Who do Americans blame for the shutdown? Poll results

Since the federal government shutdown on October 1, a series of online polls have shown that Americans have mixed views on what's happening. They can't agree on who bears primary responsibility, writes USA Today.

Two national polls conducted on September 30 found that Americans are more likely to blame Republicans than Democrats for the shutdown, though opinions are divided on who is primarily to blame.

Another poll released the same day found that Americans generally have a negative view of the government, particularly President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and leaders of both parties in Congress.

The federal government entered its fifteenth shutdown since 1981 early on the morning of October 1, after congressional leaders failed to reach an agreement to continue funding. The shutdown followed Senate Democrats, on the evening of Tuesday, September 30, once again blocking a Republican bill that would have extended the current budget until November 21. Fifty-five senators voted in favor, but 60 votes were needed to overcome the Democratic filibuster.

On the subject: The US government is in lockdown: how will it affect the country's residents?

According to a New York Times poll, a majority of voters (33%) believe both parties are responsible for the shutdown. Just over a quarter of respondents (26%) placed the blame on Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump, while 19% blamed Democrats. Furthermore, 21% of respondents said they weren't informed enough about the situation to judge who was to blame.

The survey was conducted from September 22 to 27 among 1313 registered voters.

Independent voters in this study expressed particularly negative views of Republicans: they were twice as likely to blame Trump and the Republican Party than Democrats. However, a majority of respondents found Republicans more culpable, and two-thirds of respondents said Democrats should not resort to a government shutdown if their demands are not met.

Over the past few weeks, Democrats have been urging Republicans to consider a number of their proposals in exchange for their support for extending government funding. The main sticking point has been the Democrats' proposal to reverse recent Republican-led cuts to the Medicaid program and extend enhanced insurance subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

The results of a Marist Poll conducted from September 22 to 26 among 1477 US adults were even less favorable for Republicans: nearly four in ten Americans (38%) believe they are responsible for the shutdown. However, 31% of respondents blame both parties, and 27% blame the Democrats. Only 4% of respondents said they blamed neither party.

In a Pew Research Center survey of 3445 U.S. adults, respondents generally expressed negative views of congressional leaders, although ratings varied significantly by party affiliation.

Among Democrats, those dissatisfied with the performance of their congressional leaders outnumbered those who approved: 59% versus 40%. According to researchers, this is the first time in more than a decade of Pew Research Center surveys that Democrats have been so critical of their party's leadership. By comparison, in a similar 2023 survey, 61% of Democrats approved of their congressional leaders' performance, while 37% disapproved.

Republicans, by contrast, expressed far greater support for their party leaders: 69% of survey respondents approved of their performance, up significantly from 54% a year earlier.

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Of the four leading congressmen, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer received the lowest rating: 21% of respondents approved of his performance, while 50% expressed a negative opinion.

When asked about their attitude toward Donald Trump, 58% of respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of him, while 40% said they had a favorable opinion. These figures are consistent with his current approval rating. According to Pew, 51% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Vice President J.D. Vance, 40% have a favorable opinion, and 8% say they don't even know who he is.

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