Media Contact: Emily Laird | 571.302.0973 | elaird@cv4a.org
New Poll: More Than Two-Thirds Of Veterans Say The Country Is On The Wrong Track, Disapprove Of President Obama
Washington Dysfunction, Government Spending And Economy Among Top Issues
Arlington, Va. – Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), a veterans advocacy organization, today released the results of a survey showing a significant majority of veterans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction: More than two-thirds (68 percent) say the country is on the wrong track, and 66 percent disapprove of President Obama’s handling of his job. The results also indicated unfavorable views of Obamacare. Sixty-three percent of veterans disapprove of the new healthcare law, and nearly half (46 percent) of veterans believe Obamacare will be worse than the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare. Among those who have experienced the VA claims backlog, 60 percent report it lasting at least 7 months. These findings are from a survey using a representative sample of 834 veterans and members of the military. Interviews were conducted March 8-March 16, 2014, using a mixed methodology of live telephone interviews and online interviews. The margin of error is +/- 3.5%. Concerned Veterans for America CEO Pete Hegseth issued the following statement:
“Our veterans are very concerned with the direction of the country and its healthcare system. They’ve seen how poorly the government handles healthcare with firsthand experience in the broken VA healthcare system—where wait times, lack of choice, and poor care abound. Our vets deserve better, and these numbers reinforce that fact.”
Key findings:
- Sixty-eight percent of veterans believe the country is on the wrong track, and 66% of veterans disapprove of the way President Obama is handling his job.
- 63% of veterans disapprove of Obamacare, and nearly half (46%) of veterans believe Obamacare will be worse than VA healthcare.
- There is widespread awareness of the backlog of claims at the VA (66% of veterans and members of the military), and nearly one-quarter (22%) report having experienced the backlog. Of those who have experienced the backlog, 58% report currently having a backlogged claim. Those who have experienced the backlog report it lasting at least 7 months (60%), with 36% saying it lasted more than one year.
- Veterans/military believe the top issues facing Congress are dysfunction in Washington (23%), followed by government spending and debt (19%) and economy/jobs (17%).
- In addition to the concern over spending and the debt, nearly three-quarters of veterans/military (73%) agree with former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen’s statement that our national debt is “the greatest threat to our National Security.”
Click here to read the full polling memo.
For more information or to interview Pete Hegseth, CEO of CVA, please contact Emily Laird at 571.302.0973, or via e-mail at elaird@cv4a.org.
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Concerned Veterans for America is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for policies that will preserve the freedom and liberty we and our families so proudly fought and sacrificed to defend.