It doesn’t appear that Americans agree with President Obama’s recent assurances that the economic recovery is on the right path as half (50.5%) say the economy is headed in the wrong direction, according to the latest American Pulse(tm) Survey of 5,097 respondents. (27.2% say it’s headed in the right direction and 22.2% aren’t sure.)
Further, Americans don’t seem to be on the same page with the administration on how to get the economy back on track, saying that saving money is key to recovery. 67.7% believe that the U.S. government should save more and spend less.
With concerns about the economy, it’s no surprise that Americans believe it is the most important issue for President Obama and Congress to be addressing.
Top 5 Most Important Issues for President Obama and Congress to be Addressing (Adults 18+)
Economy 81.3%
Job Creation 66.2%
Federal Deficit 54.3%
Border Security 49.0%
Healthcare 48.0%
Source: American Pulse(tm), July-10
Americans also don’t appear to agree with the federal government’s lawsuit against Arizona with 63.3% saying it’s a waste of taxpayer money (20.3% support the lawsuit). 71.5% say the government should be doing more to seal the U.S./Mexico border (15.8% disagree). And 72.6% think failure to secure borders endangers America’s security, compared to 17.3% who say it doesn’t.
While President Obama continues to talk about climate change, the issue isn’t as high on the radar of Americans as the economy, jobs and border security (22.2% say it’s an important issue) so consequently, 55.2% say resources should not be allocated towards Cap and Trade, rather they should be focused on getting the economy back on track. (29.7% say resources should be concentrated on the issue and 15% don’t know.)
As the disconnect between the Obama administration and Americans widens, so does the gap between registered voters who would vote for Mr. Obama if the election were held today and those who would vote for an unnamed republican candidate. A generic republican candidate is now ahead by almost six percentage points compared to a practically tied race as recently as May.
If the Presidential Election were held today, who would you be more likely to vote for? (Registered Voters 18+)
May Survey Jun Survey Jun Survey July Survey
#2 #1 #2 #1
President Obama 38.0% 35.1% 35.0% 34.1%
Someone from the 38.7% 37.8% 38.8% 40.1%
Republican party
Source: American Pulse(tm), May-July-10
Other key findings:
• A decrease in the unemployment rate tops the list for signs that the economy is better with 79.8% saying so, followed by an increase in the value of the dollar (57.2%) and an improved housing market (55.7%).
• 52.6% are not very/not at all impressed with President Obama’s handling of the Gulf oil spill clean-up efforts since he took responsibility…17.2% are somewhat/very impressed.
• 68.2% don’t believe they have a voice in Washington anymore…19.4% say they do.
• 76.1% think elected officials in Washington are somewhat/very arrogant…4.7% say they are not very/not at all arrogant.
(source: About American Pulse(tm) The American Pulse(tm) Survey is collected online by BIGresearch(r) 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 )
