Americans overwhelmingly want their legislators to reach agreement on the federal debt deadlock, even if that means a compromise they don’t like, a new survey says.
Overall, 68 percent agreed with the statement that lawmakers should “be willing to compromise, even if that means they strike a deal you disagree with.” Majorities of Republicans (53 percent), Democrats (69 percent) and independents (81 percent) supported the statement. Among those who described themselves as Tea Party supporters, however, 53 percent said legislators should stand by their principals, even if that means the nation goes into default.
Despite the focus on the debt crisis in Washington, Americans continue to think unemployment is the most economic important issue, with 39 percent saying “the job situation” worries them the most.
The survey done for the Pew Research Center on People and the Press was based on telephone interviews with 1,509 adults and has a margin of error of +/-3.5 percent for the entire sample.