The Occupy Wall Street movement, which spread all over the country, has been hard to define. But in essence the 99%ers want to see more economic equality and opportunity, with the 1%ers contributing more. They also want to see more accountability for those responsible in deceptive and fraudulent acts. Yet he message is not always so clear-cut. So what do Americans feel about the protests that have been taking place?
A poll from ORC International taken Oct. 28-31 36% agreed with the overall positions of Occupy Wall Street, while 19% say they disagree. That reflects an increase in support since early October, when 27% of those polled said they agreed with Occupy Wall Street’s position. But a newer national survey from Public Policy Polling found public opinion turning fairly fast on the Occupy Wall Street movement, with only 33% support to 45% opposed.
When looking at the issues that the Occupy Wall Street protesters stand for, the Public Religion Research Institute in November published data from a survey they took in September, stating that overall a slim majority of Americans (53%) believe that “one of the big problems in this country is that we don’t give everyone an equal chance in life.” A larger majority of Democrats (70%) believe this is a big problem, while just over one-third of Republicans (38%) feel the same way. Independents (a growing block in the electorate) are divided. Half (50%) say not giving everyone an equal chance in life is a big problem, while 43% say it isn’t.
According to this survey, a larger majority (60%) of Americans say: “Society would be better off if the distribution of wealth was more equal.” Affluent Americans obviously were less likely than poor Americans to agree. And, older Americans are less likely than younger Americans to agree. There are also big differences by party affiliation. Over three quarters (78%) of Democrats believe that economic inequality is a problem, compared with about one-third (35%) of Republicans.
What does the American public want when it comes to taxes? A CNN poll released in November found that 67% of all Americans and 69% of Independents side with Democrats and believe that taxes should be raised on businesses and the wealthy. When asked what they thought should be included in the Super Committee’s deficit reduction proposal, over two thirds (67%) of those surveyed thought the proposal should contain a tax increase on businesses and higher income Americans. Only 32% believed that it shouldn’t.
The election may be his to win or lose, but many feel he is getting plenty of assistance from the Republican hopefuls. While they battle amongst themselves, with one or another candidate taking the position of front-runner from one week to the next, President Obama begins his campaign by citing all of the legislation he has been able to pass in the past three years – good or bad – again, depending on your viewpoint. Of course, there is still the issue of the economy and jobs, which is his biggest challenge to overcome with so many unemployed.
Is Mitt Romney the option for the party? How about Newt Gingrich? There are many in both parties that feel that neither man can topple Obama’s bid for re-election, although right now the numbers are favoring Gingrich according to a poll by Rasmussen. Romney must shed his “moderate” label if he is to win the hearts and minds of staunch Republicans across the nation. And, Gingrich, if nominated will have to work hard to overcome some of his past indiscretions.
We write this update knowing that things can change at any moment given the ups and downs the GOP presidential hopefuls have experienced during this primary season.
This chart shows how the field of candidates was shaping up in early 2011, when Huckabee, Palin, Trump, and several others were vying for the nomination. With the emergence of Perry and then Cain, and most recently Gingrich, the list of presidential hopefuls dramatically decreased, giving us the current crop of contenders of Romney and Gingrich vying for the nomination.