prev
next
Political Hotsheet
CBS
A majority of Americans have a negative impression of the economy and expect the effects of the recession to linger for years, according to a new CBS News poll.
Only 13 percent of Americans say Mr. Obama's economic programs, among them the stimulus package, have helped them personally. Twenty-three percent say they have hurt, while 63 percent say they have had no effect.
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 966 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 9-12, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Poll: Americans Say Bad Economy Will Linger
CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.
CBS
Most also say President Obama has spent too little time on the economy, which Americans cite as the country's most important problem by a wide margin.
Three in four Americans now say the effects of the recession will last another two years or more. More than eight in 10 say the condition of the economy is bad, up five points from last month.
Just 25 percent of Americans say the economy is getting better - down from 41 percent in April. About half say it is staying the same, and the remaining quarter say it is getting worse.
More than half of Americans - 52 percent - say Mr. Obama has spent too little time dealing with the economy.
And with unemployment near 10 percent, the economy is their priority: Thirty-eight percent volunteer it as the country's most important problem. That far outpaces the percentage that cited the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan (seven percent), health care (six percent), the deficit (five percent), and the oil spill in the Gulf (five percent).
The county's most important economic problem, Americans say, is jobs, volunteered by 38 percent of respondents. Coming in a distant second was the national debt, the deficit and spending, cited by 10 percent in the poll, which was conducted between July 9th and 12th.
Just 27 percent of Americans say their local job market is good. Seventy-one percent call it bad. Nearly one in four expect their household finances to get worse over the next year, twice the percentage that expects their finances to improve.
Twenty-three percent say the stimulus package made the economy better - down from 32 percent in April and 36 percent last September. Eighteen percent say the stimulus package damaged the economy, while 56 percent say it had no effect.
The president's job approval rating on the economy now stands at 40 percent - a drop of five points from last month. Fifty-four percent disapprove of his handling of the issue.
In general, Americans see Mr. Obama as spending too little time on the economy and the oil spill in the Gulf, and too much time on health care: Thirty-nine percent say he has spent too much time on the issue, while 24 percent say he spent too little time.
Americans do believe the president takes decisive action, with two and three suggesting he does. But more than half (53 percent) say he is not tough enough in his approach.
Americans are evenly split, meanwhile, on whether the president shares their priorities. Two in three believe he cares at least to some degree about people like them.
The president's overall approval rating now stands at 44 percent, matching his disapproval rating. It stood at 47 percent last month.
The Issues: Economic Priorities
Most Americans - 53 percent - say the best way to get the economy moving is to cut taxes. Thirty-seven percent instead choose government spending on job creation.
Americans are split about how the federal government should spend its money: Forty-six percent say the priority should be spending to create jobs, and 47 percent want to put the focus on deficit reduction.
More than half want Congress to extend unemployment benefits now, a Democratic priority that has been blocked by Congressional Republicans.
Immigration:
Support for Arizona's controversial immigration measure has increased: Fifty-seven percent say the law is "about right," up five points from May. Just 23 percent say the law goes too far, while 17 percent say it doesn't go far enough.
More than half say states should be allowed to pass illegal immigration laws, while 42 percent say only the federal government should have that power.
Americans are somewhat split on the impact of illegal immigrants: 42 percent say they take jobs away from Americans, while more - 50 percent - say they take jobs Americans don't want.
Health Care:
Americans still largely disapprove more than they approve of Mr. Obama's sweeping health care reforms. Forty-nine percent of Americans disapprove of the health reform legislation, while 36 percent support the law. Support has dropped seven points since May.
The Oil Spill:
Americans are roughly evenly split on whether BP will stop the flow of oil in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the summer. Most (58 percent) are not confident that the company will fairly compensate those affected by the spill.
Wall Street Reform:
With Democrats poised to pass sweeping reforms of Wall Street this week, a majority (57 percent) say bank regulations should be increased.
Afghanistan and Iraq:
Sixty-two percent of Americans say things are going badly for the United States in Afghanistan, up from 49 percent in May. Just 31 percent say things are going well.
In Iraq, 55 percent say things are going well, while 28 percent say things are going badly.
Most Americans favor a timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. Fifty-four percent back a timetable, while 41 percent oppose one. Mr. Obama has said the United States will start removing troops from the country in July of next year, but only if conditions on the ground permit.
Elena Kagan:
Most Americans can't say whether Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan should be confirmed. Among those who have an opinion, 21 percent say yes and 19 percent say no. Less than half say they are closely following news about her nomination.
The Long Run:
Despite their concerns about the economy, Americans do not believe their country is on the decline. Fifty-nine percent expect things to get better in the long run, while 36 percent say America's best days have passed.
More from the poll:
Poll: Support For Health Care Reform Drops
Poll: Most Want Afghanistan Withdrawal Timeline
Poll: Support for Arizona Immigration Law Hits 57 Percent
Obama's Approval Rating on Economy Drops
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 966 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 9-12, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.
This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
Popular in Politics
- Michelle Obama decries "slander" that educated blacks are "trying to act white" Play Video
- Va. GOP candidate: Planned Parenthood "more lethal" for blacks than KKK 696 Comments
- Top Obama officials knew about IRS probe, says WH
- Immigration bill would require fingerprinting at 30 airports
- IRS scandal highlights leadership vacancies
- Republicans continue beating Benghazi drum 479 Comments
- Adviser on White House scandals: "Partisan fishing expeditions" won't distract Obama
- Both parties vow to "get to the bottom" of IRS scandal 280 Comments
Most Popular
-
01
-
02
-
03
-
04
-
05
Most Shared
Most Discussed
The jobs are starting to show up out there...Go look for them.
Republicans continue to side with special interests such as Big Oil, Wall Street banks, and credit card companies. Rather than stimulating the economy, they continue to defend the economic and fiscal policies that created the Bush Recession ? which saw job losses of nearly 800,000 a month. Republicans have continued to vote against reform and against restoring our economy.
Democrats will continue to bank on the fact that American innovation can drive economic success. They believe that TAX CUTS (listen to this one Tea Party members) for small businesses and middle-class Americans, investments in education, and advancements in new, clean technology will be the engines of economic prosperity.
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
DON'T WORRY FOLKS WE STILL GIVE A WAY BILLIONS IN FOREIGN AIDS...
Democrats Stop assulting small businesses!
1. Defense budget. The US spends more on defense than the rest of the entire world combined.
2. Federal employee pay freeze. When you include benefits federal employees make about 30-40% more than their private sector counterparts. Also guidelines need to be reviewed for salaries as pay goes mostly according to seniority (say for instance someone who works 20 years at a place would earn a heck of a lot more than someone who may work twice as hard for 10 years.....not competitive.)
3. Crack down on medicare fraud.
4..........Review the following on this webpage and cut were appropriate.
http://emac.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2010/01/25/1-5-trillion-ways-to-cut-the-deficit/
Its gonna get worse folks.
But there's no quick answer. Not only is the Fed Govt in trouble, but the states and local govts are in deep doo-doo and they have a bigger burden on us than the Fed govt does....I mean, local property taxes, service fees and surcharges...it never ends does it?
Personally, I hope Mr. Obama only serves for one year, because I don't think he can rescue the country in 8 years. It's only going to stall or get worse, and I wouldn't want him to age beyond his young looking years for 8 years.