More think it will make things worse than better
Raleigh, N.C. – Only half of North Carolina voters support the recently passed economic stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law last week by President Barack Obama according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.
According to the live caller poll of 600 voters, when asked if they supported or opposed the recently passed economic stimulus package, 50 percent of the voters responded they supported the bill while 36 percent opposed it. Thirteen percent were unsure.
However, when asked the likelihood that the stimulus package will make things worse instead of better, 49 percent of voters responded either somewhat or very likely to make things worse. Only 39 percent said it was unlikely to get worse.
“Our poll shows that while half of North Carolina voters support the plan, nearly the same number thinks there is a good chance the bill will actually exacerbate the current economic problems,” said Francis De Luca, executive director of the Civitas Institute. “The popularity of this stimulus package appears to be tied directly with the opinion of President Obama’s job performance. How this package does over time will have a direct impact on his job approval numbers.”
When certain details of the contents of the economic stimulus plan were revealed to voters, support for the plan further decreased.
Fifty percent of voters said they would be less likely to support the plan if they knew that the tax cuts in the plan would only yield the average worker approximately $13 more per week. Nearly one-quarter of voters who originally voiced support for the plan said this fact would make them less likely to support the bill.
“The public is fairly well convinced that something needs to be done to help spur economic growth, however, they are very skeptical that this bill is the right way to go,” added De Luca.
Full text of questions:
Do you support or oppose the $789 billion stimulus package?
Support – 50%
Oppose – 36%
Not Sure – 13%
How likely is it that the final economic recovery plan passed by Congress will make things worse instead of better?
Very Likely – 19%
Somewhat Likely – 30%
Somewhat Unlikely – 25%
Not at all Likely – 14%
Not Sure – 11%
If you knew that the tax cuts in the stimulus package would only yield the average worker approximately $13 more per week in their paycheck, would you be more or less likely to support the package?
More – 40%
Less – 50%
Not Sure – 10%
Click here for full results and crosstabs.
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues and policies facing North Carolina.
The study of 600 registered voters was conducted Feb.16-19, 2009. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of registered voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters we interviewed had to have voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.
The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that:
95 percent of the time, results from 600 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the “True Values.” True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in either the 2004, 2006 or 2008 general elections or were newly registered voters since 2008.
###
If you would like more information regarding this topic or to schedule an interview with Chris Hayes, please contact Gabe Dellinger at 919.747.8065 or Gabe.Dellinger@nccivitas.org.
Leave a Comment