Survey Says: Americans Oppose Government Auto Loans
March 24, 2009
DETROIT -- And here comes yet another survey showing that Americans oppose government loans to General Motors and Chrysler, just as the two face a March 31 deadline to convince the government they have made progress, deserve to keep the money they've received and should get more.
This survey comes from Detroit-based R.L. Polk & Co., released on Monday. It shows 61 percent of Americans oppose the loans.
Unlike other surveys, Polk breaks down support and opposition to the loans by region.
Not surprisingly, in the manufacturing-heavy Great Lakes region, which includes the home state of GM and Chrysler, 16 percent "strongly agreed" when asked if they supported loans for the auto companies. By contrast, only 4 percent "strongly agreed" in New England.
Interestingly, the Polk survey showed people who opposed more loans to GM and Chrysler acknowledged the dire economic consequences if they don't receive them. But they laid the problem in the lap of the automakers, not the U.S. taxpayer.
On Sunday night, President Barack Obama acknowledged to CBS' 60 Minutes the unpopularity of providing loans to the automakers. "The only thing less popular than putting money into banks is putting money into the auto industry," the president quipped.
What he didn't make clear is if he is willing to do the unpopular by giving GM and Chrysler more loans.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 10:11 AM under Analysis , Chrysler , GM , In the Media , Personalities | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
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