What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending December 29, 2012
Like it or not, Americans seem resigned to tumbling over the “fiscal cliff.” Perhaps in part it’s because they recognize, as economist Lawrence Kudlow noted on a recent edition of What America Thinks, that it’s more of a fiscal slope.
Most voters still want to avoid the automatic tax hikes and modest spending cuts, but only 14% think Congress and the president are Very Likely to reach an agreement to avoid it. Voters by a 44% to 36% margin tend to blame congressional Republicans more than the president for the impasse, but 15% think both sides are to blame.
Despite all the hoopla surrounding the “fiscal cliff” negotiations, most voters nationwide expect a recession next year regardless of whether a deal is reached. Seventy percent (70%) predict recession if there’s no deal, but 54% think one is coming even if President Obama and Congress come to an agreement.
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