As Sequestration Starts, Americans Unsure of Consequences; Among those who have an opinion, views tilt negative.
Byline: Frank Newport
Synopsis: In the initial days after the budget sequester went into effect, a majority of Americans say they don't know enough to judge whether the sequestration cuts are a good or a bad thing for the country or for themselves.
PRINCETON, NJ -- In the initial days after the budget sequester went into effect, a majority (51%) of Americans say they don't know enough to judge whether the automatic cuts in the budget put in place last Friday are a good or a bad thing for the country. The remainder tilt toward negative evaluations of the sequestration's impact on the country, by 30% to 18%. Similarly, the majority of Americans don't yet have enough information to judge sequestration's impact on themselves personally, but among those who do, the tilt is negative, by 26% to 17%.
A Gallup survey conducted before sequestration went into effect Friday showed that Americans wanted Congress to pass legislation to avoid it, by 45% to 37%, and that the majority thought the cuts would harm the U.S. economy "this year" if they were enacted. The new questions, asked March 2-3, in the first days after the sequester went into effect, gave respondents the "or don't you know enough to say" option, which typically results in larger proportions of unsure responses than if that alternative is not made explicit. The views of those with an opinion continue to tilt negative, although now, the responses to the question with the new wording show that more say they will need to wait to assess whether the cuts are good or bad for the country or for themselves. Indeed, many experts on budgetary matters say it may take a while for the cuts' effects to become apparent as they begin to move through the system.
Democrats Most Likely to View Sequestration's Impact as Bad
Democrats are more likely than either independents or Republicans to have one-sided views on the sequestration's impact -- and these tilt significantly toward the negative. Six percent of Democrats say sequestration is a good thing for the country or for themselves personally, while 38% say it will be a bad thing for the country and 29% deem it bad for themselves personally.
Republicans by a narrow five-percentage-point margin say sequestration is a good thing for the country, while essentially breaking even in their views of its impact on them personally. Independents tilt slightly negative on both.
Republicans are slightly more likely to have an opinion about sequestration's...
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