Voters favor financial overhaul framed as Wall Street crackdown

Voters are much more likely to support new financial regulations when they are framed as a crackdown on Wall Street, according to a new Gallup poll.

And voters trust Democrats more than Republicans by eight percentage points to carry out new financial regulations.

The Gallup poll was conducted April 17 and 18 and showed voters split roughly evenly on whether Congress should pass new financial regulations on large banks. But when the question was framed as regulating Wall Street banks, support grew significantly.

Framed as a Wall Street issue, there was a 14 percentage point margin in favor of new regulations. The poll showed 50 percent of voters in favor of new regulations and 36 percent in opposition.

Framed as regulations on big banks, the numbers were split 46 percent in favor and 43 percent in opposition. 

Democrats have pushed hard with financial overhaul legislation, and they have focused much of their attention on how the bill would clamp down on Wall Street banks in particular.

The House financial overhaul bill was titled: "Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009."

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) refers generally to his financial legislation as the, "Wall Street Reform Bill."

The legislation would affect the entire financial industry, not just Wall Street banks.