The New York Times has just released the results of a New York Times/CBS News Poll conducted April 5 through April 12.
The findings just reported by the New York Times are intriguing:
The fierce animosity that Tea Party supporters harbor toward Washington and President Obama in particular is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich.”
Also, “Tea party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, tend to be Republican, white, male, and married…”
Some other results and analysis:
The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters look like Republicans in many ways, but they hold more conservative views on a range of issues and tend to be older than Republicans generally.
And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.”
The overwhelming majority of Tea Party supporters say Mr. Obama does not share the values most Americans live by…More than half say the policies of the administration favor the poor, and 25 percent, compared with 11 percent of the general public, think that the administration favors blacks over whites.
Asked what they are angry about, Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending, and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.
Interestingly,
…nearly three quarters said they would prefer smaller government even if it means spending on domestic programs would be cut.
But in follow up interviews, people said did not want to cut Medicare or Social Security — the biggest domestic programs – suggesting instead a focus on “waste.”
For additional interesting statistics, analyses and commentary please click here.
