Americans unhappy about shutdown, blame GOP, poll shows

NEW YORK, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A majority of Americans disapprove of the federal government shutdown, and most blame Republicans rather than Democrats for it, a poll indicated Thursday.

While 25 percent of respondents approve of the shutdown over party differences over the Affordable Health Act, 72 percent oppose the shutdown, and those who approve of the ACA overwhelmingly disapprove of the shutdown, the CBS News poll said.

Republicans in Congress were blamed for the shutdown by 44 percent, with 35 percent blaming President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. CBS News noted those figures are nearly identical to those found in a poll taken a week prior to the shutdown, when respondents were asked who they would blame in the event of a shutdown.

The telephone survey of 1,021 adults nationwide was conducted for CBS News by Social Service Research Solutions of Reading, Pa., after the start of the federal shutdown Oct. 1. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.