Budget Cuts Get Personal; Those Who Are Hurt, Holler
The federal budget sequester may be dampening a rise in economic optimism: Nearly four in 10 Americans now say sequestration has hurt them personally, up substantially since it began in March – and they’re far less sanguine than others about the economy’s prospects overall. Thirty-seven… Read More »
EmailSupport for Legal Status Holds; So Do Sizable Partisan Divisions
Nearly six in 10 Americans back a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, with narrow preference for prompt action on the issue. Partisan divisions are sharp, a factor likely to be reflected in the full Senate debate ahead. Overall, 58 percent in the latest… Read More »
Public Sharply Critical on IRS, Benghazi; But Economy Cuts Obama Some Slack
Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll sharply reject special scrutiny of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, suspect an administration cover-up of the Benghazi incident and express substantial distrust of the federal government more generally. Yet the national survey also finds no backlash… Read More »
Poll Finds Majority Acceptance of Gays From the B-ball Court to the Boy Scouts
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds further public acceptance of gay rights in the United States, in areas ranging from the professional basketball court to the Boy Scouts, as well as the institution of marriage. Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the decision by… Read More »
Seven in 10 Support the Death Penalty if Accused Boston Bomber is Convicted
Americans broadly agree on the trial and potential punishment for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Three-quarters support trying him in a non-military federal court, and seven in 10 say he should receive the death penalty if convicted. While majorities across the board share these… Read More »
Most View Knox Sympathetically
Americans overwhelmingly know of Amanda Knox – and sympathize with her. Seventy-two percent in an ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’ve heard or read about the American college student accused in the 2007 murder of her roommate in Italy. And 65 percent of them see… Read More »
G.W. Bush Advances in Esteem Yet Still With More Brush to Cut
After the most unpopular second term of the post-World War II era, George W. Bush has gained in public esteem as time since his presidency has passed – not that the public’s ready yet to throw him bouquets. Just more than four years after he… Read More »
Support for Gun Checks Stays High; Two-Thirds Back a Path for Immigrants
Support for a process providing legal status to undocumented immigrants reached a new high in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, while vast public backing for expanded background checks on gun sales held strong – two prominent issues coming to the fore in Congress. With… Read More »
With April 15 Looming, ‘Tis the Season to Duck
Death and taxes may be inevitable, but taxes, at least, can withstand a little finessing – with broad public approval. Less than a week from the federal income tax deadline, Americans overwhelmingly support taxpayers doing whatever they can – within the law, that is –… Read More »
Public Views on Immigration Reform Underscore the GOP’s Conundrum
Nearly six in 10 Americans support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but with Republicans firm in their opposition by a wide margin – a challenge for a party torn between reflecting the views of its base and seeking to broaden its appeal. With… Read More »