50% Say Stimulus Plan Likely to Make Things Worse

Fifty percent (50%) of U.S. voters say the final economic recovery plan that emerges from Congress is at least somewhat likely to make things worse rather than better, but 39% say such an outcome is not likely (see crosstabs).

Twenty-seven percent (27%) say the final legislation is Very Likely to make things worse, while just seven percent (7%) say it’s Not at All Likely to have that effect, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey

Support for the legislation has been slipping over the past two weeks and a plurality now oppose it.

Part of this concern is a natural reflection of voter skepticism about the legislative process. Many Americans simply accept the notion that no matter how bad things are, Congress could make them worse. Most voters currently rate Congress' performance as poor, and most expect that lobbyists will have more influence on the legislation than voters or the president. When reacting to the economic downturn, 46% of Americans remain more concerned that the government will do too much while 41% worry it will do too little.

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Not surprisingly, there is a partisan divide on the impact of the pending economic recovery package. Seventy-two percent (72%) of Republicans say the legislation crafted by a Democratic-led Congress is likely to make things worse. Forty-seven percent (47%) of unaffiliated voters - but just (33%) of Democrats -- share this view.

Men are a bit more skeptical than women and voters over 40 more concerned than younger adults.

Government employees are the least skeptical of all. Just 26% of those on the public payroll say the legislation is likely to make things worse. However, a majority of entrepreneurs, private sector employees and retirees all think the legislation could end up doing more harm than good.

The survey results also show that voters see clear differences between congressional Republicans and Democrats when it comes to the stimulus plan.

Fifty-one percent (51%) believe that Democrats in Congress want the final package to include more government spending while only 23% think Nancy Pelosi’s party is interested in less spending.

At the same time, by a 70% to 11% margin, voters think Republicans want to see less spending in the stimulus plan.

Sixty percent (60%) believe that congressional Republicans want more tax cuts in the legislation. Fifty percent (50%) think that Capitol Hill Democrats want to trim the amount of tax cutting. President Obama campaigned heavily on a promise to cut taxes for 95% of all Americans. Currently, a stimulus package that would include tax cuts only is more popular than the plan being considered in Congress.

Most voters think that a dollar of tax cuts is always better for the economy than a dollar of additional government spending.

The House of Representatives passed an $819-billion economic plan last week, but the Senate is expected to approve a different version of the measure, with a total as high as $900 billion. Before it goes into law, the two chambers will have to work out their differences.

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