Opinion
% % % N
12/19-20/98 29 68 3 852

.

"Now thinking about the action taken by the House of Representatives this weekend, do you approve or disapprove of the House decision to vote in favor of impeaching Clinton and sending the case to the Senate for trial?"
Approve Disap-
prove
No
Opinion
% % % N
12/19-20/98 35 63 2 852

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll

.

"As you may know, removing a president from office involves two major steps in Congress. First, the House of Representatives must vote on whether there is enough evidence to bring a president to trial before the Senate. This step is called impeachment. Next, the Senate must vote on whether to remove the president from office, or not.

"What would you want your member of the House of Representatives to do: vote in favor of impeaching Clinton and sending the case to the Senate for trial, OR, vote against impeachment of Clinton?"

Vote In
Favor
Vote
Against
No
Opinion
% % % N
12/15-16/98 36 62 2 1,089
12/12-13/98 38 59 3 865
12/4-6/98 32 66 2 1,070
11/20-22/98 33 64 3 1,015
11/13-15/98 31 66 3 1,039
10/23-25/98 33 61 6 1,013
10/9-12/98 34 62 4 1,004

.

"If the House does vote to impeach Clinton and send the case to the Senate for trial, what would you want your senators to do: vote in favor of convicting Clinton and removing him from office, OR, vote against convicting Clinton, so he will remain in office?"
Vote In
Favor
Vote
Against
No
Opinion
% % % N
12/15-16/98 34 63 3 1,089
12/12-13/98 35 61 4 865
12/4-6/98 33 65 2 1,070
11/20-22/98 33 64 3 1,015
11/13-15/98 30 68 2 1,039
10/23-25/98 30 63 7 1,013
10/9-12/98 31 63 6 1,004

.

Wording starting 10/6-7: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following is handling the current investigation into the charges against Bill Clinton? . . ."
Wording through 9/23-24: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following has handled the controversy over Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky? . . ."
Approve Disap-
prove
No
Opinion
% % % N
The Republicans in Congress
12/15-16/98 38 56 6 1,089
12/4-6/98 32 61 7 1,070
11/20-22/98 34 58 8 1,015
11/19/98 41 51 8 652
11/13-15/98 31 62 7 1,039
10/9-12/98 38 55 7 1,004
10/6-7/98 34 58 8 861
9/23-24/98 32 59 9 1,046
9/11-12/98 43 48 9 902
8/10-12/98 33 52 15
2/13-15/98 44 44 12

.

Democrats in Congress
12/15-16/98 52 40 8 1,089
12/4-6/98 47 44 9 1,070
11/20-22/98 44 46 10 1,015
11/19/98 48 42 10 652
11/13-15/98 44 46 10 1,039
10/9-12/98 44 46 10 1,004
10/6-7/98 44 45 11 861
9/23-24/98 45 41 14 1,046
9/11-12/98 43 44 13 902
8/10-12/98 44 39 17

.

The news media
12/15-16/98 32 63 5 1,089

.

Hillary Clinton
12/15-16/98 67 23 10 1,089

.

Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr
11/20-22/98 36 59 5 1,015
11/19/98 35 58 7 652
11/13-15/98 31 63 6 1,039
9/23-24/98 30 63 7 1,046
9/11-12/98 35 60 5 902
8/10-12/98 29 58 13
2/13-15/98 31 54 15

.

Bill Clinton
9/23-24/98 30 66 4 1,046
9/11-12/98 27 70 3 902
8/10-12/98 48 49 3
2/13-15/98 49 47 4

.

"Regardless of how you feel about impeachment, what is your best guess? Do you think that eventually the full House of Representatives will or will not vote to impeach Clinton and send the case to the Senate for trial?"
Will Will
Not
No
Opinion
% % % N
12/12-13/98 54 41 5 865
12/8/98 37 59 4 544

.

"And what is your best guess about what the Senate would do if the House does in fact impeach Clinton? Do you think that the Senate would or would not vote to convict Clinton and remove him from office?"
Would Would
Not
No
Opinion
% % % N
12/12-13/98 37 58 5 865

.

"Now, thinking about the House Judiciary Committee: Do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following has handled the current investigation into the charges against Bill Clinton? . . ."
Approve Disap-
prove
No
Opinion
% % % N
The Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee
12/12-13/98 35 58 7 865
12/8/98 34 49 17 544

.

The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee
12/12-13/98 44 46 10 865
12/8/98 36 42 22 544

.

"How closely have you been following the congressional impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton: very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?"
Very
Closely
Some-
what
Closely
Not
Too
Closely
Not
At
All
No
Opinion
% % % % % N
12/15-16/98 26 49 21 4 - 1,089
12/12-13/98 25 52 20 3 - 865
12/11/98 18 41 25 16 - 568
12/10/98 20 36 31 12 1 550
12/9/98 16 38 29 17 - 568
12/8/98 19 36 28 17 - 544

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll

.

"As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee is holding hearings on whether to recommend impeachment of Bill Clinton to the full House of Representatives. In your view, should the House Judiciary Committee vote for or against impeachment?"
12/11/98 12/10/98 12/9/98 12/8/98
% % % %
For 37 34 34 34
Against 58 63 61 59
No opinion 5 3 5 7

.

N 568 550 568 544

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. December 10, 1998, from 6-9 PM EST. N=550 adults nationwide.

.

"Now I am going to read you four charges that have been made against Bill Clinton related to the current impeachment hearings. Regardless of whether you think Clinton should be impeached on any of the charges, please indicate if you think the charge against Clinton is or is not true. . . ."
True Not
True
No
Opinion
% % %
"The charge that Clinton committed perjury be providing false and misleading testimony to Ken Starr's grand jury." 71 23 6

.

"The charge that Clinton committed perjury by providing false and misleading testimony as part of the Paula Jones lawsuit." 64 27 9

.

"The charge that Clinton obstructed justice by trying to influence the testimony of Monica Lewinsky, his secretary, and others in the Paula Jones lawsuit." 50 43 7

.

"The charge that Clinton misused and abused his office and impaired the administration of justice by making false and misleading statements to the public, his aides, and Congress." 63 35 2

.

"Now for each of those charges, I would like you to tell me whether you think that the offense is serious enough -- if you were convinced that Clinton had actually behaved in that way -- to justify impeachment by the House and a trial by the Senate, or if you think the offense is not serious enough to justify impeachment. . . ."
Serious
Enough
Not
Serious
Enough
No
Opinion
% % %
"The charge that Clinton committed perjury be providing false and misleading testimony to Ken Starr's grand jury." 40 57 3

.

"The charge that Clinton committed perjury by providing false and misleading testimony as part of the Paula Jones lawsuit." 37 60 3

.

"The charge that Clinton obstructed justice by trying to influence the testimony of Monica Lewinsky, his secretary, and others in the Paula Jones lawsuit." 40 57 3

.

"The charge that Clinton misused and abused his office and impaired the administration of justice by making false and misleading statements to the public, his aides, and Congress." 47 51 2

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. December 9, 1998, from 6-9 PM EST. N=568 adults nationwide.

.

"In addition to a vote on impeachment, the House Judiciary Committee may also consider a resolution to censure Bill Clinton—that is, express formal disapproval of his actions. In your view, should the House Judiciary Committee vote for or against censure?"
%
For 55
Against 38
No opinion 7

.

"Next, we’d like you to think ahead to the actions the full House of Representatives might take after the Judiciary Committee has voted. Would you, personally, be angry or not angry if the full House of Representatives . . . ?"
Angry Not
Angry
No
Opinion
% % %
"Votes to impeach Bill Clinton and send the matter to the Senate for a trial" 47 50 3

.

"Votes to censure Bill Clinton, but not impeach him" 29 68 3

.

"Votes against both impeachment and censure, and therefore takes no formal action against Bill Clinton" 42 54 4

 

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll

.

"Based on what you know at this point, do you think that Bill Clinton should or should not be impeached and removed from office?"
Should
Be
Should
Not Be
No
Opinion
% % % N
10/6-7/98 32 65 3 861
9/23-24/98 29 68 3 1,046
9/21/98 32 66 2 631
9/20/98 35 60 5 637
9/13/98 31 66 3 631
9/11-12/98 30 64 6 902
9/10/98 31 63 6 645
8/21-23/98 29 67 4
8/18/98 26 70 4
8/17/98 25 69 6
8/10-12/98 20 76 4
8/7-8/98 23 75 2
6/5-7/98 19 77 4

 

The Harris Poll. December 9-14, 1998. N=1,005 adults nationwide.

.

"Do you think President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office or continue as president until his term ends?"
ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
Impeached and removed 27 60 7 31
Continue as president 68 35 91 62
Don't know/Refused 4 5 2 7

 

The Harris Poll. November 11-15, 1998. N=1,010 adults nationwide.

.

ALL Rep. Dem. Ind.
% % % %
"Do you think President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office or continue as president until his term ends?"
Should be impeached and removed 24 49 7 22
Continue as president 73 45 93 74
Don't know 3 5 1 3

.

"When President Clinton and the Republicans who control the Congress disagree about how to move forward the impeachment process, who do you tend to agree with: the Congress or the President?"
The Congress 37 73 15 35
The President 50 18 74 48
Neither (vol.) 8 6 7 11
Don't know/Refused 5 4 4 5

 

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Conducted the afternoon of December 19, 1998, following the House impeachment vote. N=510 adults nationwide.

.

"As you may know, today the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Clinton and send the matter to the U.S. Senate for trial. Do you support or oppose the House of Representatives passing articles of impeachment and sending the matter to the Senate for trial?"
%
Support 43
Oppose 55
Not sure 2

.

"Now that the House of Representatives has passed articles of impeachment against President Clinton and sent the matter to the U.S. Senate, what do you think the U.S. Senate should do: (A) drop the matter entirely, (B) hold a trial to determine whether or not to remove President Clinton from office, OR (C) negotiate a compromise such as censure or a fine?"

%
Drop the matter 21
Hold a trial 35
Negotiate a compromise 40
Other (vol.) 2
Not sure 2

.

"Now that the House of Representatives voted in favor of sending articles of impeachment to the Senate, do you think that President Clinton should resign from office to avoid a Senate trial, or do you think that he should remain in office and take his case to the Senate?"

%
Resign 34
Remain in office 62
Not sure 4

 

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). December 16, 1998. N=503 adults nationwide.

.

"As you may know, the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on the articles of impeachment against President Clinton and whether to send the matter to the U.S. Senate for trial. Do you favor or oppose the House of Representatives passing articles of impeachment and sending the matter to the Senate for trial?"
12/16/98 12/15/98 12/3-6/98
% % %
Favor 40 43 36
Oppose 57 55 61
Not sure 3 2 3

 

NBC News Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). December 15, 1998. N=507 adults nationwide.

.

"If the House of Representatives passes articles of impeachment and sends the matter to the U.S. Senate for trial, do you think that the Senate should or should not remove President Clinton from office?"

%
Should 38
Should not 57
Not sure 5

.

"If the House of Representatives votes in favor of having an impeachment trial in the Senate, do you think that President Clinton should resign from office to avoid a Senate trial, or do you think that he should remain in office and take his case to the Senate?"

%
Resign 44
Remain in office 51
Not sure 5

.

"Do you think that President Clinton should or should not admit to lying under oath, in order to avoid impeachment?"

%
Should 59

Should not

25

Not sure

16

.

"Now I'm going to read you two statements and I'd like you to tell me which one you agree with more. Statement A: An impeachment trial in the Senate would be good for the nation because President Clinton may have lied under oath and this is the best way to resolve the matter. Statement B: An impeachment trial in the Senate would be bad for the nation because President Clinton's actions do not meet the standard for impeachment and removal from office."

%
Statement A: Good 40
Statement B: Bad 54
Neither (vol.) 4
Not sure 2

.

"Do you think that the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton have been handled in a fair and impartial manner, or do you think that the impeachment proceedings have been handled in a partisan, political manner?"
%
Fair and impartial 33
Partisan and political 57
Some of both (vol.) 5
Not sure 5

 

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). December 3-6, 1998. N=2,106 adults nationwide.

.

Asked of half the sample:
"Now that the House of Representatives hearings on impeachment are nearly completed, let me read you some actions that Congress may take. For each one, please tell me whether that is something you would favor or would oppose. . . ."
Favor Oppose Not
Sure
% % %
"Pass a resolution to censure the President" 45 49 6

.

"Drop the matter without further action" 44 54 2

.

"Pass articles of impeachment and send the matter to the Senate for trial" 36 61 3

.

"Drop the matter for now with the promise of criminal action when the President is out of office" 27 70 3

 

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 17-18, 1998. N=753 adults nationwide.

.

"The issue of impeachment is now before Congress. Do you think the House of Representatives should impeach President Clinton and make him stand trial in the U.S. Senate, or not?"
Should Should
Not
Don't
Know
% % %
ALL 42 55 3
Men 48 50 2
Women 37 59 4
18-29 years old 37 60 3
30-49 years old 45 52 3
50 & older 42 56 2
Republicans 66 30 4
Democrats 19 80 1
Independents 45 52 3

.

"Suppose the House votes to impeach Clinton. Do you think it would be better for the country if Clinton resigns before a Senate trial begins, or if he does not resign and continues as president?"
Resigns Doesn't
Resign
Don't
Know
% % %
ALL 45 49 6
Men 50 46 4
Women 42 51 7
18-29 years old 44 53 3
30-49 years old 50 46 4
50 & older 42 50 8
Republicans 65 29 6
Democrats 26 69 5
Independents 49 46 5

.

"If the House votes for impeachment, how likely is it that the Senate will convict Clinton and remove him from office: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely?"
%
Very likely 22
Somewhat likely 34
Not too likely 22
Not at all likely 16
Don't know 6

 

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 10-11, 1998. N=806 adults nationwide.

.

"The issue of impeachment is now before Congress. Do you think the House of Representatives should impeach President Clinton and make him stand trial in the U.S. Senate, or not?"
Should Should
Not
Don't
Know
% % %
ALL 35 60 5
Men 35 60 5
Women 35 59 6
18-29 years old 37 59 4
30-49 years old 36 62 2
50 & older 35 57 8
Republicans 57 40 3
Democrats 13 83 4
Independents 37 57 6

.

"Which of the following do you think would be more damaging to our country and political system: having a trial in the U.S. Senate over the charges in the Lewinsky matter, OR, allowing President Clinton to finish he term with no official punishment for his behavior in the Lewinsky matter?"
%
Senate trial 39
No official punishment 41
Both equally (vol.) 6
Neither (vol.) 6
Don't know 8

.

"In dealing with the impeachment issue, do you think the House Judiciary Committee has paid enough attention to what the American people think, or not?"
%
Enough 31
Not enough 61
Don't know 8

 

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 19-21, 1998. N=805 adults nationwide who had also been polled December 9-13.

.

"Based on what you know at this point, do you think the Senate should or should not find Bill Clinton guilty and remove him from office?"
%
Should 31
Should not 65
Don't know/Refused 4

.

"Why do you think most members of Congress voted in favor of impeaching President Clinton: because they think what he has done is serious enough to end his presidency OR for political reasons?"
%
Serious enough 25
Political reasons 67
Both (vol.) 5
Don't know/Refused 3

 

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. December 9-13, 1998. N=1,201 adults nationwide.

.

"Based on what you know at this point, do you think that Bill Clinton should or should not be impeached and removed from office?"
%
Should 29
Should not 67
Don't know/Refused 4

.

"If the House of Representatives decides to impeach President Clinton, will your opinion of the Republicans in Congress be changed for the better, for the worse, or won't impeachment have an effect on your opinion of them?"
%
Changed for the better 13
Changed for the worse 33
Won't have an effect 50
Don't know/Refused 4

.

"Why do you think most Republicans are pursuing the impeachment of President Clinton: because they think what he has done is serious enough to end his presidency or for political reasons?"
%
Serious enough to end presidency 18
For political reasons 71
Both (vol.) 8
Don't know/Refused 3

.

"Why do you think most Democrats are against impeaching President Clinton: because they don't think what he has done is serious enough to end his presidency or for political reasons?"
%
Not serious enough to end presidency 26
For political reasons 61
Both (vol.) 8
Don't know/Refused 5

.

"In your opinion, how can we best avoid things like the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in the future: by electing a president with high moral character, or by making sure that a president's private life remains private?"
%
Electing president with high moral character 34
Making sure private life remains private 60
Don't know/Refused 6

 

Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. November 6-10, 1998. N=1,005 adults nationwide.

.

"Which party do you have the most confidence in to make the right decision about whether or not President Clinton should be impeached and removed from office: the Republicans or the Democrats?"
%
Democrats 44
Republicans 29
Neither (vol.) 19
Don't know/Refused 8

.

"Do you think Congress should proceed with impeachment hearings or drop the whole matter?"
%
Drop the whole matter 64
Proceed with hearings 31
Don't know/Refused 5

 

Zogby International "America Poll." December 10-13, 1998. N=1,003 likely voters nationwide.

.

ALL Men Women
% % %
"Should the House of Representatives vote 'yes' or 'no' to impeach the President and send him to trial in the Senate?"
Yes 44 47 41
No 52 51 54
Not sure 4 3 6

.

"If the trial in the Senate were held today, should the Senate vote to remove the President or keep him in office?"
Remove him 35 38 33
Keep him 59 57 61
Not sure 6 6 6

 

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