November National Budget 2005

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Wisconsin Public Radio & St. Norbert College Survey Center

THE WISCONSIN SURVEY – FALL 2005

National Budget

FOR RELEASE AFTER: 8AM FRIDAY NOV. 18.

Survey Information:

Number of Adult Wisconsin Resident Respondents: 400

Interview Period: October 31 – November 11, 2005

Margin of Error: +/- 5% at the 95% confidence level.

Contact:

Wendy Scattergood

Assistant Professor of Political Science, St. Norbert College Survey Center

DePere, WI 54115, (920) 403-3491, wendy.scattergood@snc.edu

Given all the issues currently in front of Congress and the President, do you think reducing the federal budget deficit should be among the top priorities, or should it be a lower priority at this point in time?

Top Priority 61%

Lower Priority 33%

Not Sure 6%

Refused <1%

The President and Congress are currently working on how to decrease the budget deficit. For each of the following means for doing this, please tell me whether you are in favor or opposed to that particular measure.

	Favor	Oppose	Not Sure	Refused
Repealing Some of the Recent Tax Cuts	51%	41%	8%	<1%
Cutting Defense Spending	36%	60%	4%	<1%
Cutting Domestic Program Spending	41%	55%	4%	<1%
Continue to Run in Deficit Until We Are in a Better Position	61%	34%	5%	0%

The table above should be read across. Respondents were asked each budget option separately and asked whether they favored or opposed each one.

While addressing the budget issue is, for most, a high priority, the most popular of the 4 options given to respondents was to continue to run a deficit until we are in a better position. While 61% said the budget should be a top priority, 61% also said we should continue to run a deficit. Over half said we should repeal some of the tax cuts, 41% said we should cut domestic spending and 36% said we should cut defense spending.

	Level of Budget Priority			Those who "Favor" Diff Methods of Budget Fix
	Top	Lower	Not Sure	Repeal Tax Cuts	Cut Defense $	Cut Domestic $	Run Deficit
Democrats	70%	23%	7%	68%	53%	25%	56%
Republicans	50%	45%	5%	36%	18%	63%	66%
Independents	61%	34%	5%	46%	34%	40%	65%
Other	67%	27%	7%	50%	33%	27%	67%