A new poll shows most Americans say they believe the government shutdown will last for two weeks or less, as Congress grapples with the public fallout from the first shutdown in about six years.
The YouGov survey, published on Friday, found that 41% of Americans think the federal closure will last for two weeks or less. Within that share, 16% of respondents expected the shutdown to last for less than a week, while 25% said the shuttering could last for one to two weeks. Thirteen percent said they expect the shutdown to last three to four weeks and 9% said they predict at least a month-long closure.
More than a third — 37% — of Americans surveyed, however, said they are not sure how long it will last, resonating with the uncertainty voiced by most lawmakers in Washington.
Trump promises mass layoffs if shutdown continues
House Republicans canceled votes for the next week and have been encouraged not to return to the Capitol by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has urged Senate Democrats to approve a stopgap bill that would keep the lights on until Nov. 21.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and most other party members have refused to vote in favor of the spending legislation until Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidy extensions are secured and reverses to Medicaid cuts are ensured.
Meanwhile, 47% of respondents to the YouGov poll said they believe the shutdown will not impact them, while 35% said the shutdown is at least “probably” going to personally affect them.
Republicans are shouldering the brunt of the blame for the federal shutdown, according to the survey findings.
A plurality, or 45%, of Americans said President Trump is very responsible for the shutdown. The same percentage blamed GOP lawmakers, and 36% said they feel congressional Democrats are responsible.
One YouGov survey was conducted online on Oct. 1 with 2,368 U.S. adults. A second survey was conducted on Oct. 2 with 2,890 U.S. adults. The margin of error for each survey is approximately 2.5 percentage points.
