Gallup: Americans Voice 42-22% Opposition to Hike, in Own Words

By a 42-22 percent margin, Americans want Congress to vote against increasing the debt ceiling, according to a new Gallup poll that provides the added element of logging hundreds of comments of why respondents oppose or support such an increase.

The July 7-10 poll of more than 1,016 randomly selected adults also found that 35 percent have no opinion on the debate roiling Washington, D.C., and rolling across the country. Those results were compiled in a Gallup analysis last week.

Instead of simply asking participants to respond to questions, the surveyors also asked them to explain their positions in their own words. Gallup released the hundreds of comments today.

Comments opposing the hikes including the following:

• My children and grandchildren can't afford to pay that debt.
• If they raise the debt ceiling they will continue to spend.
• I think we should be taking care of the issues we have at home and not abroad.
• We need to improve our schools, our education system and highways.
• Don't need any more debt and we should pay down on the debt that we already have I do believe that we'll work toward us becoming a third world nation and I think the primary deal for us is to stop spending.
• They just throw money away.
• It's making more tension between us and other countries, the debt makes those relationships worse.
• I think in the last 20 years especially been spoiled as a society I know that's not individually but as a society self-discipline is part of happiness think we need to face what we have got just like any household chooses what they spend and their limits because we're putting that on the backs of our grandchildren has to start somewhere, have to make an effort because we spend too much money as a country.
• If the U.S. was in its previous 20 or 30 years ago, it would not be that scary, but now, in time, emerging economies are no longer emerging, they are exceeding us.

Comments backing an increase include the following:

• Because I don't want see the U.S. default on its loans.
• United States needs to pay bills and has always raised the debt ceiling there's a lot of Americans that need help. We should be obligated to help those who need it.
• Faith and credit of U.S. For the obligations already made. If it is not raised, our money would bounce with other countries and we would not be able to function as a company.
• Creditors would lose faith . . . Catastrophic.
• I'm close to being on the fence, but I would tell them that with 2.5 weeks to go, they should have made a decision about 2.5 years ago.