The Polls: Change and Stability in Public Assessments of Personal Traits, Bill Clinton, 1993‐99

Abstract

This article looks at changes in public perceptions of President Clinton's personal characteristics across his eight years in office. Utilizing a battery of questions that the Gallup Poll repeatedly asked of the public, we find that on issues of character, the public's views of Clinton became increasingly negative. In contrast, on issues of competence, public regard for Clinton rose. These findings are put into a theoretical context of the relationship between the president and the mass public rather than a narrow focus on Clinton's term in office.