Americans Growing More Pessimistic About Economy: CNBC Survey
By: Steve Liesman | CNBC Senior Economics Reporter
But responses to a separate series of questions about who is to blame for the nation’s economic problems finds Congressional republicans low on the list, a good sign pollsters say for the GOP in the upcoming election.
Former President Bush is faulted by the 31 percent of the public for the current recession, far ahead of President Obama at 13 percent. Congressional Republicans are blamed by just 7 percent of the public for the recession.
The two presidents are closer on other issues. For example, 22 percent of the public blames Bush for the current level of unemployment, compared with 20 percent for President Obama.
While 39 percnt blame Bush and congressional Republicans for the deficit, 40 percent blame Obama and the congressional Democrats.
One of the most dramatic findings in the survey is a sharp turn in views on business regulation, an issue that finds President Obama at odds with a majority of the public. Nearly half of Americans now say that business is overregulated—up from 28 percent in other surveys conducted in 2009, and even higher than surveys that asked the question in the mid-1980s.
On many other economic issues, the CNBC survey finds Americans are deeply divided, with a slight edge that would appear to favor the GOP.
Just under half of the public wants to continue the tax cuts for the wealthy. 46 percent of the public says they should be ended.
Among the leading reasons to maintain the tax cuts, the survey finds the public is concerned about raising taxes in the current economic environment and the effects on small business.
