Despite the touted 7.1 million Obamacare enrollees, a new Reason-Rupe national poll found the healthcare law still deeply underwater, with only 36% of Americans approving and 53% disapproving. Likewise, President Obama’s approval numbers remain in the red at 43% / 51%, while overall disapproval of Congress stands at a devastating 74%, with Americans believing that over two-thirds of politicians are corrupt and abuse their power.
The poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, addressed a wide range of issues. Here are some of the highlights:
Obamacare: Despite the Democrats “victory lap” earlier in the week, the healthcare law remains unpopular, with 36% approving and 53% disapproving. Additionally, 43% said they will blame the health care law for increases in their premiums or changes to their insurance plans.
President, Congress, and Political Corruption: A majority still disapprove of Obama’s performance with a 43-51% approval/disapproval rating, while Congress sits at an abysmal 17-74%. Perhaps most damning is America’s view of political corruption, Americans believing 75% of all politicians are corrupted by campaign donations and lobbyists and 70% use power to aid friends or hurt their enemies. The poll found that a majority of Americans believe that their political leaders waste 50 cents of every dollar.
Privacy: The poll also asked about privacy violation. Out of the IRS, NSA, Google and Facebook, the highest number (35%) answered they would trust the IRS over the others, while the NSA was listed as most likely to violate privacy (36%).
Ukraine: The poll found that 58% want the U.S. to "stay out of it" altogether, while 31% wanted continued sanctions, and only 8% wanted to send in troops.
Flat Tax & Minimum Wage: 62% support a flat tax, which they would set at 15% of income. 67% support raising the minimum wage to $10.10.
Energy: A strong majority of Americans (61%) favor building the Keystone Pipeline, and a majority (58%) also favor subsidies for solar, wind and hydrogen companies. 31% favor subsidies for oil, gas and coal companies.