The budget confrontation that led to a partial government shutdown dealt a major blow to the GOP’s image and has exposed significant divisions between tea party supporters and other Republicans, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The survey highlights just how badly the GOP hard-liners and the leaders […] Read more »
Congress Dives, Anti-Incumbency Soars in Deep Post-Shutdown Criticism
Approval of Congress is at a new low in 40 years of polling, Americans’ approval of their own representative in Washington is underwater for the first time and a record number of registered voters are inclined to look for someone new in 2014 – all signs of a powerful, palpable […] Read more »
Americans Shifting on Deficit-Reduction Approach
When it comes to deficit reduction, Americans increasingly favor spending cuts over tax increases. But their greater openness carries a familiar warning: Reduce spending, but don’t touch our favored entitlement programs. Those findings from the United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll indicate the public has cooled on further tax increases […] Read more »
Americans Remain Divided on Role They Want Gov’t to Play
Americans continue to be about as likely to favor a more active government as a more limited one when asked about their preferred government role. Specifically, 34% fall on the more active side of a 5-point scale, including 19% who say the government “should take active steps in every area […] Read more »
Americans Oppose Raising the Debt Ceiling Even If U.S. Defaults
With the federal government expected to hit its debt limit in mid-October, 70 percent of Americans oppose raising the debt ceiling, the latest Reason-Rupe poll finds. In fact, 55 percent of Americans say they do not support raising the debt ceiling even if it causes the U.S. to default on […] Read more »
We All Want More of Everything—Except Taxes: How Opinion Polling Constrains Washington
… While our desire for lots of government programs but low taxes is documented, current polling practices are at least slightly to blame for the fact that politicians feel the need to fulfill all of the public’s “wishes.” What politicians see is that the public supports all of these programs. […] Read more »