ABC News Poll: Two-Thirds Back Financial Reform; The Question: How Far to Go

April 26, 2010 -- Two-thirds of Americans support stricter federal regulation of banks and other financial institutions, and by a double-digit margin the public trusts President Obama more than the Republicans in Congress to handle financial reform, which could be a caution flag for the GOP in an election year.

The public supports reform overall by 65-31 percent, a broad margin that's been steady since midwinter, and trusts Obama more than the Republicans to handle financial reform by 52-35 percent, a 17-point advantage for the president in this new ABC News/Washington Post poll.

Click here for a PDF with charts and questionnaire.

Nonetheless there is opportunity for Republican pushback -- if not in whether reform should occur then in how extensive it should be. Among supporters of regulation, half say it should be "much" stricter, half less so, reflecting room for debate on the extent of the changes to be enacted.

Additionally, while Obama leads the Republicans in trust to handle the issue, that doesn't mean his own rating on financial reform is good: The public splits evenly, 48-48 percent, on how he's handling it. He does far better among those who favor much stricter reform, but less so among those who prefer more modest changes (and, of course, poorly among those who oppose the idea entirely).

Democrats are pushing the issue in Congress, with a key procedural vote expected today.

Among individual elements of reform, most popular is one that hits closest to home for most Americans -- increasing federal oversight on consumer loans and credit card terms, with 59 percent in favor, 38 percent opposed. The public by 53-42 percent also favors creating a bank-funded liquidation fund to deal with large financial institutions that fail.

But another element, regulating the financial instruments known as derivatives, gets a split decision, 43-41 percent; a substantial 17 percent have no opinion, perhaps reflecting the complexity of the subject. Support for regulating derivatives peaks, at 59 percent, among better-off Americans, with household incomes over $100,000 – a group with greater exposure to the equities markets.