Americans Want Citizens United Overturned, Will Congress Listen?
5/3/2016
Fishlinger Center Study Shows Vast Majority of Americans Support Limits on Corporate Spending in Elections
Riverdale, N.Y. – Seventy-five percent of Americans want Congress to reinstate limits on corporate and union spending on election campaigns, according to a study conducted by the Fishlinger Center for Public Policy Research.
In addition to reinstating corporate and union spending limits, which were stuck down by the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a majority of Americans (66 percent) favor limitations on Super PACs.
Despite the strong support of Americans on these issues, voters have little expectations that Congress will act. A vast majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents believe elected officials are under the influence of special interest; are too partisan or unwilling to compromise; only care about their political careers; and are out of touch with regular American interests.
These findings are part of a public opinion study on the 2016 election conducted in January, regarding Americans’ opinions on campaign finance reform. View the report and survey results.
About the Fishlinger Center for Public Policy
The Fishlinger Center for Public Policy Research opened in February 2015 at the University of Mount Saint Vincent. The Center, a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), conducts deep and broad studies of public opinion on key public policy concerns through independent and objective research conducted by students, faculty, and other members of the academic community.
By providing a forum for discourse that can stimulate intelligent dialog about issues that deeply affect all Americans, the Center illustrates and enhances the relationship between the work of the College and the common good.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.