Overall, Voters Support Obama's Economic Plans, But Those Following Them "Very Closely" Have Doubts

New York, March 5, 2008 - With the recent announcement of President Obama's plans for a home foreclosure relief plan and proposed plans to increase taxes on affluent individuals and to spend money on health care, education and energy, the Diageo/Hotline Poll of 803 registered voters conducted by FD from February 28 - March 2, 2009, finds that majorities of voters support his proposals. 

Obama's Economic Proposals

The Poll finds a majority of voters (56%) support Obama's $75 billion home foreclosure plan, and a similar proportion (57%) say it will help bring stability to the housing market.  The plan is supported by 78% of Democrats and 56% of Independents, but is opposed by 60% of Republicans.

From what you have read or heard about President Obama's proposed $75 billion plan in which the government would help prevent foreclosures on individual homes, do you support or oppose this proposal?

However, the Poll also finds that voters who say they are following news and information about the various economic proposals "very closely" are split on the proposal (48% support and 47% oppose), and those who are paying less attention support the proposal by a greater margin (59% support and 30% oppose).

How closely have you been paying attention to and reading about the details of the various economic plans being discussed in Washington?

Likewise, most voters (57%) believe the programs in education, health care and energy that President Obama proposed to Congress in late February will help the economy by investing in the country's future, saving money and creating jobs.  Meanwhile, more than one-third of voters (37%) disagree and believe that, while important, these issues should be handled at a later time because government is spending too much money already.  Again, the Poll finds significant differences in attitudes towards the proposal based on how much attention voters say they are paying to the discussion of economic plans.

How closely have you been paying attention to and reading about the details of the various economic plans being discussed in Washington?

There is also strong support for President Obama's proposal to raise taxes on the affluent (67%) in 2010 to help pay for the programs, but little confidence that this measure will actually be sufficient to cover these programs while, at the same time, cutting the deficit in half (45%). 

The Aftermath of the Stimulus

Against this backdrop, the Diageo/Hotline Poll finds that voters have lukewarm confidence in the recently-passed stimulus bill and its ability to successfully turn around the economy.  A majority of voters (53%) are confident that the stimulus bill will help turn the economy around, while 44% are not confident. 

However, in terms of the stimulus bill's impact on the 2010 congressional elections, more voters say they are more likely to vote for the candidate who supported the stimulus bill (48%) and 35% say they are more likely to vote for the candidate who opposed it, with 10% saying they are unsure.  In the meantime those who say that more government involvement in the economy is a good idea have slightly decreased from 55% in the January Poll to 49% in this month's Poll.  

Likewise, the percentage of voters holding an unfavorable view of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi increased from 35% in the January Poll to 44% in this month's Poll.  What's more, although Republicans continue to trail Democrats in the generic congressional ballot, 34% say they would vote for the Republican candidate if U.S. Congress elections were held today, up from 22% in the January Poll. 

Obama's Ratings Remain High

Regardless of voters' support for one economic plan or the other, President Obama's favorability ratings remain high, with more than two-thirds of voters (68%) expressing a favorable opinion of him.  What's more, the Poll finds that similar proportions of voters (67%) say they approve of the way he is handling his job as president, and are confident that he will be able to bring "real change" to the way things are done in Washington (70%).  Additionally, voters are encouraged by the group of economic advisors surrounding him, with 64% of voters express confidence in Obama's economic team of advisors to help turn the economy around.

"President Obama's job approval ratings remain solid, even as his policies have been under significant attack by Republicans," commented Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of The Hotline. "Even so, this should not be taken as a sign that the Obama Administration and Democrats have ‘carte blanche' when it comes to government spending. Voters are less supportive of more government spending on the economy than they were in January, which suggests that GOP attacks on Democrats as runaway spenders could start to take root."

To obtain complete Poll results, please see www.diageohotlinepoll.com.

To schedule an interview with Ed Reilly, contact Selin Kent at (212) 850-5735 or Selin.Kent@fd.com.

Methodology: The Diageo/Hotline Poll was conducted by telephone from February 28 - March 2, 2009, among a random, representative sample of 803 registered voters, age 18 and older (margin of error +/- 3.5%).

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