Poll Watch: Ho-Ho-Holiday Edition

According to recent surveys by Rasmussen Reports, (all of which can be found here) 83% of those surveyed believe that credit cards tempt folks to buy things they can’t afford. Of people who have at least one credit card, 36% think they personally need to cut back on spending, 58% think they don’t, and 81% think that everyone needs to cut back. In a showing of economic strength, 65% of credit card holders feel it’s unlikely they’ll miss a payment in the next six months. Last, 36% of those surveyed are very comfortable using their credit cards online, compared to 11% who are not at all comfortable doing so. 

In a survey taken before ten days before Christmas, Fox News found that 75% of respondents would offer a hearty Merry Christmas vs. the more generic Happy Holidays. If a store were to force employees to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, 30% would stop shopping there; the number of Republicans (46%) and white born-again Christians (48%), not surprisingly, is much higher.  Kindly, a good number of those surveyed - 41%  - would give President Obama whatever was on his list, but 31% would give him only fruitcake. Another 21% would give him the proverbial lump of coal. On that subject, if the President were to re-wrap his coal and pass it on to someone else (say, Mitch McConnell), he’d be in good company with the 16% of the population that are re-gifters.  Dems, at 54%, are more likely than Reps (42%) to just keep an unwanted gift. Which may explain Charlie Rangel’s longevity.