U.S. public wants more civil politics

MEADVILLE, Pa., April 23 (UPI) -- A majority of U.S. adults say they are unhappy with the way politicians handled the healthcare issue, a new poll finds.

The poll done by Zogby International for the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College in Meadville., Pa., and a report, "Nastiness, Name-calling and Negativity: The Allegheny College Survey of Civility and Compromise in American Politics," were released Thursday. While 69 percent of respondents were "ashamed" of the healthcare debate, 21 percent said they were "proud" of it.

An overwhelming majority, 95 percent of those surveyed, said civility is important to democracy, and 87 percent believe respectful disagreement is possible. A majority favor compromises on various issues: 85 percent on healthcare, 78 percent on taxes, 66 percent on immigration and 63 percent on climate change.

"While politicians and pundits will debate the causes and impacts of the deterioration in political civility, it's heartening to see that Americans -- adults with widely differing demographic profiles -- overwhelmingly agree that coarseness and lack of respect are unacceptable," said Daniel M. Shea, the lead author of the study and a political science professor at Allegheny College.

Zogby surveyed 1,000 adults by telephone in the last two weeks of March. The pollster did not give a margin of error.