AP-NORC Poll: 42% Blame Trump and Republicans for Shutdown, 38% Blame Democrats; Trump's Economic Approval Falls to 32%
A new AP-NORC poll released on October 16 found that, as the federal government shutdown entered its third week, 42% of U.S. adults said President Trump and congressional Republicans were responsible for the shutdown, while 38% blamed congressional Democrats — a narrow gap. The survey was conducted October 9–13 among 1,289 adults, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
Asked about each party separately, 55% said Trump bore 'a lot' or 'some' responsibility, 54% said the same of congressional Republicans, and 52% said the same of congressional Democrats. Approval of Trump's handling of the economy fell to 32%, down from 41% in March. Marc Schneider, a Republican voter in Michigan, told the AP: 'The Republicans have the majority, and they basically can do what they want.'
About six in ten respondents supported extending the expiring Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies — the Democrats' central demand in the funding talks, with the party focusing its message on premium increases if the subsidies lapse. Republicans have pushed to pass short-term funding at current levels first. Matt Grossmann, a political science professor at Michigan State University, said public blame could shift the longer the shutdown lasts. The federal government has been shut down since October 1.
Source: Associated Press reporting, October 16, and the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll release.
Source: 美联社、AP-NORC公共事务研究中心
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国国会大厦圆顶（资料图）。Adam Jones 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，Wikimedia Commons。
