Polls: Bush Still Popular Amid Doubts

Doubts are growing about President Bush's handling of the economy and foreign policy, polls suggest.

Bush's job approval stood at 58% in a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. It was 54% in an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll.

A new New York Times/CBS News poll found nearly 50% of the public disapproved of Bush on the economy, while 41% disapproved of his management of foreign policy.

Only 44% of respondents in the Times/CBS News poll said they approved of Bush on the economy. That figure is almost identical to the 42% who said they approved of the way Bush's father handled the economy at a similar point in his presidential term.

The approval ratings are down from the 90% levels after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The NBC-Journal poll found 44% approved of Bush's economic stewardship and 49% disapproved. In the Pew poll, the corresponding percentages were 47 and 45.

Bush's standing on foreign policy has dropped as well, with 51% approving of his efforts in the NBC-Journal poll.

The NBC-Journal poll of 1,025 adults was taken Jan. 19-21, while the Pew poll of 1,218 adults was taken Jan. 8-12. The Times/CBS News poll of 997 adults nationwide was taken Jan. 18-22.

All three polls, which were released Thursday, had error margins of plus or minus 3 percentage points.