Majority don't favor bailout, poll shows

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Americans say they oppose a bailout of the U.S. auto industry, but that opposition would fade if an automaker failed without the money, a poll indicates.

Fifty-one percent said they are against the federal government's providing major help to Ford Motor Co., Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp., while 43 percent said they favored assistance, a Gallup Poll released Tuesday indicated.

However, the poll indicated support for a bailout would rise to 52 percent -- and opposition fall to 42 percent -- if one or more of Detroit's Big Three companies were certain to fail without financial aid from the government, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Pollsters said the results indicated no groundswell of support from the U.S. public regarding a multibillion-dollar congressional loan for the automobile industry. Bailout support is divided along party lines across the country, poll results indicated, with Democrats favoring it and Republicans opposing it.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews Thursday-Sunday with 1,009 adults. The margin of sampling error is 3 percentage points.