[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4104-S4105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             TOBACCO TAXES

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, last Friday's Wall Street Journal 
published the results of an April 1997 poll it conducted with NBC News. 
One of the questions in the survey deserves special attention.

[[Page S4105]]

  The poll asked whether the American people support increasing 
cigarette taxes by 43 cents a pack, and returning much of the revenues 
to the States to provide health care for the Nation's uninsured 
children.
  An overwhelming 72 percent of the respondents favored this proposal, 
which is contained in the legislation that Senator Hatch and I 
introduced last month.
  The detailed breakdown of the responses shows that the plan has broad 
support among people of all ages, incomes, races, educational 
backgrounds, party affiliations, and geographic regions. Support is at 
least two-to-one in all 36 groups, and it is three-to-one or even four-
to-one in 17 of the groups.
  North and South, East and West, the American people support the 
Hatch-Kennedy bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that the detailed breakdown of the Wall 
Street Journal-NBC News poll may be included in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Question: Two Senators, a Republican and a Democrat, have 
     proposed increasing cigarette taxes by 43 cents a pack, and 
     giving much of the money raised to help states provide health 
     insurance for uninsured children. Based on this description, 
     do you favor or oppose this plan?

          WALL STREET JOURNAL/NBC NEWS POLL--APRIL 26-28, 1997          
                         [Figures in percentage]                        
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Not 
                                                   Favor  Oppose   Sure 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All adults......................................      72      24       4
Men.............................................      67      30       3
Women...........................................      76      20       4
Northeast.......................................      73      20       7
Midwest.........................................      73      26       1
South...........................................      69      28       3
West............................................      74      23       3
Whites..........................................      70      26       4
Blacks..........................................      80      16       4
Age 18-34.......................................      73      25       2
Age 35-49.......................................      74      23       3
Age 50-64.......................................      66      30       4
Age 65 and over.................................      72      21       7
Under $20,000 income............................      74      23       3
$20,000-$30,000.................................      76      21       3
$30,000-$50,000.................................      70      28       2
Over $50,000....................................      70      26       4
Urban...........................................      76      21       3
Suburb/towns....................................      70      26       4
Rural...........................................      70      28       2
Registered voters...............................      73      23       4
Non-registered adults...........................      65      32       3
Democrats.......................................      79      18       3
Republicans.....................................      67      29       4
Independents....................................      69      27       4
Clinton voters..................................      80      17       3
Dole voters.....................................      64      31       5
Liberals........................................      79      19       2
Moderates.......................................      79      19       2
Conservatives...................................      64      31       5
Professionals/managers..........................      76      21       3
White collar workers............................      77      20       3
Blue collar workers.............................      62      35       3
High school or less.............................      66      30       4
Some college....................................      75      22       3
College graduates...............................      75      21       4
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                  

                          ____________________