ABC News/Washington Post Poll, September 1995

This poll is part of a 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 give their opinions of President Bill Clinton and his handling of the presidency, the economy, foreign affairs, and the situation in Bosnia, as well as their views on Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, retired General Colin Powell, Pope John Paul II, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, former head of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Benjamin Chavis, and Ross Perot. Those queried were asked for their opinions on the 1996 presidential and congressional elections, the differences among the Republican, Democratic, and United We Stand parties, the possibility of a third-party victory, and the qualities of an effective president. Questions regarding the Roman Catholic Church addressed the role of the Pope and whether the church's positions on the following topics truly reflected the beliefs of its members: birth control, divorce, premarital sexual relations, homosexuals, priests and marriage, and female priests. Other topics covered the current state of Medicare, Republican plans to alter Medicare, and the Million Man March and the absence of women as participants in it. Background information includes age, sex, race, education, religion, political party, voter registration and participation history, family income, employment status, marital status, political orientation, Medicare coverage, and the demographics of the respondent's community.