Just 14% of voters believe Congress should stop spending money on new programs at this time. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 73% believe the federal government should continue to provide additional financial support for businesses and individuals directly impacted by the shutdown.
Support for such spending comes from 82% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 63% of Republicans.
The results are broadly consistent with other data showing that 64% believe the government should be required to compensate business owners for any losses caused by the government ordered shutdown.
Strong support for new government spending is a rarity in American politics. In this case, the support likely exists because of the connection with government actions that caused the economic harm. Additional research will be needed to determine whether there is public support for spending beyond providing compensation for those harmed by the lockdowns.
That could emerge as a significant dividing line in Congressional debates concerning next steps. Early indications are that House Democrats envision this as a time to enact a broader level of new spending. Some Republicans think it’s time to stop all new spending while others are searching for a way to define meaningful limits to preserve some measure of fiscal discipline.
If Republicans do not come to the table with a plan, however, 58% of voters are ready for President Trump to make a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Just 18% are opposed while 23% are not sure. If Republicans won’t support any new spending, even Republican voters, by a 45% to 31% margin, want the president to make a deal with Pelosi.
Other recent polling shows that 60% of voters nationwide believe every business that establishes safe social distancing protocols should be allowed to open. These numbers cut strongly against the narrative that voters remain committed to continuing the lockdowns. I take a look at some of the reasons behind this disconnect in my latest column.
Currently, 38% believe it would be appropriate to continue the lockdowns in their own neighborhood and community. Fifty-seven percent (57%) disagree. That total includes 40% who believe it is time to ease the restrictions and 17% who believe it is time to end the lockdowns.
Additionally, 65% are concerned that some public officials are using the pandemic as an excuse to infringe upon the Constitutional rights of individual Americans.
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The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from May 7-9, 2020. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online while 174 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Certain quotas were applied and the overall sample and lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, 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.
