The Pew Research Center for the People & The Press just released an extensive opinion survey about the Tea Party:
The Tea Party is less popular than ever, with even many Republicans now viewing the movement negatively. Overall, nearly half of the public (49%) has an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party, while 30% have a favorable opinion.
The balance of opinion toward the Tea Party has turned more negative since June, when 37% viewed it favorably and 45% had an unfavorable opinion. And the Tea Party’s image is much more negative today than it was three years ago, shortly after it emerged as a conservative protest movement against Barack Obama’s policies on health care and the economy.
Note that the Pew poll’s unfavorable/unfavorable on the Tea Party numbers were essentially unchanged for the previous two years previous to June. This is another sign that the partial government shutdown and debt ceiling debate have proven to be a complete debacle for Republicans in general and the Tea Party in particular.
The complete results are here. It’s a very fascinating read.
