{"id":56886,"date":"2010-09-13T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-14T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2010\/09\/13\/mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:11:20","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:11:20","slug":"mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/h2>\n\n
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The public has sharply different reactions to major changes in Social Security and Medicare programs being proposed by some leading Republicans. While a majority favors a proposal to allow some private investments in Social Security, there is considerably less support for the idea of ending Medicare and replacing it with a system of vouchers for purchasing private insurance.<\/p>\n\n

The latest Pew Research\/National Journal Congressional <\/em><\/strong>Connection<\/em><\/strong> Poll<\/strong><\/em>, sponsored by SHRM, conducted September 9-12 among 1,001 adults, finds that 58% favor a proposal that would allow workers under age 55 to invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts that <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

would rise and fall with the markets; 28% oppose this proposal. Majorities across all age groups \u2013 except for those 65 and older \u2013 favor this proposal.<\/p>\n\n

Among senior citizens, as many favor (42%) as oppose (42%) allowing private investments in Social Security. By contrast, fully 70% of those younger than 30 favor this idea.<\/p>\n\n

Support for the general concept is comparable to support for a similar plan advocated by former President George W. Bush in 2004. As he sought reelection in the fall of 2004, 58% of registered voters that September favored allowing younger workers to invest a portion of their Social Security; 26% said they opposed this change. However, after Bush won reelection and debate about the proposal began, support weakened. By March 2005, the public was largely split (44% favor, 40% oppose) and the proposal was not enacted.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Meanwhile, just a third favor replacing Medicare \u2013 the government program that provides health care to seniors and people with disabilities \u2013 with a program that would give vouchers to Medicare recipients so they can purchase private health care insurance. About half (52%) oppose this idea.<\/p>\n\n

Age also is a factor in opinions about changes in Medicare: Fully 69% of those 65 and older oppose replacing Medicare with a private voucher system \u2013 the highest percentage of any age group. Those ages 30-49 are most supportive: 48% favor the idea, while 37% oppose it.<\/p>\n\n

Even among Republicans, there is more opposition than support for replacing Medicare with a voucher system. Nearly half of Republicans (47%) oppose this proposal, as do 52% of independents and 54% of Democrats.<\/p>\n\n

Plurality Still Disapproves of Health Care Law<\/h3>\n\n
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On other issues, public attitudes about the sweeping health care legislation enacted earlier this year have changed little since early July. Currently, 38% say they approve of the legislation, while 45% say they disapprove. When those who oppose the legislation are asked whether it should be repealed as soon as possible or given time to see how it works, nearly a third (32%) of the total sample say the law should be repealed.<\/p>\n\n

Nearly eight-in-ten Republicans (79%) say they disapprove of the health care law \u2013 and more than six-in-ten (63%) say it should be repealed. Among Democrats, 69% say they approve of the law, while 15% disapprove; just 8% say it should be repealed.<\/p>\n\n

Independents largely mirror the public as a whole: 34% approve of the law, while 48% oppose it. A third of independents say the law should be repealed.<\/p>\n\n

Citizenship for Children of Illegal Immigrants<\/h3>\n\n

Americans are divided about whether to preserve the constitutional provision that makes all children born in the United States citizens, regardless of their parent\u2019s immigration status.<\/p>\n\n

Currently, about half (49%) say the Constitution should be left as it is, while 46% say they favor changing the Constitution to prevent children from automatically being citizens at birth if their parents are not in the country legally.<\/p>\n\n

A majority of Republicans (56%) favors amending the Constitution, while 39% oppose this. Among Democrats, 53% oppose making this change, while 41% support it. Independents are very much like the country as whole (45% say yes, 50% say no).<\/a><\/p>\n\n

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE BUSH TAX CUTS<\/h3>\n\n
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With debate in Washington heating up over whether to continue the tax cuts enacted during George W. Bush\u2019s administration, public opinion remains divided. About three-in-ten (29%) say all of the tax cuts should remain in place \u2013 the position of GOP leaders in Congress, while the same percentage (29%) say tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed while those for the less affluent remain in place, the position taken by the Obama administration; another 28% say they think all of the Bush-era tax cuts should be repealed.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The latest Pew Research\/National Journal Congressional Connection <\/em><\/strong>poll, sponsored by SHRM, conducted September 9-12 among 1,001 adults, finds little change in public opinion about the tax cuts since July. A plurality of Republicans (47%) support keeping all of the Bush tax cuts; just 16% of Democrats do so. Democrats are somewhat divided between supporting repeal of the tax cuts for the wealthy \u2013 while maintaining those for everyone else (40%) \u2013 and supporting repeal of all the tax cuts (32%). Independent opinion is divided among the three options (30% keep all tax cuts, 28% repeal only those for the wealthy, 31% repeal all the tax cuts).<\/p>\n\n

Those with higher annual family incomes are more inclined to support maintaining the Bush tax cuts in their current form. About four-in-ten (39%) of those with incomes of $75,000 or more say all of the cuts should be maintained. By comparison, about one-in-three (29%) of those with incomes between $30,000 and $74,999 say this, as do just 19% of those with incomes of $30,000 or less.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

GOP STILL VIEWED AS LEADERLESS \u2013 EVEN BY REPUBLICANS<\/h3>\n\n
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As the mid-term election campaign heats up, the public continues to see no clear leader atop the Republican Party. Only a quarter offer a name when asked who they think of as the leader of the party these days. More than half say they do not know and 18% volunteer that \u201cnobody\u201d leads the party,<\/p>\n\n

Those numbers are little changed since the question was last asked in April.<\/p>\n\n

The latest Pew Research\/National Journal Congressional Connection<\/em><\/strong> poll, sponsored by SHRM, conducted September 9-12 among 1,001, finds that Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin each are mentioned by 5% of the public. Beyond the 2008 presidential ticket, another 4% mention House Minority Leader John Boehner, who could become speaker if Republicans take control of the House in the elections. Mentions of Boehner have risen from 1% in April.<\/p>\n\n

Among Republicans, a third (33%) offer a name, but more than half (54%) say they don\u2019t know and 13% say nobody is the current leader. The most frequently offered names largely match those offered by the public as a whole: 6% offer McCain, while 5% each name Palin or Boehner. Just 1% offered Boehner in April. Another 4% each mention former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or former Speaker Newt Gingrich.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The public has sharply different reactions to major changes in Social Security and Medicare programs being proposed by some leading Republicans. While a majority favors a proposal to allow some private investments in Social Security, there is considerably less support for the idea of ending Medicare and replacing it with a system of vouchers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","bylines":[],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":true,"relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[{"key":"_migrate_0","postId":56892}],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,106,389],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[1478],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[520],"class_list":["post-56886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economic-policy","category-health-care","category-taxes","datasets-september-9-12-2010-weekly-survey","formats-report","research-teams-politics"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":1040,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"table_of_contents":[{"id":56886,"title":"Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements","slug":"mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2\/","is_active":true},{"id":56892,"title":"About the Survey","slug":"about-the-survey-329","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/about-the-survey-329\/","is_active":false}],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":{"id":56886,"title":"Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements","slug":"mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2\/","is_active":true,"page_num":1},"next_post":{"id":56892,"title":"About the Survey","slug":"about-the-survey-329","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/about-the-survey-329\/","is_active":false,"page_num":2},"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[{"id":56886,"title":"Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements","slug":"mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/mixed-views-of-gop-proposals-on-entitlements-2\/","is_active":true,"page_num":1},{"id":56892,"title":"About the Survey","slug":"about-the-survey-329","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2010\/09\/13\/about-the-survey-329\/","is_active":false,"page_num":2}]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements","parent_id":56886},"materialsOrdered":[],"chaptersOrdered":[{"key":"_migrate_0","postId":56892}],"partsOrdered":[],"partsEnabled":false,"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Mixed Views of GOP Proposals on Entitlements","description":"Overview The public has sharply different reactions to major changes in Social Security and Medicare programs being proposed by some leading Republicans. 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