34% of Americans think that a government rescue of the economy will succeed shortterm and 30% think it will succeed longterm, according to a nationwide SurveyUSA poll of 1,200 USA adults conducted after the US House of Representatives today joined the US Senate in passing a bill described by some as a “bailout” and by others as a “kick-start.” But: 31% of Americans think the government plan will fail shortterm and 36% say it will fail longterm.

Americans remain of two minds:
58% have “No Confidence” in the government’s ability to fix the economy.
Just 18% support the specific rescue plan that passed the congress. 44% oppose it.
But: by 4:3, Americans wanted their specific member of Congress to vote “For” the bill, a sign that Americans may have felt painted into a corner; Americans appear to grasp that doing nothing was worse than doing something.

77% of Americans have reduced spending in the past 3 months — a bad sign for this or any economy. 60% know a friend of family member who have lost a job in the past 3 months. 52% today are concerned that the bank where they have their money will fail — down from 57% in a SurveyUSA nationwide poll conducted befor Congress had passed the rescue plan.

There are interactive tracking graphs for all of these questions. From the detailed crosstabs page, click on the “Triangle T” to reveal exactly how American opinions have changed, day-by-day over the past week, as the seriousness of the econonim situation came into increasingly sharp focus. Interactive tracking graphs are a SurveyUSA exclusive.