Voters Favor Job Creation Over Cuts, Slightly

The recession has been compounded by anxiety over the national debt, and lawmakers continue to struggle to find a balance between providing vital services and cutting spending to combat the deficit. Among likely voters, more prioritize job creation initiatives than spending cuts in the national budget, according to a new poll.

The most recent Hill Poll found that 45 percent of respondents favored job creation, while 40 percent said the budget should focus on cutting government spending. A more thorough breakdown of the data [PDF] shows that 11 percent support raising revenue.

Results were similar across age groups, though some 80 percent of black respondents—a group with higher unemployment, on average, than whites—favored job creation in the budget. Respondents were also starkly divided by gender, with 51 percent of women favoring job creation over 39 percent of men, and 47 percent of men preferring spending reductions over 33 percent of women.

Likely voters were more confident that the nation's finances can be repaired without cutting into popular social services, with 65 percent supporting a solution that didn't threaten Medicare or Social Security. 

“When it came to the big entitlement programs, voters were remarkably united in telling policymakers to keep their hands off Social Security and Medicare,” wrote The Hill's Bernie Becker.

Researchers polled 1,000 likely voters using an automated calling system that screened for likely voters, and weighted the results to reflect the demographics of the general population.

The administration has doubled down this year on job creation initiatives, with a focus on sustainable careers including manufacturing. Obama has promoted education and job training along with the new federal budget as building blocks to a sustainable economy.

Those efforts may have started to pay off, according to recent data that may reflect an economic recovery—or, more likely, the economy could have started to emerge from a poor phase due to a constellation of factors. But regardless of the cause, recent employment and manufacturing statistics comprise positive indicators for the economy, even as the potential recovery remains delicate.

In the wake of controversy over whether religious employers should be required to provide contraceptive services with no co-pay, the poll also found that that 46 percent believe the White House has “about the right attitude” toward religion, with 37 percent reporting that its attitude was too hostile and seven percent finding its attitude too friendly.

The Hill is a Washington, D.C.-based political newspaper established in 1994. The Hill Poll is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, a public opinion researcher.

Jon Christian is a staff writer with Campus Progress. Follow him on Twitter @Jon_Christian.

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