WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (AFP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has gained ground on President George W. Bush on economic and security issues in their race for the White House, a new poll showed Thursday.
The survey conducted last Thursday through Tuesday by the Pew Research Center found the increasingly bitter contest still a statistical dead heat less than three months before the November 2 election.
However, it pointed up movement in Kerry's favor on specific issues, even if Bush was rated higher on most personal traits, such as leadership, judgment and honesty.
With new figures last week showing a distinct slowdown in US jobs growth, Bush, the Republican, took increasing hits on his handling of the economy, which voters said was their top electoral issue.
The Pew survey found 66 percent of Americans regarded the economy as in fair or poor shape, up from 60 percent in April. Fifty-two percent said they were unhappy with Bush's management.
Kerry opened a 52-37 percent lead over Bush when it came to voters' confidence in their ability to steer the economy, rising steadily from a five-point edge he enjoyed in March and a 10-point margin in May.
The survey was released as Kerry launched a two-week campaign to hammer away at the state of the economy, with Bush looking increasingly vulnerable after he announced that the country had "turned the corner."
The poll showed that soaring gasoline prices were uppermost in the minds of Americans. Fifty-two percent followed pump prices closely, compared with 39 percent giving the same attention to Iraq and 34 percent to terror alerts.
The Pew findings also had good news for Kerry on the security front, once considered a strong point for the Republican incumbent who declared he was running for reelection as a "war president."
Kerry topped Bush 46-44 percent on who can better deal with Iraq, reversing a three-point lead for the president in May. On the war on terrorism, the Democrat halved a 19-point Bush margin in May and trailed 39-49 percent.
The senator maintained a healthy lead on jobs, education and health care, the poll showed, but Bush was better viewed on a range of personal characteristics.
He led Kerry 57-34 percent on strong leadership, 50-38 percent on judgment and 62-29 percent on a willingness to take an unpopular stand if necessary. The president was also rated higher on likability and honesty.
"John Kerry continues to hold a sizable lead over the president as the candidate best able to handle most domestic issues and has made considerable gains in terms of foreign and security issues as well," the Pew center said.
"But Bush maintains a clear advantage as the candidate with better leadership qualities in the eyes of most voters, and Kerry has not shaken the impression that he changes his mind too much."
The poll, conducted among a nationwide sample of 1,512 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus three points, showed Kerry leading Bush overall 47-45 percent with independent Ralph Nader at two percent support.
But 44 percent of those interviewed thought Bush would win in November, compared with 37 percent for Kerry.