A new poll shows that, despite attempts by liberal protesters and politicians to inject class resentment into the national debate, Americans, by and large, remain unconcerned by income inequality. Gallup reports that only 2 percent of Americans list the “divide between rich and poor” as the most important economic issue facing the country. Those findings come from an open-ended survey, meaning respondents were not confined to a pre-selected group of responses. Unemployment and the national debt top the list, but all told, a full 17 economic issues rank higher in …
New polling data reveals that voters in Iowa and New Hampshire overwhelmingly believe the federal budget deficit is the most important economic issue facing the United States today. Despite the nation’s persistent high unemployment rate, voters in the two early-voting states chose the deficit by wide margins. The CNN/Time/ORC poll was conducted before and after Christmas with 999 registered Republicans in Iowa and a total of 1,508 adults in New Hampshire. The results, released Wednesday, paint a clear picture about what voters are thinking about heading into 2012. They also …
Throughout his presidency — and especially over the last year — Barack Obama has turned toward a bigger federal government as the answer for fixing the U.S. economy. According to a new poll, though, that’s the last thing Americans want. Rather, they want to see the government cut deficits, spending, and taxes. Rasmussen reports: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters worry more that the federal government will do too much rather than not enough in reacting to the nation’s economic problems. Those figures …
Despite all the noise coming from the Occupy Wall Street crowd–and the rhetoric coming from President Barack Obama–it turns out that it’s not big business that most Americans fear, but big government. Gallup reports: The 64% of Americans who say big government will be the biggest threat to the country is just one percentage point shy of the record high, while the 26% who say big business is down from the 32% recorded during the recession. (article continued below) Not surprisingly, 82 percent of Republicans view big government as the …
Just as the Supreme Court has decided to take up the court cases challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare, a new Gallup poll shows that the plurality of Americans–including even a plurality of independents–want to see the law repealed. Meanwhile, a new survey by the PwC Health Research Institute shows that health care and the deficit are tied as the second-most important issue in the presidential election, after jobs. Gallup reports that, “Given a choice, 47% of Americans favor repealing the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, while 42% want it kept …
Americans remain convinced of Washington’s culpability in the economic crisis from which the country is still struggling to recover, according to a pair of new polls. The ongoing “Occupy” protests notwithstanding, Americans are more likely to blame the federal government than the financial sector for the country’s economic woes. According to a poll conducted by The Hill, 56 percent of likely voters believe Washington is “more to blame” for the economic crisis. Only 33 percent said Wall Street shoulders most of the culpability. That poll phrased the question as an …
A new poll from the Manhattan Institute reveals 77 percent of Hoosiers rate Indiana’s government as “efficient.” That’s the highest percentage of any state surveyed and a stark contrast to neighboring Illinois’ 23 percent. Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN), now serving in his seventh year as the state’s CEO, has clearly left his mark on Indiana. This year, with Republicans in control of the state legislature, he’s continued to reform government, enacting landmark education reforms. Daniels shared stories of his policy accomplishments in a wide-ranging speech last week at Heritage. He’s …
Think the economy is getting better? See brighter skies ahead? If so, then you’re in the minority. Well, that is, unless you live in Washington, D.C. According to a new Gallup poll, the District of Columbia is the only place in the country where a majority of people think the economy is improving (60 percent, in fact). In every state in the union, most people say the economy is getting worse. What is it about being inside the beltway that makes people so optimistic? Is it the glistening waters of the …
Bankrupting America is out with a new video today running though recent polling data on the debt ceiling and government spending. As lawmakers in Congress continue to debate the issue — the Senate will skip its Independence Day recess for the first time since 1974 — it’s worth reflecting on public opinion. And if you’re looking for a good weekend read about the history of the debt limit — and the implications for our country — check out my colleague J.D. Foster’s work. It’s a comprehensive overview on what Congress …
Our Tweet of the Week comes from the folks at Gallup. They’ve got good news for the conservative movement. According to a Gallup poll, 40% of Americans considered themselves “conservative” in 2009, higher than any other ideological group (liberals were 21%; moderates were 36%). From Gallup, here’s the Tweet of the Week: @galluppoll Conservatives Finish 2009 as No. 1 Ideological Group http://bit.ly/5rMmTs You can follow The Heritage Foundation on Twitter @Heritage.
