Issues these days are complicated, that's for sure. Everything from the Bush tax cuts, to unemployment benefits, to immigration reform comes with caveats, potential loopholes, and shades of gray. But sometimes, leaders just need a clear answer for the proposals on the table. Are Americans for or against them?
We're about to find out, with our historic "Gallup referendum" question. We simply describe a legislative proposal on the table and ask Americans if they are for it or against it. Some might say it's never that simple. But our Editor in Chief Frank Newport tells me this approach comes straight from our founderDr. George Gallup. Dr. Gallup said issues, while complicated, usually come down to a simple yes or no. After all, that's how we vote for everything from presidents to ballot initiatives. It's also how judges and juries hand down verdicts. So, despite how much we love to report on the complexities of Americans' attitudes, sometimes it's simply time to put the question on the table and get a simple yes or no answer.
So here's what we're asking:
Suppose that on Election Day you could vote on key issues as well as candidates. Please tell me whether you would vote for or against a law that would do each of the following. First, would you vote for or against a law that would _________ ?
- Extend the federal income tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 for all Americans for two years
- Extend unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed
- Ban all earmarks in bills passed by Congress
- Allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military
- Increase government regulation of food safety
- Ratify the nuclear arms agreement with Russia, called the START treaty
- Postpone previously scheduled cuts in the amounts Medicare pays doctors to treat Medicare patients
- Allow illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to gain legal resident status if they join the military or go to college
We'll begin to report results on Wednesday, Dec. 8 on Gallup.com. To get the stories as soon as they are published, sign up to get our politics news via e-mail alert or RSS.
While you wait, read about how Americans rank these issues as priorities for the lame duck Congress.