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Poll finds stronger support for Medicare cuts among young people, minorities
Young people and minorities are most likely to support "major" cuts to Medicare and Social Security, according to a new McClatchy-Marist Institute for Public Opinion poll.
The surprising endorsement of entitlement cuts among key Democratic constituencies could be bad news for congressional Democrats who have traditionally championed the programs. The two entitlements remain off-limits for a vast majority of Democratic voters: Only 12 percent support the cuts, versus 17 percent among all registered voters.
The survey of 1,026 adults found that more than four out of five Americans say the deficit-cutting supercommittee should avoid "major" cuts to the two entitlement programs as part of its mission to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. The poll doesn't define the term "major."
Almost one out of three non-white respondents — 31 percent — favor "major" cuts, versus only 12 percent support among whites.
Young people under the age of 30 are also more inclined to support the cuts: 30 percent are in favor, versus 20 percent for 30-to-59 year-olds and 10 percent for people 60 and older.
Geography is also a factor: 28 percent of residents of Western states said they support deep cuts, versus 11 percent in the Northeast and Midwest.
The numbers also vary with educational attainment. Only 14 percent of Americans without a college degree support such cuts, while 21 percent of college graduates did.
Political affiliation, finally, seems to be less of a factor. Only 12 percent of Democrats support deep cuts, comparable to the 17 percent of GOP voters who said they did. Independents, meanwhile, are slightly more open to the idea: 20 percent of them said they support deep entitlement cuts.
