Thirty-five percent (35%) of American adults say the federal "cash for clunkers" program was good for the U.S. economy. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 23% say the program hurt the economy, and 27% say it had no impact. Another 15% are not sure.

While a modest plurality believes the "cash for clunkers" program helped the economy, the federal government didn’t impress the nation with its administration of it. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of adults say the government has done a good or excellent job managing the program, but 43% give the government poor marks.

The program which offered owners of older cars up to $4,500 to trade in their vehicles for newer, more fuel-efficient ones is scheduled to end on Monday. While the rebates have spurred nearly half-a-million auto sales, some dealers have complained that the government has been slow to provide the promised funding. "They're going to get their money," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said this week. "We have the money. Congress provided the money."

Most Americans were opposed to the creation of the "cash for clunkers" program, and 54% opposed providing more money to keep it going after the initial $950 million in funding ran out. At President Obama's urging, Congress allocated an additional $2 billion for the program.

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Not surprisingly, there is a huge partisan gap on perceptions of the "cash for clunkers" program. By a 48% to seven percent (7%) margin, Democrats believe the program has been good for the economy. A plurality of Republicans believe it has been bad for the economy, and those not affiliated with either major party are evenly divided.

Forty percent (40%) of Democrats say the government has done a good or excellent job running the program. Just 22% of those in the president’s party give poor marks to the government's handling of the program. But a majority of both Republicans and unaffiliateds say the government has done a poor job managing the "cash for clunkers" program.

Concerns about government management have been found in other polling concerning the auto industry. Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans expect the quality of General Motors cars will suffer under government ownership. Sixty-nine percent (69%) believe it is likely the government will get deeply involved in making decisions at GM. This helps explain why just 42% of GM owners say they’re likely to buy another GM product.
The federal government now has a major ownership stake in both Chrysler and GM. Most Americans (57%) believe it’s likely the government will pass laws and regulations giving those firms an unfair advantage over other car companies. That’s one reason that 80% of U.S. voters want the government to sell its stake in both companies as soon as possible.

Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans are more likely to buy a Ford because the company, alone of the Big Three automakers, did not accept a government bailout. Ford is viewed favorably by 66% of Americans. General Motors and Chrysler have much lower ratings.

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