1999 Opinion Poll - Politics
For the first time since 1996 in a Joint Center survey, the Reverend Jesse Jackson was rated more favorably than President Clinton among blacks and whites. Although his ratings only slightly improved among blacks, Jackson's ratings improved substantially among whites. Vice President Al Gore was more favorably viewed than Governor George W. Bush and former senator Bill Bradley by African Americans. Vice President Gore's rating among African Americans has remained essentially unchanged since 1997. This is the first year the Joint Center has included Bill Bradley in its poll. Other public figures included in the 1999 poll are President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, and Congressman J. C. Watts (R-OK).
The poll also showed a continuing decline in the number of African Americans who consider themselves Democrats, and an increasing tendency to consider themselves Independents. And for the second consecutive year, more blacks than whites indicated that they were better off financially than the previous year. The 1998 poll was the first time in a Joint Center survey that blacks responded more favorably than whites.
Press release - August 16, 1999
Download the Results
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