Budget/Taxes (3)

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Budget, Taxes, Economic Policy (p. 3)

CNN/ORC Poll. Dec. 16-19, 2013. N=1,035 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

12/19: "As you may know, last week the House of Representatives passed legislation that will fund the federal government for the next two years, and the Senate passed a version of that budget agreement on Wednesday. Based on what you have read or heard about this bill, do you approve or disapprove of that budget agreement?" 12/16-18: "As you may know, last week the House of Representatives passed legislation that would fund the federal government for the next two years, and the Senate is now considering that budget agreement. Based on what you have read or heard about this bill, do you approve or disapprove of that budget agreement?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	46	42	12
	Democrats	65	23	12
	Independents	42	47	11
	Republicans	28	58	14

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Dec. 12-15, 2013. N=1,005 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"As you may know, Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress have agreed on a plan to finance the federal government through September 2015. Given what you know about it, would you say that you approve or disapprove of the agreement they've reached?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/12-15/13	50	35	16

"Do you think the federal government should or should not pursue policies that try to reduce the gap between wealthy and less well-off Americans?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/12-15/13	57	37	6
	10/31 - 11/3/11	60	35	5

"Do you think federal government policies currently do more to favor less well-off Americans or more to favor the wealthy?" Options rotated

		Do more to favor less well-off	Do more to favor wealthy	Treat equally (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/12-15/13	26	64	5	5

Pew Research Center. Dec. 3-8, 2013. N=2,001 adults nationwide.

"Over the past year, do you think the country has made progress reducing the federal budget deficit, or not?" N=977 (Form 1), margin of error ą 3.6

		Has made progress	Has not made progress	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	12/3-8/13	29	66	5

"In your view, what is the best way to reduce the federal budget deficit? Should we mostly focus on cutting major programs, mostly focus on increasing taxes, or should we do a combination of both?" N=977 (Form 1), margin of error ą 3.6.

		Cutting programs	Increasing taxes	Combination	Don't focus on deficit (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	12/3-8/13	20	7	63	1	9
	12/5-9/12	11	7	74	1	6
	9/12-16/12	16	6	69	1	8
	11/9-14/11	17	8	62	1	11
	7/20-24/11	19	8	60	1	12
	4/7-10/11	20	6	64	-	9
	12/1-5/10	16	4	65	1	13

"If you were setting priorities for the federal government these days, would you place a higher priority on spending to help the economy recover, or a higher priority on reducing the budget deficit?" Options rotated. N=1,024 (Form 2), margin of error ą 3.6.

		Spending on recovery	Reducing the deficit	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	12/3-8/13	44	49	7
	12/5-9/12	45	49	7
	6/7-11/12	48	47	5
	9/22 - 10/4/11	47	48	5
	8/17-21/11	47	46	7
	6/15-19/11	42	52	6
	2/2-7/11	46	49	5

"What is more important: taking steps to reduce the budget deficit or keeping spending for programs that help the poor and needy at current levels?" N=1,024 (Form 2), margin of error ą 3.6

		Reduce the deficit	Keep spending at current levels	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	12/3-8/13	33	59	4	4

"What is more important: taking steps to reduce the budget deficit or keeping military spending at current levels?" N=1,024 (Form 2), margin of error ą 3.6

		Reduce the deficit	Keep spending at current levels	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	12/3-8/13	51	40	4	5

"What is more important: taking steps to reduce the budget deficit or keeping Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are?" N=1,024 (Form 2), margin of error ą 3.6

		Reduce the deficit	Keep benefits as they are	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	12/3-8/13	23	69	4	4

McClatchy-Marist Poll. Dec. 3-5, 2013. N=1,173 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9

"Who do you think has a better approach to deal with the federal budget deficit . . . ?"

		Congressional Republicans	President Obama	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/3-5/13	46	41	8	5

"Do you think President Obama and the Republicans in Congress will reach a deal or not reach a deal on the federal budget before the next deadline?"

		Will reach a deal	Will not reach a deal	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/3-5/13	28	68	4

CBS News Poll. Oct. 18-21, 2013. N=1,007 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Who do you blame more for the partial government shutdown and the difficulties in reaching an agreement on the debt ceiling: the Republicans in Congress, or Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress?" Options rotated

		Republicans in Congress	Obama, Democrats	Both equally (vol.)	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	46	35	14	1	4

"As you may know, Congress reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and fund the federal government until early next year. Do you approve or disapprove of this agreement?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	47	46	7

"Do you think the agreement to raise the debt ceiling and fund the federal government should have included changes to the 2010 health care law, or should the agreement have been kept separate from the 2010 health care law?"

		Should have included health law	Should have been kept separate	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	18	75	7

"During the recent disagreements in Washington about the debt ceiling and funding the federal government, do you think the Republicans in Congress were mostly doing what they thought was best for the country or were they mostly concerned about gaining political advantage?"

		What was best for the country	Gaining political advantage	Some of each (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	24	71	2	3

"During the recent disagreements in Washington about the debt ceiling and funding the federal government, do you think Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress were mostly doing what they thought was best for the country or were they mostly concerned about gaining political advantage?"

		What was best for the country	Gaining political advantage	Some of each (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	42	55	1	2

"Looking ahead, have the negotiations over the debt ceiling and the government shutdown made you optimistic about the ability of this Congress to deal with future issues affecting the country, have they made you pessimistic, or has the debate had no effect on your outlook for how this Congress will deal with future issues?"

		Optimistic	Pessimistic	No effect	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	11	64	22	3

"As you may know, the current agreement in Congress to raise the debt ceiling and fund the federal government is temporary, and the U.S. will face similar deadlines early next year. Are you concerned Congress will have difficulty reaching an agreement on these issues early next year, or not?"

		Are concerned	Are not concerned	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	89	11	1

"When you evaluate your own member of Congress, how much will his or her position on the debt ceiling and government shutdown matter? Will it matter a lot, somewhat, not much, or not at all?"

		A lot	Somewhat	Not much	Not at all	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	41	34	14	8	3

"As you may know, the largest items in the federal budget are Medicare, that is the government health insurance program for seniors; Social Security; and the military. If you HAD to choose ONE, which of the following programs would you be willing to change in order to cut spending: Medicare, Social Security, or the military?"

		The military	Medicare	Social Security	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-21/13	41	23	16	20
	9/19-23/13	49	20	14	17
	4/24-28/13	43	23	13	21

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 18-20, 2013. N=841 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"In general, do you think the shutdown was a good thing for the country or a bad thing for the country?"

		A good thing	A bad thing	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	20	79	2
	Democrats	10	90	-
	Independents	19	79	2
	Republicans	35	62	4

"Who do you think was more responsible for the recent government shutdown: Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress?"

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	34	52	13	1	1

"As you may know, the government shutdown ended when legislation to fund all government programs and services was approved on Wednesday. Who do you think got more of what they wanted in the bill that ended the government shutdown: Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress?"

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	64	19	2	8	7

"That bill funds the government through January 15th, but unless Congress and the President agree on a plan to fund the government for a longer period, the government will shut down again at that time. How likely do you think it is that the federal government will shut down again in January: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not likely at all?"

		Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not likely at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	37	34	18	9	1

"As you may know, the first legislative action which led to the government shutdown was a bill supported by the Republicans in Congress that would have prevented major parts of the new health care law from taking effect. Looking back, do you think it was a mistake for the Republicans in Congress to do that, or do you think it made sense at that time?"

		A mistake	Made sense	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	55	42	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Oct. 17-20, 2013. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling negotiations over the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	43	54	3
	10/9-13/13	42	53	5
	10/2-6/13	45	51	4
	9/25-29/13	41	50	10

"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling negotiations over the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	21	77	2
	10/9-13/13	21	74	5
	10/2-6/13	24	70	5
	9/25-29/13	26	63	11

"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling negotiations over the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	36	61	3
	10/9-13/13	33	61	6
	10/2-6/13	35	61	4
	9/25-29/13	34	56	11

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Republicans in Congress who are affiliated with the Tea Party political movement are handling negotiations over the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	23	67	10

"Do you approve or disapprove of the partial shutdown of the U.S. government this month?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	17	81	2

"Who do you think was mainly responsible for the partial shutdown of the federal government: Obama or the Republicans in Congress?" Options rotated

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	29	53	15	1	2

"Do you think the partial shutdown is an isolated incident, or a sign of broader problems in the political process in Washington?"

		Isolated incident	Broader problems	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	9	87	3

"Do you think the budget dispute in Washington has or has not damaged the United States' image in the world?"

		Has	Has not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	86	11	2

"Do you think the budget dispute in Washington has or has not damaged the morale of federal government employees?"

		Has	Has not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	82	13	5

"Do you think the budget dispute in Washington has or has not damaged the U.S. economy?"

		Has	Has not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	80	17	3

"Congress has agreed to end the government shutdown and raise the nation's debt limit through early next year. This agreement drops Republican efforts to change the federal health care law and sets up a commission to negotiate budget issues. Overall, do you support or oppose this agreement?"

		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	51	41	8

"When the current agreement runs out early next year, how confident are you that Obama and the Republicans in Congress will avoid another budget crisis over the debt limit: very confident, somewhat confident, not so confident or not confident at all?"

		Very confident	Somewhat confident	Not so confident	Not confident at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	4	23	31	41	1

"When it comes to finding the right balance between cutting government spending that is not needed and continuing government spending that is needed, who do you trust to do a better job: Obama or the Republicans in Congress?" Options rotated

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	47	36	2	12	3
	3/7-10/13	43	44	1	9	3
	9/29 - 10/2/11	44	39	1	14	2
	6/2-5/11	41	44	2	11	2
	4/14-17/11	45	44	2	7	2
	3/10-13/11	43	42	2	10	3

"Do you think an agreement between Obama and Republicans in Congress to reduce the federal budget deficit should include only spending cuts, or a combination of spending cuts and tax increases?"

		Only cuts	Combination	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	37	59	5

"Some Republicans in Congress say reducing the federal deficit needs to be a part of an agreement to increase the debt ceiling in the future. Obama has said that increasing the debt ceiling should not be used as a tool in budget negotiations. Whose position do you agree with more: Obama's or that of some of the Republicans' in Congress?"

		Obama's	Republicans'	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/17-20/13	54	40	1	4	2

Gallup Poll. Oct. 14-15, 2013. N=1,076 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Next, as you may know, the president and Congress are trying to work out an agreement to increase the debt ceiling, the amount of money the government can legally borrow. The U.S. Treasury Department has said an agreement needs to be in place by October 17. Just your best guess, do you think an agreement to raise the debt limit will or will not be reached by the October 17 deadline?"

		Will	Will not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-15/13	45	50	5

"If an agreement is not reached by the October 17 deadline, do you think an economic crisis will or will not result?"

		Will	Will not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-15/13	60	36	4

"What would you like the people in government who represent your views on the debt and budget deficit to do in this situation? Should they hold out for the basic plan they want, even if the debt ceiling is not raised by the deadline, or should they agree to a compromise plan, even if it is a plan you disagree with?" Options rotated

		Hold out	Compromise	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-15/13	31	62	8

"Based on what you know or have read about their approach to the debt ceiling negotiations, do you think each of the following is putting their own political interests first, or putting the country's best interests first? "How about the Republicans in Congress?"

		Their own interests	Country's interests	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-15/13	73	22	6

"How about the Democrats in Congress?"

		Their own interests	Country's interests	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-15/13	63	30	7

"How about President Obama?"

		His own interests	Country's interests	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/14-15/13	55	41	5

Pew Research Center. Oct. 9-13, 2013. N=1,504 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.

"Who do you think is more to blame for the deadlock in Washington over the government shutdown and the debt limit: Republicans or the Obama administration?" Options rotated

		Republicans	Obama administration	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	46	37	13	1	4

"Thinking about the government shutdown that started on October 1st: How concerned, if at all, are you about the government shutdown's effect on the U.S. economy? Are you very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not at all concerned?"

		Very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Not too concerned	Not at all concerned	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	57	26	10	6	1
	10/3-6/13	48	29	14	9	1

"As you may know, the deadline to raise the nation's debt limit is also approaching, as soon as October 17th. From what you've read and heard, do you think it is absolutely essential that the federal debt limit be raised to avoid an economic crisis, or do you think the country can go past the deadline for raising the debt limit without major economic problems?" Options rotated

		Essential to raise limit	Can go past deadline	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	51	36	13
	Republicans	37	52	12
	Democrats	67	19	14
	Independents	49	38	13

	10/3-6/13	47	39	15

"Just your best guess, do you think Barack Obama and the Republicans will or will not resolve the debt limit issue before the deadline?"

		Will	Will not	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	52	44	5

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Oct. 7-9, 2013. N=800 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Thinking about President Obama and Republicans in Congress and their negotiations about the budget, does it make you feel more confident or less confident about the economy getting better or does it not make a difference in your opinion one way or the other?"

		More confident	Less confident	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	7	63	28	2

"Now, thinking about the recent debate over the federal budget, as you know, President Obama and the Republicans in Congress have not reached a budget agreement, and this has led to a shutdown of the federal government. Who do you think is more to blame for this shutdown: President Obama or the Republicans in Congress?"

		President Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both equal (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	31	53	13	3

"In your view, how serious a problem is this shutdown of the federal government: extremely serious, quite serious, just somewhat serious, or not that serious?"

		Extremely serious	Quite serious	Just somewhat serious	Not that serious	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	46	27	18	9	-
	11/95	29	28	23	18	2

"Have you or anyone in your family been affected by the federal government shutdown, in terms of employment, services, or benefits?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	31	68	1
	1/96	18	81	1
	11/95	18	81	1

"Which of these is closer to your own view of President Obama's actions and positions during the current budget disagreement? He is being a strong leader and standing up for what he believes in. He is putting his own political agenda ahead of what's good for the country."

		Standing up for what he believes in	Putting politics ahead of country	Both equal (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	46	51	1	2

"Which of these is closer to your own view of Congressional Republicans' actions and positions during the current budget disagreement? They are demonstrating strong leadership and standing up for what they believe in. They are putting their own political agenda ahead of what is good for the country."

		Standing up for what they believe in	Putting politics ahead of country	Both equal (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	27	70	1	2

"How much harm, if any, is the government shutdown having on the U.S. economy: a great deal, quite a bit, just some, very little, or none at all?"

		A great deal	Quite a bit	Just some	Very little	None at all
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	34	31	21	10	2

"Now, talking a moment about something called the federal debt ceiling: The federal debt ceiling limits the amount of money the government can borrow. When the U.S. Treasury needs to issue debt above the ceiling in order to avoid going into bankruptcy and to pay the government's bills, Congress needs to vote to raise the ceiling. Which of the following causes you more concern: that Congress will not raise the debt ceiling and the federal government will not pay its bills, such as defaulting on its loans and not making payments to Social Security recipients and government workers; that Congress will raise the debt ceiling and that federal spending will increase and the government will go further into debt as a result -- OR, do you not know enough about this to have an opinion at this time?"

		Will not raise debt ceiling	Will raise debt ceiling	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	37	41	19	3

"The president has asked Congress to raise the debt ceiling, and the Congress is currently considering whether to raise it. If Congress does not vote to raise the debt ceiling, do you believe that this would be a real and serious problem or not? If you do not know enough to have an opinion, please say so." Half sample (Form A)

		A real, serious problem	Not a real, serious problem	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	63	15	22	1

"President Obama says he will not negotiate with Republicans in Congress about the health care law and the federal budget until Congress has reopened the government and raised the country's debt ceiling limit. Do you agree or disagree with the President on this? If you do not know enough about this to have an opinion, please just say so and we will move on." If agree or disagree: "And, do you strongly or just somewhat agree/disagree with the president on this?"

		Strongly agree	Somewhat agree	Somewhat disagree	Strongly disagree	Don't know enough
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/7-9/13	30	10	7	36	16

United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Oct. 3-6, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"Republicans in the House of Representatives passed legislation that only kept the government operating if President Obama agreed to delay or stop funding his health reform plan. The President and the Senate refused to support a bill including such a provision. Do you think the House is right to fund the continuing operations of the federal government only if Obama agrees to delay or withdraw his health care plan, OR, do you think Congress should provide the funding to keep the government operating and deal with the health care issue separately?" Options rotated 9/13: "Some Republicans in the House of Representatives say they will not support a bill to keep the government operating unless it includes a provision to delay or defund President Obama's health reform plan. The White House says it will not sign a bill including such a provision. Do you think Congress should only fund the continuing operations of the federal government if Obama agrees to delay or withdraw his health care plan, OR, provide the funding to keep the government operating and deal with the health care issue separately?"

		Only if delay or withdraw health plan	Deal with health issue separately	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	24	65	11

	9/19-22/13	27	63	10

"As far as you know, when Congress votes to increase the debt ceiling, do you believe that means the federal government is increasing the amount of money it borrows to pay for future expenditures, OR, the federal government is paying off the debts it has already accumulated?" Options rotated

		Future expenditures	Accumulated debts	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	62	28	10

"Congressional Republicans say they will only agree to increase the federal debt ceiling if President Obama accepts their proposals on other issues. Please tell me whether you think the following proposals should be included in any agreement about the debt ceiling, or should be dealt with separately. ..."

		Include	Deal with separately	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%

	"A one-year delay for the implementation of President Obama's health care law"
	10/3-6/13	31	65	4

	"A requirement that President Obama authorize the construction of the Keystone Pipeline to transport oil from Canada to the U.S."
	10/3-6/13	24	70	6

	"Cuts in spending for domestic discretionary programs"
	10/3-6/13	30	60	10

	"Cuts in spending on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal entitlement programs"
	10/3-6/13	29	68	3

"When it comes to making decisions about the federal deficit and debt, who do you trust more: President Obama or congressional Republicans?" Options rotated

		President Obama	Congressional Republicans	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	45	37	18

"Now thinking about the across-the-board federal spending cuts known as the sequester that took place in March: Have you seen any impact of these cuts in your community or on you personally since they took place, or not?"

		Have seen impact	Have not seen impact	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	23	74	3

Pew Research Center. Oct. 3-6, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"As I read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this past week, please tell me if you happened to follow each news story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely. ... The shutdown of the federal government." 9/13: "... Congress working on a budget agreement to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September."

		Very closely	Fairly closely	Not too closely	Not at all closely	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	43	30	15	11	-
	9/19-22/13	25	24	21	30	1

"Who do you think is more to blame for the federal government shutdown: Republicans or the Obama administration?" Options rotated

		Republicans	Obama administration	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	38	30	19	2	11

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling negotiations over the government shutdown?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	38	50	12

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Republican leaders in Congress are handling negotiations over the government shutdown?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	19	69	12

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Democratic leaders in Congress are handling negotiations over the government shutdown?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	29	58	13

"In the current debate over the government shutdown, what would you like lawmakers who share your views to do: should they stand by their principles, even if that means the government shutdown continues, OR, should they be more willing to compromise, even if that means they reach a deal you disagree with?" Options rotated

		Stand by their principles	Be more willing to compromise	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	29	61	10

"As you may know, the main point of disagreement in the government shutdown is over whether changes to the 2010 health care law should be included in a budget deal. Obama has said any budget deal must NOT include cuts or delays to the health care law because they are separate issues. Republican leaders have said that any budget deal must include cuts or delays to the health care law because the law is bad for the country. Who do you think should give ground in this disagreement? Should Obama agree to a bill that INCLUDES cuts or delays to the health care law, or should Republican leaders agree to a bill WITHOUT cuts or delays to the health care law?" Options rotated

		Obama should give ground	Republicans should give ground	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	42	44	14

Gallup Poll. Oct. 2-3, 2013. N=1,021 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"As you may know, the Republicans in Congress and President Obama have not reached an agreement on the federal budget. As a result, the federal government has shut down all non-essential services. Do you personally view this shutdown as a crisis, as a major problem, as a minor problem or as not a problem at all?"

		A crisis	A major problem	A minor problem	Not a problem	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/2-3/13	21	49	18	8	3

"As a consequence of the shutdown, do you feel more negative or more positive toward President Obama?"

		More negative	More positive	Neither/No effect (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/2-3/13	57	28	13	3

"As a consequence of the shutdown, do you feel more negative or more positive toward the Republican leaders in Congress?"

		More negative	More positive	Neither/No effect (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/2-3/13	61	24	10	5

"As a consequence of the shutdown, do you feel more negative or more positive toward the Democratic leaders in Congress?"

		More negative	More positive	Neither/No effect (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/2-3/13	58	26	12	5

CBS News Poll. Oct. 1-2, 2013. N=1,021 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress are handling the current negotiations over the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	35	61	4

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling the current negotiations over the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	24	72	4

"In negotiations about the federal budget, which do you think Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress should do: compromise some of their positions in order to come to an agreement, or stick to their positions even if it means not coming to an agreement?"

		Compromise	Stick to their positions	Depends (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	76	21	1	2
	Republicans	90	6	1	3
	Democrats	61	36	1	2
	Independents	80	18	1	2

"In negotiations about the federal budget, which do you think the Republicans in Congress should do: compromise some of their positions in order to come to an agreement, or stick to their positions even if it means not coming to an agreement?"

		Compromise	Stick to their positions	Depends (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	78	18	1	3
	Republicans	59	38	-	3
	Democrats	94	4	1	1
	Independents	78	16	1	5

"Do you approve or disapprove of partially shutting down the government over differences about the 2010 health care law?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	ALL	25	72	3
	Republicans	48	49	3
	Democrats	12	86	2
	Independents	21	76	3

"Who do you blame more for the partial government shutdown: the Republicans in Congress or Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress?"

		Republicans in Congress	Obama, Democrats	Equally/ Both (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	44	35	17	4
	Republicans	10	73	15	2
	Democrats	76	9	11	3
	Independents	40	30	24	7

"From what you know so far, do you think any agreement on the federal budget should also cut off the funding for the 2010 health care law, or any agreement on the federal budget should be kept separate from discussions about funding the 2010 health care law?"

		Also cut health care law funding	Keep discussions separate	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	ALL	26	66	8
	Republicans	52	40	7
	Democrats	9	81	11
	Independents	24	70	7

"Which do you think should be the higher priority for Congress right now: passing a resolution to get the federal government running again, or stopping some provisions of the 2010 health care law from going into effect?"

		Getting government running	Stopping health care law	Both (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	73	21	2	4
	Republicans	46	47	3	4
	Democrats	90	6	2	2
	Independents	77	17	2	4

"Do you think the federal government can operate effectively during a partial shutdown, or not"

		Can	Cannot	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	35	62	3

"Do you think you will be personally affected by the cutback in government services or programs caused by a partial government shutdown, or not?"

		Will be	Will not be	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	47	50	3

"How likely do you think it will be that the economy and the stock market will take a severe downturn due to the partial government shutdown: very likely, somewhat likely, or not very likely?"

		Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not very likely	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	34	41	23	2

"Do you think Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress will be able to negotiate with the Republicans in Congress to resolve the budget standoff in the near future, or do you think the budget standoff will continue for a long time?"

		Negotiate in near future	Continue for a long time	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	ALL	51	42	6
	Republicans	47	47	6
	Democrats	62	33	5
	Independents	46	46	8

"In the current budget debate, who do you think is more concerned about doing what is best for you and your family: the Republicans in Congress or Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress?"

		Republicans in Congress	Obama, Democrats	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	37	48	3	9	2

"As you may know, there is a debate in Washington about raising the federal debt ceiling, which is the amount of money that the federal government can borrow to pay its bills. Which of these comes closest to your feelings about raising the debt ceiling now? It should be raised without conditions, because the government must pay its existing bills and obligations. OR, It should be raised, but only with the condition that the government also cuts spending to offset it. OR, It should not be raised under any condition, even if that means the U.S. could default on its loans and obligations."

		Raised without conditions	Raised only if spending is cut	Not raised, even if leads to default	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	23	55	20	2
	9/19-23/13	17	55	24	4

"If you had to choose, which would be more acceptable to you: reaching an agreement on the debt ceiling that you did not fully support, or not reaching an agreement on the debt ceiling and having the U.S. go into default on its debts?" Options rotated

		Agreement you did not fully support	No agreement and having U.S. default	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	77	17	6
	9/19-23/13	69	21	9

"Do you think Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress probably will or probably will not reach an agreement with the Republicans in Congress on raising the debt ceiling before the October 17th deadline?"

		Probably will	Probably will not	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	47	46	7

"From what you know so far, do you think any agreement on raising the debt ceiling should also cut off the funding for the 2010 health care law, or any agreement on raising the debt ceiling should be kept separate from discussions about funding the 2010 health care law?"

		Also cut health care law funding	Keep discussions separate	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	10/1-2/13	26	69	5

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 27-29, 2013. N=803 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"As you may know, on a regular basis, Congress must pass bills that authorize the federal government to spend money for a certain amount of time. When that time expires, the government must shut down until Congress passes a new spending bill. "Suppose the federal government had to shut down for a few days because Congress did not pass a new spending bill. Would you consider that a good thing for the country or a bad thing for the country?"

		Good thing	Bad thing	Neutral/ Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	27	68	4	1
	3/15-17/13	34	64	2	1
	9/23-25/11	25	72	2	1
	3/11-13/11	36	59	4	2

"Now suppose the federal government had to shut down for a few weeks because Congress did not pass a new spending bill. Would you consider that a good thing for the country or a bad thing for the country?"

		Good thing	Bad thing	Neutral/ Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	19	79	2	-
	3/15-17/13	21	78	1	-
	3/11-13/11	24	73	1	2

"If the federal government shuts down, do you think that Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress would be more responsible for that?" N=515 adults (Version A), margin of error ą 4.5.

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	36	46	13	2	2
	9/6-8/13	33	51	12	3	1
	3/15-17/13	38	40	19	2	1
	9/23-25/11	33	47	17	1	2
	3/11-13/11	37	46	14	1	2

"Which do you think is more important for Congress to do? Approving a budget agreement that would avoid a government shutdown. OR, Preventing major provisions in the new health care law from taking effect by cutting the funds needed to implement them." Options rotated

		Approve budget agreement	Cut funds for new health care law	Both/ Equal (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	60	34	2	3
	Democrats	81	15	1	3
	Independents	57	36	3	4
	Republicans	38	56	3	3

"Do you think Barack Obama has acted mostly like a responsible adult or mostly like a spoiled child during the recent debate over the federal budget?"

		Responsible adult	Spoiled child	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	49	47	5

"Do you think the Republicans in Congress have acted mostly like responsible adults or mostly like spoiled children during the recent debate over the federal budget?"

		Responsible adults	Spoiled children	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	25	69	6

"Do you think the Democrats in Congress have acted mostly like responsible adults or mostly like spoiled children during the recent debate over the federal budget?"

		Responsible adults	Spoiled children	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	35	58	7

"As you may know, there is a limit to the amount of money the government can owe that is sometimes called the 'debt ceiling.' In addition to the current debate over a possible government shutdown, Congress must also deal with the debt ceiling in the next few weeks. The Secretary of the Treasury says that the government will not have enough money to pay all of its debts and keep all existing government programs running unless Congress raises the debt ceiling by the middle of October. "If the debt ceiling is not raised, would you consider that a good thing for the country or a bad thing for the country?"

		Good thing	Bad thing	Neutral/ Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	38	56	3	2

"If the debt ceiling is not raised, do you think that Barack Obama or the Republicans in Congress would be more responsible for that?"

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	31	53	10	2	4
	9/6-8/13	25	54	15	3	2
	7/18-20/11	30	51	15	3	1

"Which do you think is more important for Congress to do? Raising the debt ceiling to make sure the government has enough money to pay its debts. OR, Delaying the date on which major provisions in the new health care law will take effect."

		Raise the debt ceiling	Delay health the care law	Both/ Equal (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/27-29/13	51	43	2	5

Quinnipiac University. Sept. 23-29, 2013. N=1,497 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.5.

"As you may know, automatic cuts in the federal budget, known as sequestration, went into effect on March 1st. All in all, do you think the sequestration is a good thing or a bad thing for the country, or don't you know enough about it to say?"

		A good thing	A bad thing	Don't know enough	Refused
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	18	31	50	1
	Republicans	32	23	44	1
	Democrats	5	40	54	1
	Independents	20	30	48	1

"To help reduce the federal budget deficit, do you think government spending on food stamps that go to low-income families should be cut or not?"

		Should be cut	Should not be cut	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	ALL	28	66	5
	Republicans	52	40	8
	Democrats	11	85	4
	Independents	29	66	5

Gallup Poll. Sept. 27-28, 2013. N=1,024 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Now, thinking about the budget debate which has been going on in Washington, who do you think has acted more responsibly in the negotiations over the budget: President Obama or the Republican leaders in Congress?"

		President Obama	Republican leaders	Neither (vol.)	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/27-28/13	40	35	11	1	13

"Which of the following statements comes closer to your view about the budget debate between Barack Obama and the Republicans in Congress: it is an important battle over principles and the future direction of government, or it is mostly an attempt by both sides to gain political advantage?" Options rotated

		Principles, direction of government	Attempt to gain political advantage	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/27-28/13	37	47	15

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 19-23, 2013. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"In general, do you think it is acceptable for a president or members of Congress to threaten a government shutdown during their budget negotiations in order to achieve their goals, or is that not an acceptable way to negotiate?"

		Acceptable	Not acceptable	Depends (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	9/19-23/13	16	80	1	2

"As you may know, if a budget agreement in Washington is not reached by the end of the month, the federal government could partially shut down. Who would you blame more if there is a partial shutdown of the federal government: the Republicans in Congress, or Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress?" Options rotated

		Republicans	Obama and Democrats	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	9/19-23/13	44	35	16	4

"Do you think Barack Obama and the Republicans in Congress probably will or probably will not reach an agreement on the federal budget before the deadline of October 1st?"

		Probably will	Probably will not	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	9/19-23/13	48	47	4

"From what you know so far, do you think any agreement on the federal budget and the debt ceiling should also cut off the funding for the 2010 health care law, or any agreement on the federal budget and the debt ceiling should be kept separate from discussions about funding the 2010 health care law?" Options rotated

		Also cut off health care funding	Keep discussions separate	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%
	9/19-23/13	31	60	9

United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Sept. 19-22, 2013. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.6.

"Some Republicans in the House of Representatives say they will not support a bill to keep the government operating unless it includes a provision to delay or defund President Obama's health reform plan. The White House says it will not sign a bill including such a provision. Do you think Congress should only fund the continuing operations of the federal government if Obama agrees to delay or withdraw his health care plan, OR, provide the funding to keep the government operating and deal with the health care issue separately?" Options rotated

		Only if delay or withdraw health plan	Deal with health issue separately	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	27	63	10

"Some Republicans in the House of Representatives want to attach a provision to delay or defund President Obama's health reform plan to any proposed increase in the country's debt limit. The White House says it will not negotiate over the debt ceiling. Do you think Congress should only increase the U.S. debt limit if Obama agrees to delay or withdraw his health care plan, OR, increase the U.S. debt limit and deal with the health care issue separately?" Options rotated

		Only if delay or withdraw health plan	Deal with health issue separately	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	31	52	16

"Republicans want to repeal the health care law partly because they say it will cost too much, especially as more people begin to receive benefits. The independent Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the deficit would actually increase if the law were repealed because the loss of taxes and fees tied to the program would offset any savings gained by not providing benefits to people. Which of the following comes closer to your own view? Congress should repeal the program to expand coverage because the government can't afford it at a time of large budget deficits. OR, Congress should keep the program to expand coverage because it's important to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance." Options rotated

		Repeal it	Keep it	Neither/ Both (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	44	49	2	5

Pew Research Center. Sept. 19-22, 2013. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"As I read a list of some stories covered by news organizations this past week, please tell me if you happened to follow each news story very closely, fairly closely, not too closely, or not at all closely. ... Congress working on a budget agreement to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September."

		Very closely	Fairly closely	Not too closely	Not at all closely	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	25	24	21	30	1

"Now thinking about the budget debate in Washington: If there is not a budget agreement by the end of September the federal government will have to shut down many of its operations until a budget is passed. What would you like lawmakers who share your views on this issue to do? Should they stand by their principles, even if that means the government shuts down, or, should they be more willing to compromise, even if that means they pass a budget you disagree with?" Options rotated

		Stand by their principles	Be more willing to compromise	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	33	57	10

"Just your best guess, do you think Republicans in Congress and the Obama administration will or will not reach a budget agreement before the September 30th deadline?"

		Will	Will not	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	46	45	9

"If an agreement is not reached and there is a government shutdown, do you think this would have a major effect, minor effect or no effect on the U.S. economy?"

		Major effect	Minor effect	No effect	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	61	30	6	3

"If the federal government shuts down because Republicans and the Obama administration can't agree on a budget, who do you think would be more to blame: Republicans or the Obama administration?" Options rotated

		Republicans	Obama administration	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	39	36	17	2	6

"As you may know, Republicans in the House of Representatives have said that funding for the 2010 health care law must be cut off as part of any budget agreement. Do you support or oppose this proposal?"

		Support	Oppose	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/19-22/13	38	50	13

CNBC Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Sept. 16-19, 2013. N=812 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.4.

"The federal debt ceiling limits the amount of money the government can borrow. When the U.S. Treasury needs to issue debt above the ceiling in order to avoid going into bankruptcy and defaulting on its obligations, Congress needs to vote to raise the ceiling. Which of the following causes you more concern: that Congress will NOT raise the debt ceiling and the federal government will not meet its financial obligations, such as defaulting on its loans and not making payments to Social Security recipients and government workers; that Congress WILL raise the debt ceiling and that federal spending will increase and the government will go further into debt as a result; OR, do you not know enough about this to have an opinion at this time?"

		Will not raise debt ceiling	Will raise debt ceiling	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/16-19/13	41	47	6	6

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Sept. 12-15, 2013. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Who do you trust to do a better job handling negotiations over the federal budget: Obama or the Republicans in Congress?" Options rotated. Half sample.

		Obama	Republicans in Congress	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/12-15/13	43	40	1	12	4

"What do you think is better -- for Congress to raise the debt limit so the government can keep paying its bills and obligations, or for Congress not to raise the debt limit and let the government default on paying its bills and obligations?"

		Pay bills, obligations	Default	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/12-15/13	46	43	10

"If the government cannot borrow more money to fund its operations and pay its debts, do you think that would or would not cause serious harm to the U.S. economy?"

		Would	Would not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/12-15/13	73	22	6

"On a related issue, do you think Obama is doing too much, too little or about the right amount to compromise with the Republican leaders in Congress on a budget plan?"

		Too much	Too little	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/12-15/13	10	49	36	5

"Do you think the Republican leaders in Congress are doing too much, too little or about the right amount to compromise with Obama on a budget plan?"

		Too much	Too little	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/12-15/13	10	64	22	4

"As you may know, automatic across-the-board cuts in federal spending have taken effect because Obama and the Republicans in Congress were unable to reach a budget agreement earlier this year. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of these budget cuts taking place?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/12-15/13	43	50	7

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 6-8, 2013. Adults nationwide.

"As you may know, on a regular basis, Congress must pass bills that authorize the federal government to spend money for a certain amount of time. When that time expires, the government must shut down until Congress passes a new spending bill. "Suppose the federal government had to shut down for a few days because Congress did not pass a new spending bill. Do you think that would cause a crisis, major problems, minor problems, or no problems at all for the United States?" N=515 adults (Version A), margin of error ą 4.5.

		A crisis	Major problems	Minor problems	No problems
		%	%	%	%
	9/6-8/13	11	38	40	11

"Now suppose the federal government had to shut down for a few weeks because Congress did not pass a new spending bill. Do you think that would cause a crisis, major problems, minor problems, or no problems at all for the United States?" N=515 adults (Version A), margin of error ą 4.5.

		A crisis	Major problems	Minor problems	No problems
		%	%	%	%
	9/6-8/13	31	43	20	6

"As you may know, there is a limit to the amount of money the government can owe that is sometimes called the 'debt ceiling.' The Secretary of the Treasury says that the government will not have enough money to pay all of its debts and keep all existing government programs running unless Congress raises the debt ceiling by October. "If the debt ceiling is not raised, do you think that would cause a crisis, major problems, minor problems, or no problems at all for the United States?" N=507 adults (Version B), margin of error ą 4.5.

		A crisis	Major problems	Minor problems	No problems	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	9/6-8/13	17	45	27	9	2
	7/18-20/11	18	43	31	6	1
	4/29 - 5/1/11	17	41	33	7	2

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Sept. 5-8, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"As you may know the federal debt ceiling acts as a check and limit on the country's overall liabilities, including the federal deficit and other debts. When the U.S. Treasury needs to issue debt above the ceiling in order to avoid going into bankruptcy and defaulting on its obligations, Congress needs to vote to raise the ceiling. Congress is again currently considering whether and how much to extend the debt ceiling. Do you think Congress should or should not raise the debt ceiling? If you don't know enough to have an opinion, please just say so."

		Should	Should not	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/5-8/13	22	44	33	1
	7/14-17/11	38	31	30	1
	6/9-13/11	28	39	31	2

Pew Research Center. Sept. 4-8, 2013. Adults nationwide.

"Thinking about the U.S. economic system in general, compared with before the 2008 financial crisis, do you think the U.S. economic system is more secure today than it was before the 2008 economic crisis, or no more secure today than it was before the 2008 economic crisis?" Options rotated. N=762 (Form 2).

		More secure	No more secure	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/4-8/13	33	63	4

"Thinking about financial regulation, which comes closer to your view? The government has gone too far regulating financial institutions and markets, making it harder for the economy to grow. The government has not gone far enough in regulating financial institutions and markets, leaving the country at risk of another financial crisis." Options rotated. N=744 (Form 1).

		Has gone too far	Has not gone far enough	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	9/4-8/13	43	49	8

"Thinking about the federal government's economic policies following the recession that began in 2008, do you think these policies have helped [see below] a great deal, a fair amount, not too much, or not at all? ... What about [see below]?" N=762 (Form 2)

		A great deal	A fair amount	Not too much	Not at all	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Middle-class people"
	9/4-8/13	6	21	38	33	2
	7/15-18/10	2	25	43	25	4

	"Poor people"
	9/4-8/13	8	18	35	37	3
	7/15-18/10	7	24	37	27	5

	"Wealthy people"
	9/4-8/13	38	21	20	13	8
	7/15-18/10	31	26	18	12	12

	"Large banks and financial institutions"
	9/4-8/13	40	28	17	7	7
	7/15-18/10	53	21	12	6	8

	"Small businesses"
	9/4-8/13	6	23	35	32	4
	7/15-18/10	2	21	39	29	8

	"Large corporations"
	9/4-8/13	41	26	19	8	7
	7/15-18/10	44	26	12	8	10

Quinnipiac University Poll. July 28-31, 2013. N=1,468 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.6.

"As you may know, the city of Detroit has filed for bankruptcy. Do you think that there should or should not be a federal government bailout of Detroit?"

		Should	Should not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/28-31/13	33	57	11

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). July 17-21, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"As you may know, across the board automatic federal spending cuts to military and non-military programs were put in place on March first in order to reduce the federal deficit. How much of an impact have these automatic spending cuts had on you and your family: a great deal, quite a bit, just some, or not much at all?"

		A great deal	Quite a bit	Just some	Not much at all	None (vol.)/ Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	7/17-21/13	12	10	20	51	7
	4/5-8/13	9	7	17	58	9

Gallup Poll. June 15-16, 2013. N=1,015 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Next, suppose that on Election Day you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Would you vote for or against a law that would allow each state to collect sales taxes on purchases its residents make online over the Internet?"

		Would vote for	Would vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	6/15-16/13	39	57	4

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. May 31-June 3, 2013. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"Across-the-board budget cuts enacted by Congress started taking effect in March. Do you think these cuts are doing more to help the economy or more to hurt the economy?"

		Help	Hurt	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/31 - 6/3/13	25	55	20

Pew Research Center/Washington Post. May 23-26, 2013. N=1,005 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"Thinking about the federal government's response to major natural disasters, which comes closer to your view even if neither is exactly right? Federal spending in response to natural disasters must be offset by cuts to other programs. Federal spending in response to natural disasters is emergency aid that does not need to be offset by cuts to other programs." Options rotated

		Must be offset	Does not need to be offset	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	5/23-26/13	29	59	13

Gallup Poll. May 20-21, 2013. N=1,016 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4. See also: Political groups seeking tax-exempt status

"How would you rate the job being done by the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS? Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?"

		Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/20-21/13	6	21	29	42	3
	7/10-12/09	5	35	36	20	5
	9/8-10/03	6	38	38	15	3

"Next we have some questions about the Internal Revenue Service -- also known as the IRS -- which is the federal agency that collects taxes. First, which of the following statements concerning IRS power do you agree with more? The IRS has been given about the right amount of power to do the job it is charged with carrying out. OR, The IRS has been given more power than it needs to do the job it is charged with carrying out." Options rotated. N=493 (Form B), margin of error ą 6.

		Right amount	More than it needs	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/20-21/13	31	62	7
	9/25-28/97	23	73	4

"Still thinking about the powers the IRS has been given to do its job, do you think the IRS generally uses its powers responsibly, or do you think it frequently abuses its powers?" Options rotated. N=493 (Form B), margin of error ą 6.

		Uses responsibly	Frequently abuses	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/20-21/13	34	60	6
	9/25-28/97	27	69	4

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. May 16-19, 2013. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Automatic across-the-board cuts in federal spending have begun to take effect because Obama and the Republicans in Congress were unable to reach a budget agreement earlier this year. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of these budget cuts taking place?" 3/13: "Automatic across-the-board cuts in federal spending have begun to take effect because Obama and the Republicans in Congress were unable to reach a budget agreement last week. Overall do you approve or disapprove of these budget cuts taking place?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/16-19/13	35	56	8
	4/11-14/13	35	57	8
	3/7-10/13	39	53	8

"Have you personally felt any negative impact of these budget cuts, or not?"

		Have	Have not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	5/16-19/13	37	61	2
	4/11-14/13	33	65	2
	3/7-10/13	25	73	2

Gallup Poll. July 27-28, 2013. N=1,015 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"As you may know, automatic cuts in the federal budget -- known as sequestration -- went into effect on March 1. All in all, do you think the sequestration is a good thing or a bad thing for the country, or don't you know enough to say?"

		Good thing	Bad thing	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/27-28/13	15	30	54	2
	4/29-30/13	17	30	52	1
	4/6-7/13	18	31	49	2
	3/11-12/13	17	27	55	1
	3/2-3/13	18	30	51	1

"All in all, do you think the sequestration is a good thing or a bad thing for you personally, or don't you know enough to say?"

		Good thing	Bad thing	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	7/27-28/13	11	27	59	2
	4/29-30/13	11	24	62	3
	4/6-7/13	14	25	57	4
	3/11-12/13	14	24	60	2
	3/2-3/13	17	26	55	2

CBS News/New York Times Poll. April 24-28, 2013. N=965 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Overall, what do you think is the best way to reduce the federal budget deficit -- by cutting federal spending, by increasing taxes, or by a combination of both?"

		Cutting spending	Increasing taxes	Combination of both	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/24-28/13	36	3	57	4
	3/20-24/13	34	2	58	6
	3/1-3/13	35	5	56	5
	2/6-10/13	32	3	59	5
	1/11-15/13	33	3	61	3

"As you may know, automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs are in effect because President Obama and Republicans in Congress could not agree on a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit. These automatic spending cuts are commonly referred to as the Sequester. Do you think these cuts will help the economy, hurt the economy, or will they not have much effect on the economy one way or the other?"

		Help	Hurt	Not have much effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/24-28/13	10	46	35	9

"Have you personally been affected by the spending cuts in the Sequester, or not?" If yes: "Have you been affected a great deal, or only somewhat?"

		Yes: A great deal	Yes: Only Somewhat	No	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/24-28/13	8	19	69	4

Pew Research Center. April 25-28, 2013. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"As you may know, the Federal Aviation Administration's budget was cut as part of across-the-board reductions in federal spending and there have been delays at airports across the country. Who do you think is more to blame for this situation: Republicans in Congress or the Obama administration?" Options rotated

		Republicans in Congress	Obama administration	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/25-28/13	34	32	10	4	20

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. April 11-15, 2013. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.9.

"The following are ways that some people have proposed making cuts in government spending to reduce the federal budget deficit. For each one, please tell me if you favor, oppose or neither favor nor oppose it as a way of reducing the federal budget deficit. . . ."

		Favor	Oppose	Neither	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Gradually raising the age at which people become eligible for Medicare benefits"
	4/11-15/13	30	59	10	1	1
	1/10-14/13	35	53	10	2	-
	11/29 - 12/3/12	40	48	9	3	-

	"Changing the way Social Security benefits are calculated so that annual increases are smaller"
	4/11-15/13	26	54	15	4	1
	1/10-14/13	30	49	16	5	1
	11/29 - 12/3/12	30	49	15	6	-

	"Raising Medicare premiums for high-income recipients" N=488
	4/11-15/13	51	30	15	2	2
	1/10-14/13	60	25	12	3	-

	"Reducing Medicare benefits for seniors with higher incomes" N=516
	4/11-15/13	36	45	13	4	2
	11/18-22/10	45	43	11	2	-

	"Requiring all Americans with incomes of one million dollars or more to pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes"
	4/11-15/13	59	29	8	2	1

	"Limiting itemized tax deductions for people with incomes in the top 2 percent, that is, individuals earning $183,000 or more and married couples making $223,000 or more"
	4/11-15/13	45	33	14	6	1

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. April 11-14, 2013. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"As far as you know, do you have any close friends or relatives who have felt any negative impact of these budget cuts, or not?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/11-14/13	42	55	4

"Do you think these budget cuts are or are not hurting the economy?"

		Are	Are not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/11-14/13	63	28	8

"On another subject, do you support or oppose changing the way Social Security benefits are calculated so that benefits increase at a slower rate than they do now?"

		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	4/11-14/13	37	51	11

Gallup Poll. April 4-7, 2013. N=1,005 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"During the next twelve months, do you think the taxes you pay will be changed so that they are higher, or lower, or won't there be any change?"

		Higher	Lower	No change	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/4-7/13	64	3	31	2
	4/9-12/12	53	3	41	3
	4/8-11/10	63	4	30	3

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). April 5-8, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide.

"As you may know, across the board automatic federal spending cuts to military and non-military programs were put in place on March first in order to reduce the federal deficit. Do you believe these automatic spending cuts will mostly help, mostly harm, or have no impact on the economy?" Half sample (Form B)

		Mostly help	Mostly harm	Have no impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	4/5-8/13	16	47	30	7

CNN/ORC Poll. April 5-7, 2013. N=1,012 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"As you may know, Congress and the President agreed to a set of automatic forced spending cuts -- sometimes known as 'the sequester' -- that took effect on March 1. Have those forced spending cuts affected the nation's economy a great deal, some, not much, or not at all?"

		A great deal	Some	Not much	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/5-7/13	29	39	20	8	3
	3/15-17/13	21	39	21	15	4

"Have those forced spending cuts affected your personal financial situation a great deal, some, not much, or not at all?"

		A great deal	Some	Not much	Not at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	4/5-7/13	16	26	22	35	-
	3/15-17/13	11	24	21	43	1

Morning Joe/Marist Poll. March 25-27, 2013. N=1,061 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What would you like to see Congress and President Obama agree is the top priority for the country: creating jobs or reducing the deficit?"

		Creating jobs	Reducing the deficit	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	62	35	3
	Democrats	76	21	2
	Republicans	46	51	3
	Independents	60	36	4

"Who do you think has a better approach to deal with the federal budget deficit: [see below]?"

		Congressional Republicans	President Obama	Both	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	42	43	1	9	5

"Which of the following comes closest to your view about how to reduce the federal budget deficit? Mostly cut government spending including entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Mostly increase revenues such as limiting tax deductions on higher income. Do both, cut spending including entitlement programs and increase revenues by limiting tax deductions on higher income."

		Mostly cut spending	Mostly increase revenues	Do both	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	18	34	42	6

"In January, the top federal tax rate on all family income above $450,000 was increased from 35% to nearly 40%. Given this tax increase, are you more likely to want to reduce the deficit by limiting tax deductions on higher income, less likely, or does it not make any difference to your opinion?"

		More likely	Less likely	No difference	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	22	19	54	4

McClatchy-Marist Poll. March 25-27, 2013. N=1,061 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Who do you trust more to make the right decisions about the federal budget: [see below]?"

		Congressional Republicans	President Obama	Both	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	41	50	1	8	2

"Who do you think is more to blame for the gridlock on the federal budget: [see below]?"

		Congressional Republicans	President Obama	Both	Neither/ Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	48	34	11	7

"Eighty-five billion dollars in automatic across-the-board spending cuts to the federal budget took effect on March 1st. Do you think these spending cuts have had a positive effect on the economy, a negative effect, or no effect at all on the economy?"

		Positive effect	Negative effect	No effect at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	13	36	42	9

"What about for you and your family? Since these automatic across-the-board spending cuts took effect, do you think they have had a positive effect on you and your family, a negative effect, or no effect at all on you and your family?"

		Positive effect	Negative effect	No effect at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/25-27/13	5	26	66	3

CBS News Poll. March 20-24, 2013. N=1,181 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"What effect do you think reducing the federal budget deficit would have on the nation's economy? Would it make it better, worse, have no effect, or don't you know enough to say?"

		Better	Worse	No effect	Don't know enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	42	6	9	39	4

"In your opinion, does the federal budget deficit affect your own family's financial situation, or not?"

		It does	It does not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	61	36	2

"I'm going to read you some suggestions that have been made to reduce the size of the federal budget deficit. Please tell me whether you would favor or oppose each of the following. "In order to reduce the budget deficit, would you favor or oppose reducing defense spending?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	38	58	3
	12/12-16/12	42	54	4

"In order to reduce the budget deficit, would you favor or oppose reducing spending on Social Security?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	18	79	2

"In order to reduce the budget deficit, would you favor or oppose reducing spending on Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	18	80	2

"In order to reduce the budget deficit, would you favor or oppose reducing some government programs and services that benefit people like you?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	47	45	8
	1/11-15/13	56	37	8
	12/12-16/12	45	48	7

"In order to reduce the budget deficit, would you favor or oppose increasing the capital gains tax rate on income from investments?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	52	36	11

"In order to reduce the budget deficit, would you favor or oppose personally paying more in taxes?"

		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	31	66	3
	12/12-16/12	29	68	3

"As you may know, automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs are in effect because President Obama and Republicans in Congress could not agree on a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit. These automatic spending cuts are commonly referred to as the Sequester. Who do you blame more for the failure to reach an agreement and avoid the automatic spending cuts known as the Sequester: the Republicans in Congress or Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress?"

		Republicans in Congress	Obama and Democrats	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	39	35	19	1	6

"Over the long run, do you think the spending cuts in the Sequester will be good for the country, because it forces the government to cut spending; bad for the country, because it forces cuts to important programs and services, or it will have no real impact on the country?"

		Good for the country	Bad for the country	No real impact	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/20-24/13	28	41	23	9
	3/1-3/13	34	46	12	8

Fox News Poll conducted by Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). March 17-19, 2013. N=1,002 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which one of the following should be the higher priority for the President and Congress right now: increasing government spending to create jobs, or cutting government spending to reduce the budget deficit." If both: "Well, if you had to pick . . . ."

		Increasing government spending	Cutting government spending	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/17-19/13	38	54	5	3

"Which one of the following best describes the national debt? An immediate problem. A problem that can be handled several years down the road. Not a problem at all."

		Immediate problem	A problem handled down the road	Not a problem	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/17-19/13	68	27	4	1

"Do you think reducing the federal budget deficit is a worthy goal in and of itself, or not?"

		A worthy goal	Not a worthy goal	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/17-19/13	85	11	4

"Automatic across-the-board budget cuts took effect on March 1, after the President and Congress failed to reach an agreement on the budget. In general, do you think these cuts in government spending are a good thing or a bad thing?"

		A good thing	A bad thing	Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/17-19/13	49	37	8	6

"In the current budget debate, who do you agree with most when it comes to handling the budget deficit: Republicans in Congress or President Obama?"

		Republicans in Congress	President Obama	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/17-19/13	41	44	1	9	5

CNN/ORC Poll. March 15-17, 2013. N=1,021 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Now here are some questions about the current debate concerning the federal government's budget and fiscal policies, including spending, taxes, the federal deficit, and the amount of money the government borrows. "Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Barack Obama is currently handling the federal budget and the way the government raises and spends money?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/15-17/13	31	67	2

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way that the Republicans in Congress are currently handling the federal budget and the way the government raises and spends money?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/15-17/13	19	79	2

"And if you had to choose, whose approach toward those issues do you prefer: the Republicans in Congress, or Barack Obama?"

		Republicans in Congress	Obama	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/15-17/13	46	47	6	1

Pew Research Center. March 13-17, 2013. Adults nationwide.

"What is more important: taking steps to reduce the national debt or keeping Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are?" N=749 (Form 1), margin of error ą 4.2

		Reducing the national debt	Keeping benefits as they are	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	3/13-17/13	36	53	8	3

"What is more important: taking steps to reduce the budget deficit or keeping Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are?" N=752 (Form 2), margin of error ą 4.2

		Reducing the budget deficit	Keeping benefits as they are	Both equally (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	3/13-17/13	32	57	8	3
	8/16-19/12	33	51	11	5
	9/22 - 10/4/11	35	58	2	4
	6/15-19/11	32	60	4	5
	2/95	24	70	2	4

Gallup Poll. March 4-5, 2013. N=1,023 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Next, suppose that on Election Day you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Would you vote for or against a federal government program that would spend government money to put people to work on urgent infrastructure repairs?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/4-5/13	72	23	5

"Would you vote for or against a federal law that would spend government money for a program designed to help create more than 1 million jobs?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/4-5/13	72	24	3

"Would you vote for or against a law that would spend government money to establish federal and state programs making high-quality preschools available to every child in America?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/4-5/13	69	28	3

Gallup Poll. March 2-3, 2013. N=1,028 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Next, suppose that on Election Day you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Would you vote for or against a law that would lower tax rates for businesses and manufacturers that create jobs in the United States?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/2-3/13	79	16	5

"Would you vote for or against a federal government program that would put people to work on urgent infrastructure repairs?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/2-3/13	77	19	4

"Would you vote for or against a federal jobs creation law designed to create more than 1 million new jobs?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/2-3/13	75	21	4

"Would you vote for or against a law establishing federal and state programs that would make high-quality preschools available to every child in America?"

		Vote for	Vote against	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/2-3/13	73	24	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Feb. 27-March 3, 2013. N=1,017 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"Overall, do you support or oppose a five percent across-the-board cut in overall federal spending this year?"

		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/27 - 3/3/13	61	33	6

"Overall, do you support or oppose an eight percent across-the-board cut in U.S. military spending this year?"

		Support	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/27 - 3/3/13	34	60	6

CBS News Poll. March 1-3, 2013. N=861 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"In the current discussions over tax increases and spending cuts, which do you think Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress should do: compromise some of their positions in order to come to an agreement, or stick to their positions even if it means not coming to an agreement?" 12/12: "In the current negotiations...."

		Compromise	Stick to their positions	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/1-3/13	78	15	1	6
	12/12-16/12	78	16	1	4

"In the current discussions over tax increases and spending cuts, which do you think the Republicans in Congress should do: compromise some of their positions in order to come to an agreement, or stick to their positions even if it means not coming to an agreement?" 12/12: "In the current negotiations...."

		Compromise	Stick to their positions	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/1-3/13	73	21	0	6
	12/12-16/12	81	13	1	5

"As you may know, automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs were scheduled to go into effect on March 1st because President Obama and Republicans in Congress could not agree on a plan to reduce the federal budget deficit. These automatic spending cuts are commonly referred to as the Sequester. How closely have you been following news about these automatic spending cuts? Would you say you have followed this very closely, somewhat closely, or not too closely?"

		Very closely	Somewhat closely	Not too closely	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/1-3/13	28	43	28	1

"Who do you blame more for the failure to reach an agreement by March 1st and avoid the automatic spending cuts known as the Sequester: the Republicans in Congress or Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress?"

		Republicans in Congress	Obama and Democrats	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	3/1-3/13	38	33	19	2	8

"Which comes closest to your view about the Sequester? (1) We should cut spending with the Sequester, even if that means cuts to important programs. (2) We should cut spending, but should find a different way to do it without the Sequester. OR, (3) We shouldn't cut spending right now."

		Cut with Sequester	Cut without Sequester	Shouldn't cut spending	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/1-3/13	18	63	13	6

"Do you think you will be personally affected by the spending cuts in the Sequester, or not?"

		Will	Will not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	3/1-3/13	53	39	7

Fox News Poll conducted by Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). Feb. 25-27, 2013. N=1,010 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"As you may know, unless the president and Congress reach an agreement on the budget by March 1, some 85 billion dollars in automatic across-the-board budget cuts will start taking effect on government programs this year, including military programs. How much have you heard about these automatic spending cuts, known in Washington as 'the sequester': [see below]?"

		A lot	Some, but not a lot	Not much	Nothing at all
		%	%	%	%
	2/25-27/13	46	31	15	7

"Which of the following comes closer to your view? Lawmakers know how to get the deficit under control and will be able to reach an agreement to make that happen. The only way to get the deficit under control is through actions like the automatic spending cuts because Congress can't do it otherwise."

		Lawmakers will make it happen	Actions like automatic spending cuts are necessary	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/25-27/13	29	57	14

"In January, the president and Congress reached a budget agreement that raised tax rates on wealthy Americans and postponed making cuts to government spending. This time, would you prefer the budget deal reduces the deficit by focusing only on cutting government spending; mostly on cutting spending, and a small number of tax increases; on an equal mix of spending cuts and tax increases; only on adding further tax increases?"

				%
	Only spending cuts			33
	Mostly spending cuts, small number of tax increases			19
	Equal mix of spending cuts and tax increases			36
	Only on adding further tax increases			7
	Unsure			5

"Some people say if the automatic spending cuts happen that the consequences would be devastating, including cutbacks in funding for emergency responders and the downgrading of the country's military. Others point out that the 85 billion dollars in cuts would be a small reduction -- only about two and a half percent of the government's projected spending this year -- and could be good for the economy in the long-term. What about you? What do you think the effect of automatic spending cuts would be: [see below]?"

			%
	Extremely negative		15
	Somewhat negative		30
	No real difference either way		22
	Somewhat positive		21
	Extremely positive		6
	Unsure		7

Pew Research Center/Washington Post. Feb. 21-24, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"How well do you feel you understand what would happen if automatic federal spending cuts take place next week: very well, fairly well, not too well, or not at all well?"

		Very well	Fairly well	Not too well	Not at all well	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/21-24/13	18	35	25	21	1

"If automatic federal spending cuts take place, do you think they would have a major effect, a minor effect, or no effect on [see below]? How about on [see below]?"

		Major effect	Minor effect	No effect	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	"The U.S. economy"
	2/21-24/13	60	25	5	11

	"Your own personal financial situation"
	2/21-24/13	30	40	19	11

	"The federal budget deficit"
	2/21-24/13	45	31	12	12

	"The U.S. military"
	2/21-24/13	55	25	10	11

"If an agreement to prevent automatic federal spending cuts is not reached before next week's deadline, who do you think would be more to blame: Republicans in Congress or President Obama?" Options rotated 2/13-18/13: "If a deficit reduction agreement is not reached before the deadline, who do you think would be more to blame: Republicans in Congress or President Obama?"

		Republicans in Congress	President Obama	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	2/21-24/13	45	32	13	1	10
	2/13-18/13	49	31	11	1	7

Bloomberg National Poll conducted by Selzer & Company. Feb. 15-18, 2013. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.

"I'm going to mention some aspects of the national economic situation. For each, please tell me if you expect things to be better in the next 12 months, worse, or about the same as the last 12 months. The size of the national debt."

		Better	Worse	About the same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	16	56	25	3

"Let's turn to the federal budget deficit. This is the amount the government spends that is more than the amount it takes in from taxes and other revenue. Is it your sense that this year the deficit is getting bigger or getting smaller, or is it staying about the same as last year?"

		Getting bigger	Getting smaller	Staying about the same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	62	6	28	4

"Which of the following approaches is more likely to be successful in growing the U.S. economy and creating jobs? Spending cuts and tax cuts will give businesses more confidence to hire. Government spending in infrastructure, education, and alternative energy will create jobs." Options rotated

		Spending cuts, tax cuts	Government spending	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	44	49	7

"I'm going to mention some areas of government spending. For each, please tell me your sense of how big a part of the federal budget it is -- at least 20% of the budget, less than 20% but more than 2%, or 2% or less. . . ."

		At least 20%	Less than 20%, more than 2%	2% or less	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	"Education"
	2/15-18/13	28	48	17	7

	"Defense"
	2/15-18/13	60	23	7	10

	"Medicare and Medicaid"
	2/15-18/13	50	31	10	9

	"Social Security"
	2/15-18/13	43	36	11	10

	"Foreign aid"
	2/15-18/13	31	34	22	13

	"The social safety net, including food stamps and unemployment payments to those who lost their jobs"
	2/15-18/13	39	40	12	9

"There has been ongoing debate on raising the debt ceiling, which allows the U.S. government to borrow money to pay for spending already approved by Congress. Which better reflects your view of how the U.S. debt ceiling should be viewed by Congress? The full faith and credit of the U.S. should be protected at any cost; the debt ceiling should be raised when necessary, with no conditions. It is necessary to limit the amount the U.S. can borrow because Congress lacks discipline on spending, so it is right to require spending cuts when the debt ceiling is raised." Options rotated

		Raise with no conditions	Require spending cuts	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	21	71	8

"Thinking about the budget deficit overall, do you think the better way to reduce it is to focus exclusively on cutting spending, or do you think the better way is to cut spending combined with increasing revenue by raising taxes on companies and high-income earners?"

		Just cut spending	Cut spending & raise taxes	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	35	59	6

"Which do you think is the better course for Congress to take: act now to make steep cuts to reduce the deficit before it gets out of control, or delay steep cuts to give the economy a chance to continue recovering which would help reduce the deficit?"

		Steep cuts now	Delay steep cuts	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	40	54	6

"If Congress and the president cannot agree on a budget, one possibility is that the federal government would shut down all non-critical services. Do you think a shutdown should be avoided or would it not be all that harmful?"

		Should be avoided	Would not be all that harmful	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/15-18/13	64	28	8

Pew Research Center. Feb. 13-18, 2013. N=1,504 adults nationwide.

"If you were making up the budget for the federal government this year, would you increase spending, decrease spending or keep spending the same for [see below]? What about for [see below]?" Each item asked of half the sample.

		Increase	Decrease	Keep the same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%

	"Health care"
	2/13-18/13	38	22	34	6
	2/2-7/11	41	24	30	5
	6/18-21/09	61	10	24	6

	"Energy"
	2/13-18/13	36	21	38	5
	2/2-7/11	36	23	37	4
	6/18-21/09	41	15	35	9

	"Anti-terrorism defenses in the U.S."
	2/13-18/13	32	19	45	3
	2/2-7/11	33	21	43	4
	6/18-21/09	35	17	41	7

	"Veterans benefits and services"
	2/13-18/13	53	6	38	3
	2/2-7/11	51	6	40	3
	6/18-21/09	63	2	29	6

	"Natural disaster relief programs"
	2/13-18/13	34	12	50	5

	"The State Department and American embassies"
	2/13-18/13	14	34	46	6
	6/18-21/09	9	28	50	12

	"Social Security"
	2/13-18/13	41	10	46	3
	2/2-7/11	41	12	43	3

	"Rebuilding highways, bridges and roads"
	2/13-18/13	38	17	43	2
	2/2-7/11	38	21	37	3

	"Economic assistance to needy people in the U.S."
	2/13-18/13	27	24	44	4
	2/2-7/11	42	20	34	3

	"Scientific research"
	2/13-18/13	37	20	40	3
	2/2-7/11	36	23	37	4
	6/18-21/09	39	14	40	7

	"Military defense"
	2/13-18/13	32	24	41	3
	2/2-7/11	31	30	36	3
	6/18-21/09	40	18	37	5

	"Government assistance for the unemployed"
	2/13-18/13	24	32	41	3
	2/2-7/11	27	28	41	4
	6/18-21/09	44	15	36	6

	"Agriculture"
	2/13-18/13	34	20	42	4
	2/2-7/11	32	23	39	5
	6/18-21/09	35	12	41	13

	"Medicare"
	2/13-18/13	36	15	46	3
	2/2-7/11	40	12	43	5
	6/18-21/09	53	6	37	4

	"Combating crime"
	2/13-18/13	41	14	41	4
	2/2-7/11	39	18	40	3
	6/18-21/09	45	10	39	6

	"Environmental protection"
	2/13-18/13	33	22	43	3
	2/2-7/11	36	26	36	3
	6/18-21/09	43	16	34	6

	"Economic assistance to needy people around the world"
	2/13-18/13	21	48	28	3
	2/2-7/11	21	45	29	4
	6/18-21/09	26	34	33	7

	"Education"
	2/13-18/13	60	10	29	2
	2/2-7/11	62	11	25	2
	6/18-21/09	67	6	23	4

	"Food and drug inspection"
	2/13-18/13	33	14	50	2

Pew Research Center/USA Today. Feb. 13-18, 2013. N=1,504 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.

"In your view, as Congress and the president discuss steps to reduce the budget deficit over the coming months, should they focus ONLY on spending cuts, ONLY on tax increases, or should they do a combination of both?"

		Only on spending cuts	Only on tax increases	Combination of both	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	2/13-18/13	19	3	76	2

"How much, if anything, have you heard about major cuts in defense and domestic government spending that will automatically happen on March 1st unless the president and Congress reach an agreement on deficit reduction? Have you heard a lot, a little, or nothing at all?"

		A lot	A little	Nothing at all	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	2/13-18/13	27	43	29	1

"If the president and Congress can't reach a deficit reduction agreement before the March 1st deadline, would it be better to delay the automatic spending cuts or would it be better to let the automatic spending cuts go into effect?" Options rotated

		Delay the cuts	Let cuts go into effect	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	2/13-18/13	49	40	11

Fox News Poll conducted by Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). Feb. 4-6, 2013. N=1,010 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"Which of the following do you think would be more likely to help strengthen the nation's economy right now: increasing government spending, or cutting government spending?"

		Increasing spending	Cutting spending	Leave as is/ Neither (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/4-6/13	15	73	7	5

Quinnipiac University Poll. Jan. 30-Feb. 4, 2013. N=1,772 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.3.

"As you may know, unless Congress acts, about $1.2 trillion in defense and domestic spending would be cut from the federal budget on March 1st. Do you want these cuts to take effect or not, or don't you have an opinion on that?"

		Yes, take effect	No, not take effect	No opinion	Refused
		%	%	%	%
	1/30 - 2/4/13	22	43	32	3

University of Connecticut/Hartford Courant Poll. Jan. 22-28, 2013. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.

"As you may know, Congress is considering ways to reduce the federal deficit over the next decade. How do you think the federal government should reduce the deficit: with tax increases paid by every household in the U.S., with spending cuts, or with a combination of tax increases and spending cuts?"

		Tax increases	Spending cuts	Combination	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/22-28/13	3	40	49	7

AP-GfK Poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. Jan. 10-14, 2013. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"As you may know, in the next few months the U.S. government must raise the federal debt limit in order to avoid defaulting on its debt. If the federal debt limit is NOT raised and the U.S. defaults on its debt, how likely is it that the U.S. would face a major economic crisis? Is that . . . ?" 6/11: "As you may know, by August the U.S. government must raise the federal debt limit in order to avoid defaulting on its debt. If the federal debt limit is NOT raised and the U.S. defaults on its debt, how likely is it that the U.S. would face a major economic crisis? Is that . . . ?"

		Extremely likely	Very likely	Somewhat likely	Not too likely	Not likely at all
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/10-14/13	26	27	27	9	8
	6/16-20/11	30	23	29	10	6

"In general, do you support, oppose or neither support nor oppose raising the federal debt limit in order to avoid defaulting on U.S. government debts?"

		Support	Oppose	Neither	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/10-14/13	31	40	19	10
	6/16-20/11	38	41	18	3

"Which comes closest to your view? Congress should increase the debt ceiling first to avoid a default on federal debt, and discuss spending cuts and deficit reduction separately. Congress should ONLY increase the debt ceiling if it makes significant spending cuts at the same time, even if that means there will be considerable reductions in government services and programs. OR, Congress should NOT increase the debt ceiling under any circumstances, even if that means the U.S. defaults on its debt." Options rotated

		Increase debt ceiling, then discuss cuts	Increase only if makes cuts at same time	Should not increase, even if U.S. defaults	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/10-14/13	30	39	21	9	2
	6/16-20/11	34	43	18	4	1

"In order to balance the federal budget, which should be the main focus of lawmakers: increasing taxes or cutting government services?" Options rotated. 11/10: Co-sponsored by CNBC.

		Increasing taxes	Cutting services	Both equally (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/10-14/13	30	49	11	6	4
	11/29 - 12/3/12	30	46	13	8	5
	2/16-20/12	31	56	5	5	3
	12/8-12/11	31	60	4	3	2
	10/13-17/11	34	55	4	4	4
	8/18-22/11	34	53	6	6	2
	3/24-28/11	29	62	4	3	1
	11/18-22/10	30	59	4	5	3

"The following are ways that some people have proposed making cuts in government spending to reduce the federal budget deficit. For each one, please tell me if you favor, oppose or neither favor nor oppose it as a way of reducing the federal budget deficit. . . ."

		Favor	Oppose	Neither	Unsure	Refused
		%	%	%	%	%

	"Reducing federal government spending on defense"
	1/10-14/13	41	40	16	3	-
	11/29 - 12/3/12	40	44	12	4	-

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Jan. 10-13, 2013. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.

"If Congress does not raise its borrowing limit in February, the federal government will have to default on its loans and/or shut down some of its operations. Some people say the borrowing limit should be raised only if spending cuts also are put in place. Others say the two issues should be kept separate. Do you think raising the borrowing limit should be tied to spending cuts, or should these be kept as separate issues?"

		Tie borrowing limit to spending cuts	Keep as separate issues	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/10-13/13	36	58	6

United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Jan. 10-13, 2013. N=1,001 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"As you may know, Congress recently voted to raise tax rates from 35 to 39.5 percent on income over $450,000 for families. Which of the following statements comes closest to your views? Congress should have raised taxes starting at families making over $250,000. OR, Congress was correct in raising taxes starting at families making over $450,000. OR, Congress should have raised taxes starting at families making over $1 million. OR, Congress should not have raised taxes at all."

		Should have started at $250K +	Correct in starting at $450 +	Should have started at $1 million +	Should not have raised taxes at all	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/10-13/13	29	30	12	23	5

"As you may know, when taxes were raised it only covered a small portion of the projected deficit over the next 10 years. Some people say that any additional efforts to reduce the deficit should include a mixture of tax increases and spending cuts. Others say that there should only be spending cuts. Which comes closer to your views on deficit reduction?"

		Tax increases, spending cuts	Spending cuts only	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	1/10-13/13	48	49	4

Pew Research Center. Jan. 3-6, 2013. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.7.

"As you may know, Congress and the president have passed new legislation on taxes. From what you've read and heard, do you strongly approve, approve, disapprove or strongly disapprove of this tax legislation?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	38	41	21

"Thinking ahead, do you think this tax legislation will mostly help or hurt the condition of the U.S. economy?"

		Help	Hurt	Make no difference (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	36	46	3	15

"Thinking ahead, do you think this tax legislation will mostly help or hurt people like yourself?"

		Help	Hurt	Make no difference (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	30	52	6	13

"Thinking ahead, do you think this tax legislation will mostly help or hurt the federal budget deficit?"

		Help	Hurt	Make no difference (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	33	44	4	18

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama handled negotiations over the tax legislation?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	48	40	12

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Republican leaders in Congress handled negotiations over the tax legislation?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	19	66	15

"And just your impression, who do you think got more of what they wanted from the tax legislation: Barack Obama or Republican leaders in Congress?" Options rotated

		Obama	Republican leaders	Both (vol.)	Neither (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/3-6/13	57	20	4	4	16

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Jan. 2-6, 2013. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the agreement reached by Congress and the Obama administration to avoid the 'fiscal cliff?'"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/2-6/13	45	38	17

"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama handled budget negotiations to avoid the 'fiscal cliff?'" 12/13-16/12: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling budget negotiations to avoid the so-called 'fiscal cliff?'" 12/5-9/12: "Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling budget negotiations to avoid the so-called 'fiscal cliff?'"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/2-6/13	52	37	11
	12/13-16/12	45	43	11
	12/5-9/12	49	42	10

"Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way House Speaker John Boehner handled budget negotiations to avoid the 'fiscal cliff?'" 12/12: "Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way House Speaker John Boehner is handling budget negotiations to avoid the so-called 'fiscal cliff?'"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/2-6/13	31	51	18
	12/5-9/12	25	49	26

Gallup Poll. Jan. 3, 2013. N=1,026 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.

"From what you know or have read, do you approve or disapprove of the agreement to avoid the 'fiscal cliff' tax increases and spending cuts in the federal budget?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/3/13	43	45	12

"Based on what you have heard or read, do you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following handled the fiscal cliff budget negotiations? How about [see below]?"

		Approve	Disapprove	Unsure
		%	%	%

	"President Barack Obama"
	1/3/13	46	48	6

	"Vice President Joe Biden" N=494, margin of error ą 6
	1/3/13	40	42	17

	"Democratic leaders in Congress" N=532, margin of error ą 6
	1/3/13	34	55	11

	"Speaker of the House John Boehner" N=494, margin of error ą 6
	1/3/13	31	50	18

	"Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell" N=494, margin of error ą 6
	1/3/13	28	46	26

	"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid" N=494, margin of error ą 6
	1/3/13	27	48	25

	"Republican leaders in Congress" N=532, margin of error ą 6
	1/3/13	25	67	8

Budget, taxes, economic policy continued

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