Seventy-four percent of Americans say lawmakers should compromise to find solutions instead of "stand on principle even if it means gridlock," according to a new poll published Thursday by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist.
But the survey also found that most (58%) have no confidence that they will, more than double the level found in 2008, when just 23% said so.
"You can't have two people, one on one side of the hallway and one on the other talking about each other — you're not going to get anything done," poll respondent Jeff Daye, 54, of California, Maryland, who identified as a Republican, told NPR. "They remind me of a bunch of children."
Stacey Boushelle, 50, told NPR people need to be open-minded.
"You have to understand where everybody is coming from," said Boushelle, who said she considered herself a Republican and voted that way up until the 2016 election when Donald Trump ran for president. "You are a product of your environment. You have to meet them where they are. Otherwise, you just alienate them, and it's a hard division, as opposed to trying to reach some and trying to bring them back."
The poll also found:
- Just 43% approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing and 35% said they wanted Biden to be the Democratic Party's nominee in 2024.
- Former President Donald Trump is still the preferred Republican candidate, with most respondents picking him over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (45-33%).
- Republicans want Congress to focus on inflation (40%), followed by immigration (23%), and preserving democracy (11%), while Democrats want lawmakers to focus on preserving democracy (29%), followed by inflation (20%) and climate change (17%).
- Most respondents view their parties unfavorably, with Republicans and Democrats at 47%.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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