COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwire - August 11, 2010) - The federal deficit towers at a historic high and 77% of Americans say it will impact the current economy in a somewhat/very negative way, according to the latest American Pulse™ Survey of 5,005 respondents. 72% say it will negatively affect the future growth of the economy.
77.2% of Americans believe that the deficit is a result of government spending being too high while 7.7% think it's from taxes being too low. And given the deficit, 57.5% think that it wasn't wise for Congress to skip voting on a budget this year (16.3% think it was smart).
Speaking of Congress, 78.8% believe that members are mismanaging taxpayer dollars, compared to only 6.9% who think they are using them wisely. Further, 71.8% have little-to-no confidence that the government's economic policies will get the economy back on track (v. 28.2% who are confident/very confident).
With another dismal unemployment report on the record for July, Americans don't believe the deficit will do employment (or lack thereof) any favors either. 70.1% say the federal deficit will have a somewhat/very negative impact on job creation. And 74.9% have little-to-no confidence that the government's economic policies will help lower unemployment (v. 25.1% who do).
Contrary to Congress' recent extension of unemployment benefits beyond 99 weeks, 60.1% believe that benefits should be available for less than 99 weeks (compared to 39.9% who say 99+ weeks). Specifically when it comes to the executive branch, 54.1% feel the Obama administration is not listening to the voice of the people (31.1% say it is).
It appears that the federal deficit, economic policies and a sense that President Obama's not listening are taking a toll on his chances for re-election. He currently trails an unnamed Republican candidate among voters, independents and women.
If the Presidential Election were held today, would you be likely to vote for...?
| Registered Voters | Registered Independents | Registered Women | |
| President Obama | 35.2% | 26.5% | 36.0% |
| Someone from the Republican Party |
39.7% | 37.9% | 37.5% |
Source: American Pulse™, Aug-10
For complete complimentary report: http://americanpulse.bigresearch.com
About American Pulse™
The American Pulse™ Survey is collected online by BIGresearch® twice a month exclusively utilizing Survey Sampling International's (SSI) U.S. panel covering topics such as politics, pop culture and the economy. Over 5,000 respondents participate, providing greater insights and accuracy of +/- 1%. www.bigresearch.com
About Survey Sampling International (SSI)
Survey Sampling International is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to more than 6 million consumer and business-to-business research respondents in 54 countries via Internet, telephone, and mobile. Additional client services include custom profiling, survey programming and hosting, data processing, sampling consulting, and survey optimization. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing research clients, including nearly three-quarters of the top researchers worldwide. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of 400 people representing 50 countries and 36 languages. The company is based in Shelton, CT with 14 additional offices worldwide. www.surveysampling.com
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