More than two-thirds of Americans oppose the government shutdown as it stretches into its sixth day, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released on Monday.
The poll found 70 percent of respondents opposed the shutdown while 30 percent said they supported it. More respondents, 53 percent, blamed Republicans for the shutdown over those who blamed Democrats, 47 percent.
While the poll found the shutdown hurt Republicans over Democrats, that didn’t mean that respondents wanted Democrats to continue withholding their support to strike a deal with Republicans; Democrats have made the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies a contingency ending the stalemate.
The poll found 65 percent said Democrats should accept a continuing resolution at current spending levels while 35 percent said they should hold out until they get additional funding for Obamacare.
Interestingly, 62 percent surveyed also believed Republicans would ultimately win the shutdown, compared to 38 percent who believed Democrats would come out ahead of the shutdown.
The poll also found that respondents have soured on Congress, with the poll finding Congress at a 32 percent approval rating, compared to a 37 percent rating the month before.
“The ratings for Congress dropped to new lows as voters are frustrated that rather than solutions to problems, Congress has shut down the government instead,” Mark Penn, chair of the Harris poll, said in an email. “There’s no clear direction at the minute on who it is helping or hurting except the entire system.”
The parties are at a crossroads with no clear end in sight as Republicans press for a “clean” spending bill that would continue to fund the government at current levels through Nov. 21. Meanwhile, Democrats want an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for keeping government funding through Oct. 31.
The House has passed the GOP-backed legislation but it’s repeatedly failed in the Senate. However, three Senate Democrats have previously voted for the bill – underscoring some of the early divisions among Democrats as they’ve looked to eke out a win this time around amid a government shutdown.
The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll was conducted between Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 among 2,413 registered voters. It is a collaboration of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and the Harris Poll.
The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.99 percentage points.
