(Week of 9/22/2012) When Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney told supporters at a closed fundraiser in May that he wouldn’t get support from the 47% who pay no taxes and feel "entitled" to government assistance, he didn’t expect those comments to be made public. But last week, after they were, eight in ten Americans in the Economist/YouGov Poll had heard about them.
58% of those who have heard about the comments find them to be a mistake. However, as with so many political questions, Romney’s opponents are far more likely to find fault in Romney’s comments than are his supporters. Still, nearly one in three Romney voters consider the comments to be at least a minor mistake.
More concerning for Romney might be the fact that, of those who consider the comments to have been a mistake, 18% say the comments have made it more likely that they will vote against Romney. The associated percentage among independents is higher still (26%). While the percentage of Americans who will actually be swayed to vote against Romney by these comments is probably quite small, it could nevertheless make a difference in close contests in swing states.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can be found here
Photo source: Press Association
