Poll: So Just What Do Americans Think About Stimulus Package

From The American Enterprise Institute For Public Policy Research:

For the third straight week, 95% of respondents to the ABC News Consumer Confidence poll said the economy is in bad shape. Support for the stimulus, surveys show, is a cry for help. Sixty-five percent of respondents to a December ABC/Post poll, and 70% to a January iteration, supported new federal spending of about $800 billion on "tax cuts, construction projects, energy, education and health care."

In early February, CBS found that 51% approved of the federal government passing an $800 billion stimulus bill "in order to try to help the economy." Thirty-nine percent disapproved.

These polls on the stimulus offer up warning flags for Washington. While 57% of respondents to a CNN/ORC poll said money would be spent on useful projects under the plan, a significant number--42%--said it would go toward projects for purely political reasons.

Probably reflecting news coverage of controversial expenditures in the bill and reservations about its effectiveness, almost as many wanted to pass the bill with major changes (37%) as wanted it passed outright (38%), according to answers to Gallup's new question.

Forty-five percent of respondents to the new CBS News poll said the stimulus plan would not shorten the recession, and 18% thought it would shorten it but not significantly. Only 21% said it would shorten the recession significantly. It seems Americans are nervous but keeping their fingers crossed. [emphasis added]

Read the whole thing.

According to that latest poll, the Stimulus Package was approved by 51%--let's see what numbers  supporters of the bill use over the next few days.

Technorati Tag: Stimulus Package.