Poll: Most Americans oppose government shutdown

Americans hate the government shutdown as a strategy to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a national poll released this week.

Seventy-two percent of the 1,497 registered voters polled by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said they oppose the government shutdown and 64 percent said they were against blocking an increase in the nation's debt ceiling as a way to stop healthcare reform.

Although Americans appear divided over healthcare reform (45 percent in favor and 47 percent opposed), 58 percent said they are opposed to Congress cutting funding for the law to stop its implementation.

"Americans are certainly not in love with Obamacare, but they reject decisively the claim by Congressional Republicans that it is so bad that it's worth closing down the government to stop it," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in the poll announcement.

A CBS News poll shows 44 percent of 1,021 Americans blame Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, while 35 percent say the fault lies with President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats. Those views haven't changed since last week when asked prior to the shutdown who they would blame if Congress couldn't reach an agreement and closed government offices.

The Quinnipiac poll has similar findings with 74 percent saying they disapprove of the job Republicans are doing in Congress, their lowest scores ever. Sixty percent disapprove of the job the Democrats are doing. "Voters are angry at almost everyone in Washington over their inability to keep the trains running, but they are madder at the Republicans than the Democrats," Brown said.

U.S. voters are growing more cynical with each day of the shutdown, Brown told Voice of America. "The government can't seem to get done what they think needs to get done. Whether they are for or against this program or that, they would like to see something positive come out of Washington. And in their view they are not seeing it."

For more:
- here's the Quinnipiac poll
- check out the CBS News poll
- read the Voice of America article