Poll: Government Shutdown

TOPLINES | GRAPHS

This Navigator Research report covers awareness of and blame for the government shutdown.

BIG TAKEAWAYS:

• More Americans blame Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress for the shutdown than Democrats.
• A plurality of Americans have a positive impression of what Democrats in Congress are fighting for in the shutdown, dominated by health care.
• Americans want the shutdown to end, but not if it means compromising on health care.

Shutdown News

News of the government shutdown is breaking through, as 74 percent of Americans say they have heard “some” or “a lot” about it.

It also dominates the negative news they’re hearing about Donald Trump, as well as Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

A 42 percent plurality believe the government shutdown will have a negative impact on them personally and even more (70 percent) believe it will have a negative impact on the country.

Shutdown Blame

By a 10-point margin, Americans blame Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress (44 percent – 34 percent) for the government shutdown, similar to our data from last week.

Asked who is trying to keep the government open vs. shut it down, more cast blame on Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress than on Democrats in Congress. By 3 points, Americans say Democrats in Congress are trying to keep the government open. By contrast, Americans say Republicans in Congress are trying to shut the government down by 7 points. By 9 points, they say Donald Trump has tried to shut the government down. This is a marginal shift from last week with Republicans in Congress bearing more blame in this week’s tracking.

By 4 points, Americans have a positive view of what Democrats in Congress are fighting for in the shutdown. Favorable views of Democrats are dominated by their position on health care.

By 5 points, Americans have a negative view of what Republicans in Congress are fighting for. Those views are dominated by health care cuts.

Donald Trump fares worse than either party in Congress on this question. By an 11-point margin, half (49 percent) of Americans have a negative view of what Donald Trump is fighting for in the shutdown. Negative views are dominated by “power” and “ health care cuts.”

As a result, more believe Democrats in Congress are focused on the right things (50 percent right things – 42 percent wrong things) while Republicans in Congress are underwater on the same measure (47 percent right things – 48 percent wrong things). A plurality of independents think both Democrats and Republicans are focused on the wrong things.

Americans Want Compromise, But Not on Health Care

Health care costs and Americans losing health care coverage tops Americans’ list of concerns, eclipsing even tariffs and political violence.

At a time when Democrats are somewhat less trusted than Republicans on a variety of traits, Democrats remain trusted on health care by 13 points.

Americans continue to believe Trump and Republicans should compromise with Democrats by wide margins. By 30 points (59 percent – 29 percent) Americans say Trump and Republicans should compromise with Democrats in Congress. By half that margin (15 points) Americans say Democrats in Congress should compromise with Trump and Republicans.

Americans want compromise, but not on health care. Asked whether Democrats in Congress should compromise to end the shutdown or hold to their principles, Americans say Democrats should compromise by 15 points.

Democrats should compromise with Trump and Republicans to end the shutdown, even if that means giving up on some of their principles

Democrats should hold their ground on their principles, even if it means that the government shutdown continues.

However, when asked whether Democrats should compromise, even if it means health care costs going up, Americans say do not compromise by 2 points, including by 34 points among independents. This represents a 17 point shift among all Americans when health care is added to the question and a 44-point shift among independents.

Democrats should compromise with Trump and Republicans to end the shutdown, even if that means giving up on some of their principles on keeping health care costs from going up.

Democrats should hold their ground to make sure that health care isn’t taken away and that costs don’t go up any more than they already have, even if it means that the government shutdown continues

The Toll on Trump

As the shutdown continues, President Trump’s overall approval rating (-10) and economic job approval (-12) remain underwater. Trump’s approval on both metrics remain identical to polling from last month.

At the same time, there has been a slight uptick in those hearing positive news about Trump (from 43 percent to 49 percent), specifically about the Israel-Gaza peace deal.