Forget the national debate over more government loans for General Motors and Chrysler. Most U.S. voters (57%) say one of them is at least somewhat likely to go out of business over the next few years anyway.
General Motors and Chrysler are back this week seeking $22 billion more in federal help, but 64% of U.S. voters are opposed to providing any additional taxpayer-backed loans for the embattled automakers.
The chief executive officers of the nation’s largest corporations are viewed favorably by just 22% of American adults, lower even than the ratings earned by members of Congress.
The level of confidence Americans have about their own financial security can't find bottom under the weight of a struggling economy.
Seventeen percent (17%) of Americans say they have been turned down for credit in the past six months, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
The Federal Reserve and U.S. banking regulators in December imposed new restrictions on the credit card industry, limiting increases in interest fees and late charges.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters nationwide believe the $787-billion stimulus plan passed by Congress will help the economy. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 29% believe the plan will hurt and 24% believe it will have little impact.
Only 39% of Americans now express confidence in the stability of the U.S. banking industry, with just six percent (6%) Very Confident, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Democratic leaders promised their congressional colleagues they would give them 48 hours to read the 1,000-page long $789-billion economic stimulus plan before they had to vote on it.
Americans are a little more confident now than late last year about how much money the federal government has left in the bank – even as Congress and the Obama Administration plan to spend hundreds of billions more of taxpayer dollars.
Fifty-two percent (52%) of Americans say it is very likely that a large amount of taxpayer money in the proposed bank bailout plan and the new economic recovery plan will be wasted, due to inadequate oversight by the government.
While the Obama Administration is pledging up to $2.5 trillion in support for the troubled U.S. financial system, 56% of Americans oppose giving bankers any additional government money or any guarantees backed by the government.
All sorts of big government solutions are being proposed to combat the country’s economic troubles, but Americans are clear on one thing: 75% say the federal government should not take over the U.S. banking system.
Seventy-three percent (73%) of voters now say buying a home is still the best investment most families can make, despite the continued instability of the U.S. housing market.
Forty-eight percent (48%) of U.S. voters say that, generally speaking, increased government spending is bad for the economy.
Voters are evenly divided over whether Congress should attempt to fix the country’s troubled housing market before it takes any other action to help the economy.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of American women say men and women do not receive equal pay for equal work in the United States. A majority of men (53%) agree, but 37% do not.
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.
Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan.
The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor rose 1.2 points in January, mainly due to a slight increase in economic confidence from consumers. The rise in optimism was largely offset by continued restraint on spending intentions, as consumers, buffeted by dismal housing, labor and financial news continue to keep a tight hold on their purse strings.
