Katrina Aftermath: Everyone to Blame

Do You Think Race/Low Income Level Slowed Down Initial Relief Efforts?

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Democrat
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Independent
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Don't Know

September 9, 2005

Katrina Aftermath: Everyone to Blame

By Mark Schulman and Tara Regan

Far from the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort being a "rally round the flag" event, Americans are instead spreading blame for the slow relief effort to every level of government, from the President on down, and even to the victims, according to this week's Time Poll.

The poll finds that Americans across the board continue to feel frustrated with the pace of the recovery effort. More than 3 in 5 (62%) say the government responded too slowly. About 3 in 4 Americans (74%) give government at all levels negative scores of "only fair" or "poor", with almost half, 46%, rating the effort as "poor."

Many Even Hold Victims Responsible
The Time Poll, conducted September 7- 8 with a cross-section sample of 1,000 Americans, finds that, while most Americans now say it's wrong to finger point, they hold officials at all levels responsible for what went wrong.

Who's responsible for the fumbled response? The public blames:

State and local officials, 73%

Federal agencies, such as FEMA, 70%

President Bush, 61%

People hit by the hurricane, 57%

How Responsible Are Each for What Went Wrong?
	A Great Deal (%)	Some (%)	Not Much (%)	Not At All (%)
State/Local Officials in Affected Areas	39	34	14	8
Federal Gov't Agencies	36	34	15	11
President Bush	31	30	17	18
People Living in Affected Areas	20	37	17	21

Over half (57%) say they are not satisfied that the President provided straight answers about the reasons for the sluggish relief effort.

Many Say Cut the Finger Pointing
Even after assessing blame, more than half (63%) think it is wrong for officials in the White House to blame state and local officials in affected areas for their slow response to the relief efforts. Similarly, a little more than half, (55%) believe it is wrong for state and local leaders to point the finger at the White House.

Not Blaming National Guard Iraq Deployment
Nearly 3 in 5 Americans (59%) do not believe that National Guard units' Iraq deployment slowed the relief effort. Only about one-third (35%) say it had a negative impact in the hurricane-stricken areas.

Racial and Partisans Divided on Response Time
Although 3 in 5 (60%) Americans do not believe that race or low income level slowed down the government's initial relief efforts, there is a racial and partisanship divide.

About three-quarters (73%) of blacks believe race and income level played a role (73% - 25%) compared to only 29% of whites.

Democrats are more likely to believe race/income level played a role (54% - 44%) compared to Republicans (17% - 80%).

Impact on Bush Low Job Approval: No Hurricane Relief
Hurricane Katrina hit while the president was already reeling from the lowest job approval ratings of his presidency, caused largely by the military toll in Iraq and the run-up in energy prices. Far from his approval ratings surging after national disasters, such as the 9.11 terrorists attack, Bush's ratings remain mired at 42% approve - 52% disapprove.

The President's handling of the situation in Iraq (39% approve - 57% disapprove) continues to cut into his ratings. He also gets negative marks for his handling of the economy (40% approve - 55% disapprove) and the war on terrorism (46% approve - 48% disapprove), previously one of the President's core strengths.

Other concerns also are weighing down Bush's ratings. For example:

Only 41% say the President understands their concerns.

About 7 in 10 (68%) say Bush has done "not much" (30%) or "not at all" (38%) to keep gas prices down.

Almost 3 in 4 (74%) are concerned that the damage and disruption caused by the hurricane will lead to an economic recession.

Bush Retains Core Partisan Support, but With Some Slippage
Bush continues to have strong approval from his core Republican base (81% approve - 15% disapprove). However, in his core Red State Southern base, his approval ratings have slipped 6 points from May's Time Poll, now standing at 44% approval.

Approve or Disapprove of the Way President Bush Is Handling His Job as President? (By Region)
	Approve Sept. '05 (%)	Approve May '05 (%)	Difference
Total	42	46	-4
North East	34	35	-1
Mid West	49	48	1
South	44	50	-6
West	40	48	-8

Favor Rebuilding New Orleans
Almost two-thirds (63%) believe New Orleans should be rebuilt with a better levee system to control flooding, with only 29% saying the city should not be rebuilt.

Iraq May Be a Casualty in Paying the Bill
Most Americans look to cutbacks in Iraq spending (61%) to help pay the immense bill for the rebuilding of the devastated areas. Most oppose increasing taxes (only 35% favor) or raising the federal deficit (only 30% favor). Other unpopular measures include cutting other government programs (45% favor) and reinstating estate taxes on estates of the wealthy (44% favor).

Favor or Oppose to Pay for the Rebuilding Effort?
	Favor (%)	Oppose (%)	Don't Know (%)
Cut Back on Iraq Spending	61	35	4
Cut Other Gov't Programs	45	44	11
Reinstate Estate Taxes on Wealthy	44	49	8
Raise Taxes Temporarily	35	62	4
Increase Federal Deficit	30	62	7

Almost 3 in 5 (58%) favor the partial withdrawal of US troops from Iraq to help with the recovery efforts. Democrats (77% favor - 20% oppose) are much more likely to favor this idea than Republicans (39% favor - 59% oppose).

Fallout of Katrina: We're Not Prepared
With Americans closely watching the aftermath of Katrina, concerns about their security during times of crisis are starting to grow. More than half (57%) say they are "very" (27%) or "somewhat" (30%) worried that the government will not be able to provide relief and assistance to their community if a national disaster or terrorist attack were to occur. About two in five (42%) say they are not worried.

Energy Profit Gouging Concerns
Three in five Americans (60%) say the increase in gas prices post Hurricane Katrina resulted more from the oil companies and gas stations looking to make more profit. About one-third (33%) attributed the rise more to the damage to oil supplies in the Gulf Coast.

Methodology

This Time Magazine poll was conducted by telephone between September 7 and 8, 2005 among a national random sample of adults, age 18 and older throughout America. Areas devastated by the Hurricane (less than 1.5% of the American population) are underrepresented.

The margin of error for the entire sample is approximately +/- 3 percentage points. The margin of error is higher for subgroups. Surveys are subject to other error sources as well, including sampling coverage error, recording error, and respondent error.

Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs designed the survey and conducted all interviewing. The full Time questionnaire and trend data may be found in the related link below.

Related Link

Time Magazine/SRBI Survey Questionnaire and Frequencies