Marylanders Concerned About Sequester Effects on State, National Economy

A majority of Marylanders say they are concerned about the effects of the federal sequester on state and national economies even if they aren't sure it will affect them personally, according a poll released Tuesday afternoon.

The poll released by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College found that 75 percent of those surveyed said the automatic federal spending cuts that went into effect March 1 will negatively impact the state economy while 68 percent said the cuts would hurt the national economy.

National Issue, Local Effect

Closer to home, only 47 percent of those surveyed said the cuts would negatively impact their own personal finances.

Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, said the disconnect may be driven by residents of western Maryland and the Eastern Shore who live outside the employment centers where there is a higher presence of federal jobs.

The poll showed a division of opinion as to who was to blame for the implementation of the federal cuts.

Republicans in congress took the brunt of the blame with 37 percent of those polled saying they were responsible compared to 20 percent who believed President Barack Obama is to blame.

• 37 percent hold the Republicans in Congress responsible.
• 20 percent hold President Obama responsible.
• 22 percent hold all of Congress and President Obama equally responsible.
• 14 percent hold all of Congress, but not President Obama, responsible.
• 4 percent hold the Democrats in Congress responsible.

The poll, conducted between March 3-7, involved 791 Maryland residents via landline phones and cell phones. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.

Cardin, Mikulski More Popular Than Congress

The poll also showed that while most people continue to dislike Congress as a whole, they like the representatives they elect.

Overall, 86 percent of those who responded to the Goucher poll gave an unfavorable rating compared to 10 percent who said they approved of how Congress does its job.

Those who responded were more divided when it came to the question of trusting government to act in the best interest of the public. Of those polled, 51 percent say they trust the federal government very little or none of the time compared to 47 percent who said they trust the federal government some or all of the time.

Closer to home, those polled gave more favorable ratings to Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski:

• 51 percent of residents view Mikulski favorably, while 23 percent view her unfavorably, and 26 percent indicated they didn't how to rate the senator.
• 41 percent of residents view Cardin favorably, while 22 percent view him unfavorably, and 36 percent indicated they didn’t know how to rate the senator.

Kromer said the poll re-affirms what other polls nationally have shown.

"People tend to see Congress as this gray-faced, horrible institution that is incapable of getting anything accomplished,"Kromer said. "But they see the people they elected as the ones who bring back projects to their state."