Voters not clear on candidate positions

By Brian Faler
The Washington Post

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

Related stories Candidates spar over Iraq When truth was stretched Just dads for moment near end of the debate On deck: Cheney and Edwards

The poll, conducted by the National Annenberg Election Survey, found that when Americans were asked which candidate supports eight given policy positions, they were correct 51 percent of the time.

Despite President Bush's strong anti-abortion views, only 64 percent knew which candidate supports more restrictive laws on abortion. Barely half — 51 percent — knew that John Kerry backs allowing prescription-drug imports from Canada. One-third knew Bush, who has made cutting taxes part of his agenda since 2000, favors eliminating the estate tax. Forty-seven percent knew Bush supports allowing workers to direct some of their Social Security taxes into private retirement accounts. When it comes to which candidate approves of using federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, 54 percent knew it was Kerry. Fewer than half — 49 percent — knew Kerry supports eliminating tax breaks on U.S. corporations' overseas profits.

Kate Kenski, a senior research analyst at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, blamed the misperceptions on the candidates' focus on Iraq and the news media's emphasis on the "horse race." But, she said, there is hope: "Debates are the first opportunity where people can actually see the candidates side by side. So, hopefully, that will clarify some of these mismatches."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More nation & world headlines...