[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 60 (Friday, May 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4272]
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.
  The poll asked whether the American people support increasing the 
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 have introduced last month.
  The detailed breakdown of the responses shows that the plan has broad 
support among people of all ages, incomes, ethnicities, educational 
backgrounds, party affiliations, and geographical regions. Support is 
at least 2 to 1 in all 36 groups, and it is 3 to 1 or even 4 to 1 in 17 
of the groups. North, south, east, west--the American people support 
the Hatch-Kennedy bill.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the detailed breakdown of 
the Wall Street Journal-NBC poll be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

          Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll, April 26-28, 1997

       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?

                              [In percent]                              
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    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
18 to 34.....................................       73        25       2
Age 35 to 49.................................       74        23       3
Age 50 to 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
------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the Chair.

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