Weekly Pulse Polling: Democrats Much More Likely to Want the Government to Control Prices on Things They Buy

Washington, D.C. (May 30, 2019) – Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently proposed a bill that would cap interest rates on loans at 15 percent and promoted polling that seemed to show support from the American people. However, according to this week’s Job Creators Network/ScottRasmussen.com Weekly Pulse—the public, and especially Democrats—respond positively to all sorts of ridiculous proposals that would allegedly save them money. When asked if the federal government should place a cap on what private companies should charge for certain products, the results were shocking:

• 75 percent of Democrats want to cap the price of gas (compared to 61 percent of Republicans)
• 58 percent of Democrats want to cap the price of airline tickets (compared to 45 percent of Republicans)
• 55 percent of Democrats want to cap the price of cars (compared to 44 percent of Republicans)

“When politicians propose handouts without explaining any of the consequences, it’s not surprising that they get support. It’s also an indication of how our education system has failed us—many people obviously don’t understand how the free-market works.” said Elaine Parker, President of the Job Creators Network Foundation. “Government price controls stifle innovation, lead to shortages, and are disastrous for entrepreneurs—just ask those living in Venezuela.”

Other poll questions in the Weekly Pulse show that people are extremely confident in the economy with 52 percent of adults saying the economy is excellent or good. By a 30 percent to 18 percent margin, Americans also believe their own finances are getting better rather than worse.

“The economic signals continue to point upward with Americans optimistic about the economy and their own personal finances,” said pollster Scott Rasmussen. “51 percent of Americans rate their own personal finances as excellent or good.”

Other polling questions this week included:

How would you rate the US economy today? Excellent (13%), Good (39%), Fair (31%), Poor (13%), Not sure (4%).

Is the economy getting better or worse? Better (34%), Worse (26%), About the same (33%), Not sure (8%).

Okay, how would you rate your own personal finances these days?  Excellent (10%), Good (41%), Fair (30%), Poor (15%), Not sure (4%).

Are your personal finances getting better or worse? Better (30%), Worse (18%), About the same (48%), Not sure (5%).

Are companies in your area more likely to be hiring new workers or laying off existing workers? Hiring new workers (46%), Laying off existing workers (20%), Not sure (34%).

For historic data on these economic questions visit: JCNPulse.com

Download full crosstabs on all this week’s questions:

https://polls.jcnf.org/app/uploads/2019/05/JCN-Crosstabs-May-27-28-2019.xlsx

This ScottRasmussen.com/HarrisX poll of 1,076 US adults was conducted May 27-28, 2019. For more information about the Job Creators Network, please visit www.JobCreatorsNetwork.com.