Warnings about government shutdowns have become a regular part of the budget process in official Washington. Fifty-four percent (54%) believe those warnings are generally scare tactics rather than legitimate concerns. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 31% take the opposite view and believe the warnings stem from legitimate concerns.
Sixty-four percent (64%) of Republicans see warnings about shutdowns as a scare tactic. So do 55% of Independent voters. Democrats are evenly divided.
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Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left more than seven years ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Question 1:
Congressional budget battles often lead to warnings that the government will shut down if an agreement is not reached quickly. How worried are you about the possibility of a federal government shutdown?
20% Very worried
33% Somewhat worried
24% Not very worried
17% Not at all worried
6% Not sure
Question 2:
Generally speaking, are warnings about shutdowns based upon legitimate concerns or are they simply scare tactics?
31% Legitimate concerns
54% Scare tactic
15% Not sure
Methodology
The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on October 14-16, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.
