ABC News/Washington Post Poll, January 1994

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 to identify the biggest problems facing the country and to comment on whether they thought the United States was generally going in the right direction or was on the wrong track. They were asked whether they approved of Bill Clinton's handling of his job as president, the nation's economy, the federal budget deficit, foreign affairs, and crime, and were asked for their impressions of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bob Dole, and Ross Perot. Questions covered whether Clinton was keeping most of his major campaign promises and whether the changes Clinton was seeking were mainly right or wrong. Clinton's progress as president in specific areas, such as reducing unemployment, improving the nation's economy, dealing with the federal budget deficit, improving the level of ethics in government, dealing with problems of the middle class, and improving health care, was probed in detail. Additional topics included the Whitewater real estate venture, Tonya Harding, the law limiting welfare benefits, Clinton's health care plan, and the government's involvement in the nation's health care system. Demographic background variables include political orientation, age, race, income, and education.