CBS News Monthly Poll, April 2000

This poll, fielded April 15-17, 2000, 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 give their opinions of the likely nominees of the two major parties in the upcoming 2000 presidential campaign, Vice President Al Gore and Texas governor George W. Bush, and to indicate who they thought would do a better job dealing with issues such as education, gun control, and school violence. Respondents were then asked a series of questions related to separate violent incidents that had anniversaries in April. Respondents were asked whether they thought their neighborhood schools were safe, to give their explanations for why the school shooting in Littleton, Colorado occurred a year ago, whether there was more school violence to be expected, and whether anything had been learned since that event to prevent its repeat. A second series of questions dealt with the aftermath of the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Respondents were queried as to whether they thought there was more or less anti-government feeling in the country since then, whether additional acts of domestic terrorism could be expected, and whether anything was learned from that incident. Another series of questions dealt with the FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Respondents were queried regarding whether they approved of the FBI's handling of the incident, whether they thought there was a governmental cover-up of the facts, and what their opinion was of Attorney General Janet Reno. Respondents were then asked a series of questions to gauge familiarity with the events surrounding the war in Vietnam. Queries were made as to the justification for the United States being involved in that war, whether it was a noble cause, whether respondents believed that there were MIA prisoners still alive in Vietnam, what the impact and lesson of our involvement there was, and if they knew whether Al Gore or George W. Bush served in the military then. Other subjects covered included the National Rifle Association, the Elian Gonzalez custody case and the motives of its principal players, participation in the year 2000 Census, the proper role of the presidential spouse and whether Hillary Rodham Clinton's performance as First Lady had changed the national perspective on that role, and participation in and prognosis for the stock market. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, race, education, religion, veteran status, voter registration and participation history, political party, political orientation, Hispanic descent, marital status, age of children in household, and family income.