Survey also finds 75% think voter fraud a problem; four of five see no improvement in government transparency under President Obama; Weak Support for Legal Status for Illegal Immigrants

Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5188

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2013 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch today released the results of a new nationwide survey conducted in partnership with Breitbart.com concerning the American people's attitudes on a variety of subjects, including government corruption in Washington, voter fraud, immigration policy, and Obamacare. The poll was conducted by The Polling Company/Woman Trend December 13 - 16, 2013.

The Judicial Watch-Breitbart poll shows that 77% of the American people are concerned about the issue of government corruption in Washington, with 52% believing it has gotten worse over the past five years. On the issue of immigration, a plurality of Americans believes that current immigration law should be enforced, and a majority opposes sanctuary policies prohibiting law enforcement officers from joining in the effort. When questioned about healthcare, Americans by a two-to-one margin said that they have more confidence in their states, rather than the federal government handling their healthcare issues.

Highlights of the poll include:

• GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION: The vast majority of Americans (77%) are "very" (52%) or "somewhat" (25%) concerned about the issue of government corruption in Washington. Only 20% express little or no concern. Concerns about government corruption are reflected among tri-partisan majorities of Democrats (68% high level of concern), Independents (75%) and Republicans (88%).
   
• GOVERNMENT'S ABILITY TO SELF-POLICE CORRUPTION: A 52% majority of Americans think the government is actually doing a worse job at policing corruption in Washington DC in the past five years, while just 18% think the government is doing better. An equal number of Democrats say corruption has worsened (33%) as say it has improved (33%) during their party's control of the White House.
   
• VOTER FRAUD: Three-quarters (75%) of adults recognize voter fraud as a problem in the United States, including 36% who believe it is a "major" problem and 39% who think it is a minor problem. The percentage of adults who consider it a problem remains at above 70% among males and females; whites, blacks, and Hispanics; and all age brackets from 18 to over 65. Only 15% think voter fraud is not a problem.
   
• GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY: When campaigning for the presidency in 2008, Barack Obama promised to have the most transparent government in history. Yet, a 41%-plurality of Americans now believe the federal government is actually "less transparent" since Obama became president. Four-out-of-five adults (80%) do not recognize any improvement during President Obama's tenure, compared with just 16% who say it is "more transparent."
   
• ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: A plurality of Americans (49%) believe that the U.S. should enforce immigration laws currently on the books and expect illegal immigrants to return to their homes rather than changing the law to provide legal status for illegal immigrants already here. The majority of those aged 45 to 54 (52%) favor enforcing current laws, as do those making $35,000 to $50,000 a year (51%). A full 71% of Republicans support enforcing immigration laws, with 21% in favor of changing them. 

On the issue of "sanctuary cities," 51% of Americans either "strongly oppose" (31%) or "somewhat oppose" (20%) policies that prohibit law enforcement officers from enforcing federal immigration laws. Even among those demographics that were more likely than average to favor sanctuary policies, the plurality still want federal immigration laws enforced. For example, although 41% of Hispanics favor sanctuary policies - 7% higher than the average respondent - 46% still oppose those policies.

• HEALTHCARE CONFIDENCE: Adults are more than twice as likely to be confident in their state government's ability to handle healthcare issues (44%) than the federal government's (18%) -- although a separate 27% of respondents volunteered "neither of the above." Trust in the state government is highest among those under the age of 45 (48%) and lowest among blacks (24%).

Specifically addressing the issue of Obamacare, the Judicial Watch-Breitbart poll found that: Two-thirds of Americans are satisfied with their own current healthcare, including 39% who are "strongly satisfied;" 44% of Americans recognize that their healthcare costs have increased rather than decreased (4%) since Obamacare became law; and a 54% majority disagreed (as opposed to 12% who agreed) that they will pay less if they join the government's health insurance program.

"The Judicial Watch-Breitbart poll shows that the American people are thoroughly disenchanted with a government they see as corrupt and secretive," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "The support for the rule of law on immigration runs against the establishment narrative pretending there is overwhelming support for mass amnesty. On a host of issues -- ranging from corruption to transparency, to election integrity, to Obamacare -- President Obama is completely out of touch with the American people."

Methodology
This nationwide survey of 1,000 American adults was conducted December 13-16, 2013, at a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) facility using live callers. The survey had a dual-frame sampling design composed of 65% landline interviews and 35% cell phone interviews. The margin of error is calculated at +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level, meaning that in 19 out of 20 cases, the results obtained would differ by no more than three point one percentage points in either direction if the entire adult population nationwide were to be surveyed.