February 11, 2010 - U.S. Voters Split On Obama, Down On Everyone Else, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; But President's Job Push Gets Strong Support Word format American voters remain deeply divided about President Barack Obama's job performance, giving him a 45 - 46 percent job approval, but disapproval of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress tops 2-1. This could explain why only 2 percent trust government to do what is right almost all of the time, and 16 percent trust government to do right most of the time, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. While President Obama's ratings on the economy and job creation remain low, voters strongly support the steps he has proposed to put Americans back to work, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. American voters still disapprove 54 - 35 percent of Obama's health care reform plan, but they say 52 - 44 percent they want Congress and the President to keep trying on health care reform rather than giving up and moving on to other matters. "The country remains basically split down the middle about President Barack Obama's performance. The good news for the White House is that his approval rating has stabilized in the mid 40s. That's nothing to write home about, but he has stopped dropping," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "American voters now give both parties equally bad grades, disapproving 63 - 28 percent of Congressional Democrats and disapproving 61 - 28 percent of Republicans. That's why it should be no surprise that only 2 percent of voters, including 1 percent of Republicans and 1 percent of independents, think the government does what's right almost all the time." Another 16 percent, including 10 percent of Republicans, 12 percent of independents and 29 percent of Democrats, think government does right most of the time; 54 percent believe it does so only some of the time and 27 percent say government does what's right hardly ever. Three percent of women and 7 percent of blacks say government does the right thing almost all the time, compared to 1 percent of men and whites. In addition, 67 percent of voters blame both Democrats and Republicans equally for the gridlock in Washington, with 17 percent blaming the GOP and 12 percent the Democrats. On another question, 46 percent say Democrats are not considering Republican views when pushing legislation while 37 percent say the GOP is misusing the filibuster to block legislation. "From the voters' point of view it is a plague on both their houses," said Brown, "but independents, who are a key to the November elections, do give congressional Democrats lower grades than congressional Republicans." Although only 37 percent rate the President's efforts to reduce the budget deficit as excellent or good, 71 percent saying reducing unemployment is more important. And voters favor 72 - 22 percent Obama's $100 billion dollar package of tax cuts for small business and government spending to increase employment. Voters believe 59 - 33 percent that spending to create jobs reduces deficits because job holders pay taxes, rather than increasing deficits through waste. They back additional fees on the nation's big banks 57 - 35 percent, but oppose 49 - 46 percent ending tax cuts for couples earning over $250,000 annually. And there is overwhelming support, 78 - 19 percent, for Obama's proposal to freeze federal spending for the next three years with exceptions for defense and entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. "When it comes to domestic priorities, unemployment is number one, two and three in the eyes of the American people," said Brown. "Despite Obama's big negatives, 41 - 54 percent approval on the economy and 37 - 56 percent on creating jobs, voters strongly support his proposals to improve the situation." From February 2 - 8, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,617 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of +/- 1.9 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research. For more data or RSS feed - http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 1. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 45% 9% 80% 40% 43% 48% 37% 90% 57% Disapprove 46 83 13 49 50 41 53 8 29 DK/NA 9 8 7 10 7 11 10 2 14 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 50% 45% 42% 50% 41% 43% 48% Disapprove 41 48 48 40 51 54 43 DK/NA 10 7 10 10 7 4 10 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 45% 47% 22% 31% 41% 49% 40% Disapprove 46 45 68 59 52 49 52 DK/NA 9 8 10 10 7 2 8 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? (*High also 59% Mar 2009 / **Low also 45% Jan 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 23 Dec 9 Nov 18 Jun 4 Feb 11 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009* 2010** Approve 45 45 46 46 48 59 45 Disapprove 46 45 43 44 42 31 46 DK/NA 9 10 11 10 10 10 9 INDEPENDENTS......................................... APPROVE...... High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 23 Dec 9 Nov 18 Jun 4 Dec 9 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 Approve 40 42 41 37 43 57 37 Disapprove 49 48 46 51 46 30 51 DK/NA 10 10 13 11 11 13 11 2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 28% 5% 59% 19% 24% 32% 21% 70% 33% Disapprove 63 90 32 70 68 59 71 22 54 DK/NA 9 5 9 11 8 9 8 7 13 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 35% 26% 26% 33% 22% 26% 29% Disapprove 53 65 67 57 70 68 66 DK/NA 12 8 7 10 8 6 6 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 29% 28% 16% 18% 24% 30% 21% Disapprove 61 66 78 74 67 66 71 DK/NA 10 6 5 8 9 5 8 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job? APPROVE...... High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 23 Dec 9 Nov 19 Mar 4 Feb 11 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 Approve 28 32 32 33 36 45 28 Disapprove 63 59 59 56 55 45 63 DK/NA 9 9 9 11 9 10 9 3. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 28% 51% 14% 25% 26% 29% 30% 21% 19% Disapprove 61 38 79 61 64 59 60 71 66 DK/NA 11 10 7 14 9 12 10 8 15 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 31% 27% 27% 26% 29% 33% 32% Disapprove 54 63 65 61 63 60 66 DK/NA 15 10 9 13 9 8 2 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 28% 29% 38% 34% 35% 17% 30% Disapprove 60 64 53 57 55 73 59 DK/NA 12 8 9 10 10 10 11 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job? APPROVE...... High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 23 Dec 9 Nov 19 Jan 13 Oct 8 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2010 2009 Approve 28 32 29 30 31 32 25 Disapprove 61 58 62 58 58 58 64 DK/NA 11 11 9 12 11 11 11 4. In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Very satisfied 2% 1% 4% 1% 2% 2% 1% 6% 6% Smwht satisfied 24 9 42 20 20 27 20 46 20 Smwht dissatisfied 33 31 33 36 34 32 34 29 39 Very dissatisfied 40 59 19 43 42 38 45 18 29 DK/NA 1 - 2 1 1 1 1 1 5 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Very satisfied 1% 2% 3% 3% 1% 2% 1% Smwht satisfied 34 20 20 25 22 25 30 Smwht dissatisfied 37 34 30 32 34 36 30 Very dissatisfied 26 43 46 38 43 37 38 DK/NA 2 - 1 2 1 - - WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Very satisfied 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% - 1% Smwht satisfied 23 26 14 17 22 26 20 Smwht dissatisfied 33 34 31 34 35 27 31 Very dissatisfied 40 38 53 48 40 48 47 DK/NA 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 TREND: In general, how satisfied are you with the way things are going in the nation today? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied? VERY+SMWHT SAT High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22 Dec 9 Nov 19 Dec 11 Nov 13 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2001 2008 Very satisfied 2 2 2 3 3 21 2 Smwht satisfied 24 25 24 26 27 47 14 Smwht dissatisfied 33 31 34 32 30 19 38 Very dissatisfied 40 41 40 39 39 10 44 DK/NA 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the economy? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 41% 8% 74% 37% 39% 44% 34% 80% 45% Disapprove 54 87 21 58 57 50 61 13 53 DK/NA 5 4 5 5 4 6 5 7 2 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 48% 40% 38% 45% 35% 39% 49% Disapprove 49 56 56 50 61 55 49 DK/NA 3 5 6 5 5 6 3 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 41% 44% 20% 30% 35% 49% 33% Disapprove 54 52 76 66 61 47 63 DK/NA 5 4 4 5 3 4 4 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? (*Low also 41% Jan 2010 & Dec 9 2009) APPROVE...... High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22 Dec 9 Nov 18 Mar 4 Feb 11 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010* Approve 41 41 44 41 43 57 41 Disapprove 54 54 51 54 52 33 54 DK/NA 5 6 5 5 5 10 5 7. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - health care? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 35% 7% 69% 28% 32% 39% 27% 77% 50% Disapprove 58 90 26 64 62 55 67 15 42 DK/NA 6 3 6 8 6 7 6 8 8 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 39% 34% 34% 39% 33% 31% 37% Disapprove 54 61 59 54 63 63 63 DK/NA 7 5 7 8 4 6 - WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 35% 36% 14% 24% 30% 38% 27% Disapprove 58 60 80 71 66 61 68 DK/NA 7 4 6 5 3 2 5 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care? (*Low also 35% Jan 2010) APPROVE....... High Low Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22 Dec 9 Nov 19 July 2 Feb 11 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010* Approve 35 35 38 38 41 46 35 Disapprove 58 58 56 56 53 42 58 DK/NA 6 6 6 6 6 13 6 9. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - creating jobs? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 37% 11% 64% 33% 33% 40% 30% 75% 45% Disapprove 56 84 29 58 60 52 63 19 51 DK/NA 7 5 7 9 6 8 7 6 4 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 46% 34% 34% 40% 35% 33% 46% Disapprove 49 60 57 53 59 62 49 DK/NA 5 6 9 7 7 5 5 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 35% 41% 20% 26% 30% 41% 29% Disapprove 57 53 75 68 63 45 64 DK/NA 8 6 5 6 8 14 7 TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling creating jobs? Feb 11 Jan 13 Dec 22 2010 2010 2009 Approve 37 34 37 Disapprove 56 59 56 DK/NA 7 7 8 11. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - the budget deficit? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Approve 33% 5% 64% 26% 29% 36% 25% 73% 46% Disapprove 60 91 29 66 64 56 68 17 47 DK/NA 7 3 8 8 6 7 7 9 7 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Approve 36% 32% 33% 37% 29% 28% 41% Disapprove 57 63 60 55 66 67 57 DK/NA 7 5 8 8 5 4 2 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Approve 32% 36% 13% 21% 27% 42% 29% Disapprove 60 60 83 73 69 52 65 DK/NA 8 4 4 6 5 5 6 12. How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right - almost all of the time, most of the time, only some of the time, or hardly ever? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Almost all the time 2% 1% 4% 1% 1% 3% 1% 7% 4% Most of the time 16 10 29 12 13 20 14 26 24 Some of the time 54 60 51 54 52 55 55 47 56 Hardly ever 27 29 15 32 33 22 30 16 15 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 3 - ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Almost all the time 3% 1% 3% 2% 1% 2% 2% Most of the time 20 14 16 18 14 14 24 Some of the time 55 55 52 53 59 56 41 Hardly ever 22 29 28 26 26 28 33 DK/NA - - 1 1 - 1 - WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Almost all the time 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Most of the time 16 18 9 13 17 18 14 Some of the time 53 55 54 52 57 48 54 Hardly ever 28 24 36 33 25 32 30 DK/NA 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 13. Who do you blame for gridlock in Washington - Democrats, Republicans or both equally? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Democrats 12% 27% 1% 13% 14% 11% 14% 6% 5% Republicans 17 3 37 12 17 17 14 33 17 Both equally 67 67 58 73 67 67 69 58 69 DK/NA 3 3 4 3 2 4 2 3 9 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Democrats 7% 12% 17% 12% 11% 14% 19% Republicans 11 19 20 18 16 18 25 Both equally 78 67 59 67 72 66 56 DK/NA 4 2 4 4 2 2 - WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Democrats 13% 12% 20% 16% 14% 3% 18% Republicans 16 21 7 11 17 28 14 Both equally 68 65 72 71 67 65 66 DK/NA 4 2 1 2 2 4 2 14. Which comes closer to your point of view: Democrats in Congress are not considering Republican points of view in pushing legislation or Repubilcans in Congress are misusing the filibuster to block legislation? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Dems pushing leg 46% 75% 20% 48% 48% 43% 50% 23% 42% Reps misusing fili 37 15 66 31 36 38 33 60 39 DK/NA 17 11 14 21 16 18 16 17 19 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Dems pushing leg 47% 46% 44% 39% 51% 52% 58% Reps misusing fili 40 39 34 40 39 33 35 DK/NA 14 15 22 20 10 15 7 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Dems pushing leg 45% 48% 63% 54% 50% 35% 54% Reps misusing fili 37 39 22 28 35 45 31 DK/NA 19 12 15 17 15 20 15 15. Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care - President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His President Obama 44% 7% 81% 39% 42% 46% 36% 85% 54% Reps in Cong 38 78 7 39 41 36 45 8 24 DK/NA 17 15 11 22 18 17 19 7 21 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k President Obama 48% 45% 40% 49% 40% 40% 49% Reps in Cong 36 42 37 32 45 46 42 DK/NA 16 13 23 19 15 14 8 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households President Obama 44% 46% 21% 30% 39% 46% 37% Reps in Cong 38 40 59 51 43 28 45 DK/NA 19 14 20 18 19 26 18 TREND: Who do you trust to do a better job handling health care - President Obama or the Republicans in Congress? BETTER PRES... High Low Feb 11 Jan 14 Dec 22 Dec 9 Nov 19 July 1 Jan 14 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 President Obama 44 42 45 44 45 53 42 Reps in Congress 38 41 40 37 36 33 41 DK/NA 17 18 16 19 19 14 18 16. From what you've heard or read, do you mostly approve or mostly disapprove of the proposed changes to the health care system under consideration in Congress? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Mostly approve 35% 8% 66% 29% 33% 37% 29% 66% 46% Mostly disapprove 54 85 23 60 56 52 61 20 39 DK/NA 11 8 11 12 11 11 10 14 15 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Mostly approve 43% 34% 30% 38% 31% 36% 45% Mostly disapprove 49 56 55 48 62 58 50 DK/NA 8 10 15 14 7 6 5 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Mostly approve 34% 39% 17% 26% 30% 41% 26% Mostly disapprove 54 54 74 65 61 43 62 DK/NA 13 7 9 9 9 16 11 TREND: From what you've heard or read, do you mostly approve or mostly disapprove of the proposed changes to the health care system under consideration in Congress? Feb 11 Jan 14 Dec 22 Dec 9 2010 2010 2009 2009 Mostly approve 35 34 36 38 Mostly disapprove 54 54 53 52 DK/NA 11 12 11 10 17. Generally speaking, do you think the proposed changes to the health care system under consideration in Congress go too far, not far enough, or are they about right? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Too far 43% 69% 18% 46% 46% 40% 49% 17% 29% Not far enough 30 17 44 29 30 31 29 41 33 About right 17 6 32 14 16 19 13 33 29 DK/NA 9 9 6 11 8 10 9 9 9 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Too far 37% 48% 41% 37% 51% 50% 50% Not far enough 29 31 32 32 29 29 33 About right 26 14 15 20 14 15 15 DK/NA 9 7 12 11 6 6 1 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Too far 42% 46% 61% 54% 50% 31% 50% Not far enough 30 32 19 25 28 43 26 About right 18 15 11 12 14 13 14 DK/NA 10 7 9 8 8 12 9 STAND ON HC PLAN Q16 App DisApp Too far 10% 71% Not far enough 47 20 About right 40 3 DK/NA 3 6 18. Do you think President Obama and Congress should continue to try to pass a health care overhaul plan or do you think they should give up and go on to other matters? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Continue health care 52% 23% 80% 48% 49% 55% 47% 80% 53% On to other matters 44 73 18 46 48 40 50 14 38 DK/NA 4 4 2 6 3 5 3 6 9 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Continue health care 55% 52% 49% 54% 50% 49% 60% On to other matters 39 45 47 41 47 48 39 DK/NA 6 3 4 5 3 2 0 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Continue health care 51% 55% 35% 43% 45% 61% 43% On to other matters 45 42 61 54 52 34 52 DK/NA 4 3 4 3 3 5 5 STAND ON HC PLAN Q16 App DisApp Continue health care 85% 28% On to other matters 13 69 DK/NA 3 3 24. How would you describe President Obama's efforts to reduce the federal budget deficit - excellent, good, not so good or poor? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Excellent 6% 2% 11% 4% 5% 7% 3% 20% 10% Good 31 8 55 26 28 33 25 54 40 Not so good 25 23 25 28 23 28 27 19 25 Poor 35 64 6 39 42 28 41 1 21 DK/NA 3 2 3 4 3 4 3 6 3 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Excellent 4% 7% 6% 6% 4% 6% 7% Good 38 29 27 34 30 24 32 Not so good 30 25 23 27 25 27 20 Poor 25 37 39 28 40 42 38 DK/NA 4 2 4 4 1 2 3 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Excellent 6% 5% 3% 3% 3% 4% 7% Good 30 32 15 21 26 34 22 Not so good 26 23 25 25 28 25 26 Poor 34 38 55 48 39 35 42 DK/NA 4 2 2 2 4 2 3 25. What do you think is more important - reducing the federal budget deficit or reducing unemployment? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Reducing deficit 23% 28% 15% 26% 25% 21% 22% 20% 29% Reducing unemploy 71 67 80 68 69 73 72 75 69 DK/NA 6 5 4 6 5 6 6 4 3 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Reducing deficit 23% 24% 22% 22% 23% 28% 25% Reducing unemploy 72 72 69 72 73 68 73 DK/NA 5 3 9 6 4 4 2 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Reducing deficit 22% 25% 30% 25% 23% 9% 25% Reducing unemploy 71 71 64 68 73 88 68 DK/NA 6 4 6 7 5 3 6 26. Some say that using federal dollars to create jobs will lead to a lower deficit because job holders pay taxes. Others say that using federal dollars to create jobs is wasteful spending that will lead to a larger deficit. Which comes closer to your own view? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Lower deficit 59% 43% 78% 55% 54% 64% 58% 75% 55% Wasteful spending 33 49 15 38 39 28 35 16 34 DK/NA 8 8 7 8 7 8 7 10 10 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Lower deficit 62% 62% 54% 66% 56% 57% 66% Wasteful spending 31 33 34 26 40 39 33 DK/NA 7 4 12 8 4 5 1 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Lower deficit 59% 60% 47% 54% 61% 69% 52% Wasteful spending 33 34 46 39 32 24 41 DK/NA 8 6 7 7 7 7 7 27. Some say taxes on the wealthy should be increased to raise money to reduce the deficit. Others say that raising taxes on the wealthy will backfire because they won't have the money to invest to create jobs. Which comes closer to your own view? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Increase taxes 52% 27% 79% 46% 48% 55% 49% 63% 55% Taxes will backfire 42 67 16 47 47 38 45 29 39 DK/NA 6 6 5 7 5 7 6 8 6 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Increase taxes 53% 53% 50% 55% 51% 46% 43% Taxes will backfire 42 44 40 37 46 49 55 DK/NA 5 3 10 8 3 4 2 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Increase taxes 51% 53% 39% 45% 51% 50% 43% Taxes will backfire 42 44 55 49 44 45 50 DK/NA 7 3 6 6 5 4 7 28. President Obama has dedicated one hundred billion dollars to fund a jobs bill that would include tax cuts for small businesses, as well as investments in infrastructure and clean energy. Do you support or oppose this proposal? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 72% 49% 93% 70% 70% 74% 69% 89% 80% Oppose 22 41 5 25 26 19 26 5 13 DK/NA 6 10 3 5 4 7 6 5 7 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Support 79% 72% 68% 76% 70% 70% 68% Oppose 16 23 25 18 23 26 30 DK/NA 5 5 7 6 7 4 2 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Support 73% 70% 57% 62% 71% 83% 64% Oppose 21 25 34 30 24 14 29 DK/NA 6 5 9 8 5 3 6 29. Do you support or oppose - new fees on some of the nation's largest banks? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 57% 36% 72% 59% 55% 59% 55% 70% 52% Oppose 35 54 20 35 40 31 37 21 37 DK/NA 8 10 8 6 5 10 7 9 11 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Support 60% 58% 56% 60% 58% 54% 61% Oppose 33 37 32 31 36 43 35 DK/NA 7 5 12 9 6 2 4 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Support 57% 58% 45% 50% 57% 57% 53% Oppose 34 37 47 42 36 33 39 DK/NA 9 5 7 8 7 10 8 30. Do you support or oppose - allowing tax cuts to expire for families earning more than $250,000 a year? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 46% 30% 60% 47% 49% 44% 45% 51% 52% Oppose 49 64 36 49 48 50 50 46 45 DK/NA 5 7 4 4 3 6 5 3 3 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Support 53% 45% 43% 48% 47% 48% 42% Oppose 45 52 50 47 51 48 57 DK/NA 2 3 7 5 3 4 1 WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Support 45% 51% 36% 40% 45% 55% 39% Oppose 50 46 59 54 49 44 57 DK/NA 5 4 6 6 6 2 4 31. Do you support or oppose a freeze on the overall level of government spending, with an exception for military and mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare? Tot Rep Dem Ind Men Wom Wht Blk His Support 78% 81% 76% 77% 78% 78% 79% 71% 72% Oppose 19 16 20 20 20 18 18 25 23 DK/NA 4 3 4 3 2 5 4 4 5 ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME... AGE IN YRS....... 50- 100- 18-34 35-54 55+ <50k 100k 250k >250k Support 73% 81% 77% 78% 77% 80% 83% Oppose 24 17 17 18 20 18 17 DK/NA 3 2 6 4 2 2 - WHITE............. NoColl Coll BrnAgn Military Degree Degree Evngl Prot Cath Jew Households Support 78% 76% 80% 80% 78% 85% 77% Oppose 18 21 16 16 17 11 19 DK/NA 4 2 3 3 5 3 4
