Politics

Reason-Rupe Poll: Americans Want to Cut Spending—Q&A with Emily Ekins on new Reason Rupe Public Opinion Survey

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Reason's Matt Welch, coauthor of the new book, The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America, talks with Emily Ekins, Reason's polling director, about what the new Reason Rupe Public Opinion Survey tells us about how Americans think about federal spending, and debt.

Ekins argues that Americans primarily want to cut spending, not raise revenue, to deal with the debt crisis. 

"[Americans] believe that [cutting spending] will…do more to help the economy than hurt," Ekins says. "Fifty-seven percent believe that, where as only 20% believe that it would mostly harm the economy."

The Reason-Rupe survey is online here and here (pdf).

This Reason Foundation project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation. 

Shot by Jim Epstein and Joshua Swain; edited by Epstein. About 7 minutes.

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