Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos & SEIU. 12/8-12. Registered voters. MoE ±3.1%
Q: Would you support or oppose extending the federal unemployment insurance program though the end of 2012 so that 6 million out-of-work Americans can continue to receive benefits?
Support: 53
Oppose: 33
Not sure: 14
This is one of those cases where at the policy level there's a right answer and a wrong answer; it's nice to see a majority supporting the right answer, as they do here. A recent United Technologies/National Journal poll offered three choices—support the extension, oppose the extension, or something in between—and, not surprisingly, produced a more mixed response.
Of course, a mere 53 (or, for that matter, 63) percent of Americans supporting something that would be good both for millions of individuals and for the economy as a whole is no guarantee congressional Republicans will let it through. If Congress does not extend the emergency unemployment benefits by Dec. 31, it would be the first time in history a Congress had reduced the weeks of unemployment benefits with unemployment as high as it currently is. But look for Republicans to cut the benefits and go around bragging that they made history.