Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Americans say it’s at least somewhat likely that they will be personally impacted by the closing of General Motors and Chrysler dealerships across the country. But just nine percent (9%) say it’s very likely, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Women say they are very likely to personally feel the impact of the dealership closings more than men.
However, 70% of adults nationwide say it’s not likely that they will be impacted by the closings, with 39% who say it’s not at all likely.

Seventy-two percent (72%) believe GM and Chrysler should decide which dealerships to close. But 13% say the government should make that decision, and 16% are not sure who should make those decisions.
Among investors, 79% say the automakers should decide which of their own dealerships to close, while only eight percent (8%) say the government should choose.

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Lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill are complaining about the closings, with some questioning the role of President Obama’s auto task force. One counter-proposal calls for the creation of an independent commission to decide which dealers to close.

Just 22% of Americans think political considerations are likely to play a bigger role than economic reality in GM’s and Chrysler’s decisions on which dealerships to close. Sixty percent (60%) say economic reality is the bigger factor, but 18% aren’t sure.

Republicans and unaffiliated adults are more skeptical than Democrats. Only 15% of Democrats say political considerations play a bigger role in the decision-making about dealerships, compared to 28% of Republicans and 25% of unaffiliateds.

Eighty percent (80%) of all Americans say they have followed news stories about the dealership closings at least somewhat closely, with 38% following very closely. Only three percent (3%) say they have not been following the news about the closings at all.

GM and Chrysler, both now in bankruptcy, say they have too many competing dealerships, which make many of them unprofitable. Chrysler already has closed nearly a quarter of its 3,181 dealerships, and GM wants to cut its 6,100-dealer network nearly in half by the end of next year, according to the Detroit News.

The president’s auto task force has been working closely with the companies to broker their bankruptcies, which give the federal government majority ownership of GM and a large stake in Chrysler. GM’s refusal to make public the list of dealerships it is closing has prompted charges that politics is behind some of the closings.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of voters oppose the bailout plan that provides GM with $50 billion in funding and gives the government majority ownership. Americans have opposed bailouts for GM and Chrysler since the troubled automakers first approached the federal government for help late last year.

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

Just 33% of Americans think it is even somewhat likely that the federal government will ever get back the $50 billion in bailout funds it has advanced to GM to keep the automaker in business.

Only 12% of Americans said last November that their personal finances would be significantly impacted if GM filed for bankruptcy.

Forty-one percent (41%) expect the quality of GM cars to get worse now that the federal government is the majority owner of the bankrupt automaker.

The heads of both GM and Chrysler have been called before largely hostile House hearings to defend their dealer-cutting decisions. A bill is now gaining momentum in the House to stop the closings.

Most Americans (57%) believe it’s likely the government will pass laws and regulations giving the two bailed-out automakers an unfair advantage over other car companies.

Still, 61% say Ford, the automaker who has not sought government help, is the most likely of the Big Three automakers to survive.

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