Questions - State Budget Crisis - October 27-28, 2011

National Survey of 1,000 Adults
Conducted October 27-28, 2011

By Rasmussen Reports

1* How closely have you followed recent news stories about state budget problems?

2* Is your state having a budget crisis?

3* Is the budget situation in your state better than it was a year ago or worse than it was year ago?

4* Should the federal government provide bailout funding for states with serious financial problems?

5* Many state and local governments have laid off government workers to deal with budget shortfalls. Some say they will have to lay-off teachers and first responders such as firemen, policemen and rescue squad workers. What is the best way for state and local governments to prevent lay-offs of teachers and first responders. Should the federal government give state and local government $35 billion to prevent such lay-offs or should state and local governments cut back on other spending to protect the jobs of teachers and first responders?

6* To help reduce state spending would you favor or oppose a 10% pay cut for all state employees?

7* How likely is it that your state will be able to pay the pension benefits promised to state workers?

8* To pay all promised pension benefits, will your state have to raise taxes on the middle class?

9* If you had to choose between paying higher taxes to ensure that all pension benefits promised to public employees were paid or reducing those promised benefits, which would you choose?

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence