Poll: Cut the Deficit, but Not Medicare

Half of all Americans say the deficit should be reduced by cutting spending on government programs and services, but there is strong opposition to cutting entitlements, according to a poll released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Kaiser’s July Health Tracking Poll found that 62 percent of people don’t want Social Security cut, 59 percent don’t want Medicare cut and 48 feel the same way about Medicaid.

There was majority support  for “closing tax loopholes for large businesses,” “closing tax loopholes for wealthy Americans” and “increasing taxes for wealthy Americans.” Only 23 percent of poll respondents supported increasing taxes for all Americans.