Public opposition to the auto bailouts may translating into consumer buying decisions, with 46% of Americans now saying they are more likely to buy a car from Ford because it did not take government money to stay in business.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 13% say they are less likely to buy a Ford because the company didn’t receive a bailout, and 37% say it has no impact on their car buying.

At the same time, nearly one-out-of-five Americans (19%) say someone in their family or a friend has chosen not to buy a car from GM or Chrysler because they took bailout money. Fifty-six percent (56%) say family or friends have not steered clear of GM or Chrysler for this reason, but 26% are not sure.

Most Americans (53%) continue to believe that it is at least somewhat likely that the government, now that it has substantial ownership stakes in GM and Chrysler, will pass laws and regulations giving those two automakers an unfair advantage over Ford. Thirty percent (30%) say it’s very likely. This suspicion has lessened slightly since May.

However, one-out-of-three investors (33%) say it is very likely that the government will give an unfair advantage to the bailed-out automakers.

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GM’s recent emergence from bankruptcy with government help seems to have done little to change Americans’ minds. Only 17% say they are more likely to buy a GM car now that the company is out of bankruptcy, while 22% say they are less likely to do so. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say the end of GM’s bankruptcy has no impact on their buying decisions.

Just 13% of Americans say someone in their family or one of their friends has bought a car from Ford recently because it did not take a government bailout. For 73%, that’s not the case, and 14% aren’t sure.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of investors are more likely to buy a Ford, compared to 41% of non-investors. Those working in the private sector by 11 points over government employees give the nod to Ford because it didn’t seek a bailout.

Investors and private sector employees also are less likely to buy a GM car even though the automaker has emerged from bankruptcy.

In June, only 42% of those who currently own a GM car said they were even somewhat likely to buy a GM product for their next car.

Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans expect the quality of GM cars to get worse now that the federal government is the company’s majority owner. Just 19% believe the quality of GM cars will improve.

Most Americans have consistently opposed bailouts for the troubled automakers since they were first proposed late last year.

Only 26% of Americans say it was a good idea for the federal government to take ownership of GM as the auto giant was on the verge of collapse. Seventeen percent (17%) say Americans should protest the bailout by boycotting GM and refusing to buy its cars.

Eighty percent (80%) of voters want the government to sell its stake in General Motors and Chrysler as soon as possible.

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