Polling_News___Notes_04_30_09.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Polling_News___Notes_04_30_09.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Opposition Growing to Obama’s Budget: A survey from Resurgent Republic, a new conservative non-profit group, (conducted 4/13-41/6 by Ayres McHenry) has found that not only do American voters remain fundamentally center-right, but opposition to President Obama’s budget proposal is growing. The Resurgent Republic poll that a wide majority of voters support smaller government rather than larger government (69% to 21%), and that voters believe government policies should promote opportunity to encourage growth, rather than promote fairness to encourage equality (63% to 31%). Even in the current economic environment, a narrow majority (50% to 47%) supports government leaving more things to the private sector rather than trying to do them itself.

According to the Resurgent Republic survey, 51% of voters now oppose the Obama budget (38% strongly oppose) while just 39% support it (17% strongly), and 11% don’t know enough to offer an opinion. Among independents, the numbers are even higher—56% oppose the budget (39% strongly), compared to 33% supporting it (9% strongly). By comparison, a Gallup poll from a month ago (3/25) found that 39% of Americans had a positive impression of the Obama budget, 27% had a negative impression, and 33% didn’t know enough. Opposition to the Obama budget plan has increased from 27% to 51% over the past month.

The recent ABC News/Washington Post poll (conducted 4/21-4/24) appears to be an outlier, with results unreflective of other polls. While the Post poll found higher support for President Obama and his agenda, its methodology makes it of questionable value. First, the Post poll sampled all Americans, rather than just registered or likely voters, so it captured a significant number of adults who are ineligible to vote. Second, the poll found that just 21% of Americans identified themselves as Republicans, while 35% called themselves Democrats. This 14-point gap is twice as large as the actual Democratic advantage in last November’s election.

See poll itself in PDF for actual break down of numbers.