Poll: Most Americans Oppose Increasing The Debt Limit

A new poll released on Wednesday found that most Americans oppose an increase in the debt ceiling, but at the same time support few potential cuts in the federal budget.

The Ipsos/Reuters poll found that 71% of those surveyed oppose increasing the debt limit. This was true even of the half sample who were told that "not raising the debt limit would damage the US' sovereign debt rating, which is like our credit rating: it would seriously damage our credibility abroad, would make it much more difficult for us to borrow in the future, and would likely push up interest rates."

As with most polling on substantive issues, what the results show is more a reaction to the way the pollster describes the policy than a deep-seated opinion on the issue at hand.

While most respondents opposed increasing the debt limit, few proposals to cut spending received majority support in the poll. Most supported cutting foreign aid (74% support), cutting the budget of the IRS (65% support) and cutting the budgets of financial regulators (53%). A narrow majority (51%) also supported cutting defense spending, although that majority comes from the half sample that was told that defense spending is one of the three major spending areas that make up almost 2/3 of the budget; only 47% of those who were not told that supported cutting defense spending.

The poll was conducted Jan. 7-10 among 1,021 adults, and has a margin of error of 3.1% for the full sample. Error margins for the half samples included are higher.

Comments

[Katie Cullen]

02:55 PM on 01/21/2011

Let's not even hard scientists, researchers, doctors, and especially politicians. Let's just do polls and ask "most Americans" what we should do, and what things are facts. That way we can be lead by the obese, uneducated, violent, infantile masses that repulsed us so in the high school cafeteria.

Latest results are in----everybody get a gun, eat junk food until you can't move, school is stupid, foreign people should all be kicked-out of the country, I ain't paying no taxes, and where's my social security check.

[fearwig]

08:26 AM on 01/20/2011

New Headline: Most Americans Want No Taxes, Cake, and a Pony; No Consequences For Any Decisions Ever; Also Infinite Wishes

[DillonP04]

06:46 AM on 01/18/2011

The title "Poll: Most Americans Oppose Increasing The Debt Limit" made me laugh. I was just thinking of this idea of a 'debt limit.' We are at 14 trillion dollars in debt right now; that's humorous, but scary in itself.

[Graywolf48]

10:10 AM on 01/14/2011

The average American can't even balance their own checkbooks. Many, if not most are a paycheck away from disaster. Ask the average American if they would object to their credit card issuers raising their credit limits on their Visa/MC right about now and see what they answer. I'll bet most would be in favor of that.

What the "average American" knows about finance and economics could be put in a thimble and there would still be room for the entire Chinese army.

[ShinjiIkari]

09:44 AM on 01/14/2011

This is why economics is called "the dismal science." All of a sudden it's significant when 51 percent say to cut military spending in one group, and 47 percent in another group, based on how it was explained to them. Yet according to the last sentence of the article a 4 percent gap would be within the margin of error and therefore meaningless.

It's all part of the Conservative Fear Machine. Rather than decide policy using logic and reason, they seek ideological purity and enforce their doctrine with fear of the consequences of dissent. The Right isn't a political organization; it's a church.

[Itsbushesfault]

06:33 PM on 01/17/2011

I don't go to church and Im a concervative. And you mention the fear machine. Hmmmm

[fearwig]

08:27 AM on 01/20/2011

Does that mean you go to a lot of concerts?

[coloradodreaming]

09:44 AM on 01/14/2011

If the pollster wanted to do a poll on the debt limit how about polling 1000+ economic advisors and economic specialists. Do you really think that the average Joe who is trying to solve his economic problems around his kitchen table has any insight in the implications of the defaulting on the national debt?

[fearwig]

08:28 AM on 01/20/2011

But EVERYTHING should be decided by referendum when it's politically convenient to someone.

[randname]

09:28 AM on 01/14/2011

Not raising the debt limit would result in an uncontrolled shutdown of government, and in any case remove about 1.5$ trillion from the US economy per annum, i.e. a destimulus of more than 10 % of the GDP. This would result in a rapid explosion of unemployment and contraction of GDP, making debt/GDP much worse, and the eventual repayment of debt much more difficult.

Try explaining that in the questionnaire. Probably the Federal reserve would have to step in, this time actually printing money.

[wikwox]

09:24 AM on 01/14/2011

Americans, as ever, are confused and ill informed. No one wants the debt cieling raised, but no one wants the devastation that would follow if we don't. Note to Conservatives, Libertarians and anti government radicals, it's you who would pay the price for the destruction and downgrading of Americas credit status, not the Dems, not the Liberals.

[PenGoddess]

10:50 AM on 01/14/2011

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[PenGoddess]

10:51 AM on 01/14/2011

I think they believe it is like accepting a higher credit limit on their credit cards. They just don't understand that it is far more complex and convoluted than that.

[ffa1234]

09:19 AM on 01/14/2011

Most American don't even know what a debt ceiling is . . . and how many were random sampled?

[motherfather]

09:12 AM on 01/14/2011

Let's be clear, most Americans do not understand the debt limit or how it works. It is beyond comprehension to understand billions of dollars, much less trillions. Just my opinion!

[ralbol]

09:07 AM on 01/14/2011

so now that they know how voters feel--is it going to make any difference at all?

oh, cry the beloved country, we are no longer the sovereign!

[Andy Cass]

08:54 AM on 01/14/2011

obama was against it befor he was for it,oh just another in an endless string of lies

[campaignman]

06:03 PM on 01/14/2011

Andy, let's start by remembering Christina and not just jab each other.

Senator Obama was making a political point that, at the time, he agreed we needed to focus on the long-term debt and deal with it. He also knew the votes existed to raise the ceiling. He was allowed by the party leaders to cast that vote.

There is no doubt that President Obama would respect legislators who choose to make a symbolic point by voting against the bill, as long as they know and he knows that enough votes will be there to raise the ceiling. That's what matters.

You may have known this. If so, you were wrong to try to score points with people ignorant to this. If you didn't, I hope this helps.

[Itsbushesfault]

06:37 PM on 01/17/2011

Nice try. America does not buy the left lies anymore. Just look at November wipeout.

[happykiddo]

08:04 AM on 01/14/2011

Defense spending much more important than domestic spending.

Just ask everyone else in the world besides the USA.

[traveling1]

08:46 AM on 01/14/2011

And ask the military contractors.

[keramos]

07:02 AM on 01/14/2011

They ought to ask if people would like to separate the undeclared wars budget out of the defense budget and then defund them.

[motherfather]

09:13 AM on 01/14/2011

I agree, but then that would be a question the masses might understand, therefore, no they will not poll that!

[keramos]

09:32 AM on 01/14/2011

dang

[soobunny]

06:43 AM on 01/14/2011

And why didn't they tell them they wouldn't be getting their SS or any other benefits id the debt ceiling isn't raised?

[motherfather]

09:13 AM on 01/14/2011

That would lead to understanding and that is not what the pollsters want!