Poll: Just One in Four Americans Believe Newly 'Divided' Government Will Do Satisfactory Job of Serving Country, Citizens
Harris Poll released a survey Monday that sought to examine what the recent midterm elections and their outcome mean to the American people.
Looking at the broad outcome of the elections, American voters seemed evenly divided over what they think the results will mean for the United States as a whole and for the overall political landscape. However, breaking the survey data down into specific details -- particularly dividing the responses by party affiliation -- do voters overwhelmingly disagree on most points.
It seems Americans as a whole are wholly divided on what this new Congress will accomplish in the future and whether or not said accomplishments will be for better or for worse in a country currently dealing with some tough issues.
According to Harris Poll, when the American people as a whole were asked what they think about the recent congressional elections, a third each said they believed the outcome was a good thing (33 percent) and a bad thing (34 percent) for America, with the remaining third unsure (33 percent).
To elaborate a bit on this question in terms of supporters of specific parties, a "predictive majority" of Republican voters responded that they saw the election as a good thing (67 percent) and an "equally foreseeable majority" of Democrats reported they see it is a bad thing (58 percent). Independent voters were split right down the middle for this survey question.
And now, to elaborate further on American voters' responses to this newly "divided" government, when asked whether they feel it is good or bad for the country to have a president and a majority in Congress belonging to different parties, the pollsters responses varied. Of all respondents polled, 33 percent said they see it as a good thing, 31 percent report they see it as a bad thing and 36 percent say they are unsure.
Another important aspect examined in this survey was collaboration in government.
"One factor which may be leading many Americans to question whether a divided government will be an effective one is collaboration -- or rather, a lack thereof," said a Harris Poll representative.
When respondents were asked whether they think that President Obama will try to work with Republicans in Congress, the response was divided. Of those polled, 46 percent agree that Obama will work with the Republicans, 44 percent say they disagree and 10 percent are unsure.
On the other hand, when that question was reversed, nearly six in ten of the American voters polled for this survey maintained that they believe the Republicans in Congress will not work with Obama, while 31 percent say they believe the Republicans will make an effort at collaborative work.
Harris Poll drew this survey to an end by asking quite possibly the most important question both in the survey and to the American voters: will the government be able to do what needs to be done for this country moving forward?
According to the results, only a fourth of respondents said that they feel the government will indeed be able to pull off what needs to be done for this country, moving forward. Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent) say they are not confident that the government will do what it needs to do to serve its citizens successfully and responsibly and, lately, eight percent say they remain unsure on this topic.
This Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between Dec. 10, 2014 and Dec. 15, 2014. Respondents included 2,255 adults, aged 18 and over, currently registered as voters in the U.S.
For the latest news & updates, follow reporter Bary Alyssa Johnson on Twitter: @MissBary
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