POLL RELEASES
April 22, 2000
Reaction Poll on Elian Gonzalez
Majority approves of government actions on Saturday
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ - A new CNN/Gallup Poll survey, conducted Saturday afternoon,
finds Americans in general agreement with the Justice Department action taken
early Saturday morning, in which armed federal agents stormed the Gonzalez
family home in Miami and took Elian Gonzalez away to be reunited with his
father. Over half of Americans, 57%, told Gallup they approve of the federal
action while just 37% disapprove.
This finding is consistent with previous Gallup polls which have showed
roughly six in ten Americans believing the six-year old Cuban castaway should
be returned to his father to live in Cuba, rather than remain with relatives
in Miami. The current survey finds no change in this basic outlook, with 59%
saying it is in the boy's best interests to return to Cuba, and only 27%
saying he should remain in the U.S.
Complete findings of the survey, shown below, indicate there is some concern
about the government's use of force in carrying out Saturday's action. Four
in ten Americans (40%) believe the government used too much force while 36%
say it used the right amount. At the same time, a 54% majority agree with
Attorney General Janet Reno's argument that the government had done all it
could until now to settle the matter without the use of force; only 38%
disagree.
What next? A 54% majority of Americans agree with the recent federal court
order requiring Elian Gonzalez to remain in the United States until his
appeal for political asylum is heard next month. Close to two-thirds of the
public, 63%, believe the Miami relatives should be able to visit Elian
Gonzalez in Washington, D.C. as soon as possible, as they are attempting to
do.
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected
national sample of 613 adults, 18 years and older, conducted April 22, 2000,
between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For results based on this
sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 4
percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and
practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.
As you may know, federal agents physically removed Elian Gonzalez from the
home of his Miami relatives early this morning, and have taken him to
Washington D.C. to reunite him with his father. Do you approve or disapprove
of that action?
Approve 57%
Disapprove 37
No opinion 6
How strongly do you feel about your view on that matter -- strongly, or not
so strongly?
Strongly approve 48%
Not so strongly approve 9
Not so strongly disapprove 7
Strongly disapprove 30
No opinion 6
Which of the following solutions do you think would be in the best interests
of the boy - [ROTATE: 1) For him to remain in the U.S. to live with relatives
who have requested he stay here (or), 2) For him to live with his father in
Cuba, as his father has requested]?
Remain in U.S. Live with father in Cuba Other (vol.) No opinion
2000 Apr 22 27% 59 7 7
2000 Apr 7-9 31% 60 4 5
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2 31% 56 5 8
2000 Feb 14-15 36% 55 4 5
2000 Jan 25-26 33% 60 3 4
1999 Dec 9-12 45% 45 3 7
>From what you know about today's actions, do you think the government agents
involved used too much force or about the right amount of force in removing
Elian Gonzalez from the Miami home?
Used too much force 40%
Used right amount of force 36
Used too little force (vol..) 1
No opinion 23
Do you agree or disagree that the federal government did all it could to
settle this situation without using force?
Agree 54%
Disagree 38
No opinion 8
Now thinking about the Elian Gonzalez situation overall, since it started
last November, do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following
have handled the situation? (Random order)
Approve Disapprove No opinion
% % %
President Clinton 42 42 16
Attorney General Janet Reno 45 46 9
Al Gore 23 42 35
Elian Gonzalez relatives in Miami 31 59 10
The news media 30 66 4
In terms of the news TODAY, have you, yourself, happened to see any of the
television coverage TODAY concerning Elian Gonzalez?
Yes 56%
No 44
No opinion *
(If saw news coverage)In the news coverage you've seen today, did you happen
to see (Rotate A-B)? How about…
BASED ON NATIONAL ADULTS
Yes, saw footage No, not seen foootage/ Not seen any coverage
% %
A. Photos or news footage of Elian Gonzalez being physically removed from the
Miami home 42 58
B. Photos or news footage of Elian Gonzalez being reunited with his father
18 82
As you may know, the Miami relatives are on their way to Washington, D.C.
where they hope to be able to visit with Elian Gonzalez. In your view, should
the Miami relatives be allowed to visit with Elian Gonzalez as soon as
possible, or not?
Yes, visit as soon as possible 63%
No, not visit 31
No opinion 6
A federal court has ordered that Elian Gonzalez must remain in the United
States until a court scheduled to hear his case next month reviews his case.
[Rotate 1-2: 1) Do you agree with that decision that Elian must remain in the
U.S. until then (or) 2) Do you think Elian's father should be able to return
to Cuba with Elian before then]?
Agree Elian should remain in U.S. until court review 54%
Think should be able to return to Cuba before then 41
No opinion 5
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