The survey shows that 51% of Americans support the Democratic Party’s position on extending Obamacare to reopen the government, twice as many as those who oppose.
A new survey conducted by Yahoo in conjunction with YouGov with 1,170 American adults on October 23-27 showed that 51% of respondents supported the conditions set by the Democratic Party to end the US government shutdown.
The US government has been closed since October 1, due to a deadlock between Democrats and Republicans in Congress over the budget, in which the key lies in disagreement over the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). This subsidy policy helps Americans buy affordable health insurance, but it will expire in January, causing premiums to skyrocket.
Democrats raised the condition of extending this subsidy to pass the budget law, ending the government shutdown. Meanwhile, Republicans said they are willing to discuss the issue of Obamacare subsidies, but only after the government reopens.
Disagreements between the two factions have caused the US government to continue to close. In a Yahoo/YouGov survey, 27% of respondents supported the Republican position, saying Obamacare extension provisions should not be approved to open the government.
To gauge which position better reflects public opinion, Yahoo/YouGov asked whether respondents wanted to “extend Obamacare subsidies as part of passing the budget and end the shutdown” or “pass the budget and end the shutdown without extending the subsidies.”
On most other issues, Republicans generally support the party’s position at the same rate as Democrats oppose it. But views on the best way to open the government don’t follow this partisan pattern.
Capitol building in Washington, USA. Image: Reuters
49% of Republicans said they want the government to reopen without extending Obamacare subsidies. The remainder want to extend benefits (26%) or are unsure (25%). Meanwhile, the majority of Democrats (77%) and independent voters (56%) want to extend Obamacare subsidies to open the government.
26% of respondents approved of President Donald Trump’s handling of the government shutdown, while 65% disapproved. The overall approval level for his executive job is 40%, the disapproval rate is 56%.
When asked which party “bears the greatest responsibility” for the government shutdown, 44% of respondents said it was the Republican party, compared to 35% who said the blame belonged to the Democratic party.
Although Americans often tend to blame the opposing party, up to 86% of Democratic supporters blame the Republicans, while only 74% of Republican supporters blame the Democrats.
45% of independent voters say Republicans are more at fault for the government shutdown, compared to 32% who blame Democrats.
The government shutdown has affected the image of all parties, from the Democratic Party, the Republican Party to the US government in general. Only 22% of survey respondents have a positive view of the US Congress, while 64% have a negative view of this agency.
32% of American respondents shared that they are feeling more stressed and insecure. 24% worry more than usual about access to medical services or insurance, and 31% say living expenses have increased.