Polls: Bush Falls Behind, But Personal Accounts Hold Up
September 12, 2000
Several opinion polls now show Vice President Gore running ahead of Gov. Bush.
Whatever the reason for the Bush decline, support for Bush's plan to reform
Social Security with personal retirement accounts has held up.
In a Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,065 registered voters nationwide conducted
Sept. 4-6, Vice President Gore held a 48-40 advantage over Gov. Bush on Social
Security, smaller than average for a Democrat on this issue.
Moreover, fifty-nine percent supported giving people the option to invest some
of their Social Security taxes in the market (Gov. Bush's plan), with 37 percent
opposed. Thirty-nine percent of respondents felt that budget surpluses should
be devoted to Social Security, versus 21 percent for tax cuts, 26 percent for
reducing debt, and 12 percent for increasing spending on other domestic programs.
A separate poll
commissioned by PaineWebber and conducted by Gallup Organization showed
that many investors are unaware of the details of the Bush and Gore Social Security
proposals. Only 12 percent of the 810 respondents are familiar with Gore's plan
for subsidized retirement accounts for lower-income families. Only 28 percent
were familiar with the Bush's proposal to allow individuals to invest a percentage
of their payroll taxes in personal accounts. However, 56 percent favor proposals
to use a portion of Social Security taxes for retirement accounts. Of that group,
82 percent say that individuals rather than the government should manage that
money. 58 percent of those surveyed say they are willing to risk potential market
downturns in return for personal control.
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