Your Take – Will There be a Government Shutdown?

We recently asked readers in a non-scientific poll if they thought a government shutdown would take place. The results were generally not very upbeat.

The possibility of a government shutdown seems increasingly ominous. Each day, news hits the wires about a possible shutdown and its potential effects.  We asked readers their opinion – will there be a shutdown, or is it all hype?

Based on the response of several thousand readers, the results were not very upbeat; 52.2% of those that responded in the non-scientific survey said a shutdown would happen, while 30.9% said no and 16.9% weren’t sure.

We posed two additional questions about a potential shutdown.  These questions and their responses are outlined below.

If there is a shutdown, which political party do you think will realize a political benefit from the action?

 Republicans  22.9%
 Democrats  25%
 Both  10.3%
 Neither  41.8

If there is a shutdown, do you anticipate that federal
employees will be paid for the time the government is not open for business?

 Yes  45.2%
 No  38%
 Undecided  16.9%

Despite the negative outlook on the shutdown, there was a slightly more upbeat view on retaining pay during a shutdown.  If the last shutdown is any indicator, this view is probably justifiable.

It is unlikely to know with any certainty until at least next week if a shutdown is likely to happen, but we will continue to keep our readers informed of the events as they unfold.

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.