The Public: Disenchanted with Ford

Americans are in a bitter and fearful mood. The chief reason seems to be inflation, which has so eroded confidence in President Ford that less than half of those polled consider him acceptable as the next President. A sizable majority of Americans (58%) now believe that there is no end to inflation in sight. About two out of three people express doubts about the country's future prosperity.

These results are clearly shown in the latest TIME Soundings, a quarterly survey of the mood and outlook of the American people. Soundings consists of a series of political and social indicators that were developed for TIME by Yankelovich, Skelly and White Inc., the New York-based public-opinion research firm.*

THE TRENDS. In contrast to last spring, when people were buoyed by the Mayaguez incident and many economists' predictions of a speedy economic recovery (TIME, June 16), the latest survey revealed these developments:

P: The national mood shows only 17% of those surveyed as optimistic. compared with 29% in mid-May and 21% in October 1974. Some 64% now think that "things are going badly" in the country, up from 60% last spring.

P: Social resentment, which measures increases in the number of Americans who are angry about recent social trends but feel powerless to change them, rose to 37%, the highest point since April 1974, when 27% were found to be resentful in the first Soundings taken.

P: Because of public concern with the economy, conservatism in the nation has continued to ebb somewhat.

Only 48% of those polled call themselves conservatives or hold generally conservative views, down from 53% almost a year ago.

THE ECONOMY. Last spring, by a slim margin (47% to 45%), Americans believed that inflation would be halted within a few years. Now, only 27% think so. Further, the belief that runaway inflation is here to stay cuts across party lines (Democrats, 54%; Republicans, 58%; independents, 64%). Looking ahead, only 24% of those polled have strong confidence in the country's future prosperity; another 41% express some confidence but have reservations.

With unemployment rates leveling off, fear of losing work has diminished. As a result, the proportion of Americans who consider themselves to be in economic distress has dipped to 30%, from 36% last May. But large numbers of people report serious concern about paying bills for food (cited by 72%), utilities (66%) and housing (38%).

FORD. Americans seem increasingly doubtful about Ford's ability to manage the economy. The degree of their confidence in Ford, compared with that of almost a year ago: October 1974 August 1975 A lot 19% 10% Some 60% 51% None 15% 38%

For the first time since Ford became President, a majority of those who stated an opinion no longer consider him to be acceptable as the next President. Only 46% now find him acceptable, down strikingly from 56% in October 1974. In comparison, a virtually unchanged 37% still find Reagan acceptable, though 41% do not.

THE CAMPAIGN. One of Ford's problems is that Democrats command more allegiance than Republicans. Soundings found that regardless of party registration, 40% of those polled preferred the Democrats, 13% favor the Republicans and 47% consider themselves neutral. Moreover, while 66% of the registered Democrats express strong support for their party, only 39% of the registered Republicans are solidly loyal to the G.O.P.

Nonetheless, no Democratic candidate for President has won much public esteem. The favorite among all voters is Senator Edward Kennedy (found acceptable by 51%), who has declared himself out of the race. Most of the other candidates are still largely unknown to more than two out of three of the people surveyed. Alabama Governor George Wallace is widely known, but 59% consider him unacceptable.

BIG GOVERNMENT. Ford has tried to make big Government a political issue, but Soundings found the public ambivalent on the question. The pollsters found that 49% still believe the U.S. needs a stronger Federal Government, while 46% would like to see the Government have less power.

The public's ambivalence is not limited to the Executive Branch. The question of which part of Government people trusted most drew the following responses:

Most Least Courts 34% 18% Congress 27% 21% Executive 13% 36%

On the other hand, a high 89% of those interviewed agree strongly or partially with the statement that "there's nothing wrong with the Federal Government, the trouble is with those who run it." Only a minority (31%) feel they are getting their money's worth from their taxes. Only 12% think the Government is doing a good job in representing the interests of the average citizen; 63% rate the Government's performance as fair and 23% as poor.

On specific issues, most of the people with opinions think the Administration is doing a bad job in administering welfare programs (cited by 61%), holding down unemployment (70%), keeping the economy healthy (75%) and preventing crime (80%). But they give the Administration high marks for its performance in national security matters. By 76% to 24%, the respondents think the Government is doing a good job in providing for the country's defense. Similarly, by 59% to 41%, they approve of the Administration's performance in foreign affairs.

Nonetheless, Soundings found that Americans have misgivings about detente with the Soviet Union. The reason was summed up in a phrase repeated by many of the people interviewed: "We give and they get." Some 45% believe that Russia is benefiting most from detente, while only 3% think the U.S. is benefiting most, and 19% regard the benefits as equal for both countries.

* The study, results of which have just been tabulated, is drawn from personal interviews conducted before Labor Day with a representative sample of 1,016 men and women of voting age. The figures have an error factor of plus or minus 3%; in estimating trends from one quarter to another, the error factor is plus or minus 4%.

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