---
title: "Bailing out Banks"
description: "Just under half (48%) of the public says spending billions of dollars to help keep financial institutions secure is the right thing to do; 40% say it is wrong."
date: "2009-03-26"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2009/03/26/bailing-out-banks/"
---

# Bailing out Banks

Just under half (48%) of the public say spending billions of dollars to help keep financial institutions secure is the right thing to do, compared with 40% who say it is the wrong thing to do. But an overwhelming majority (87%) says they are bothered by bailing out banks and financial institutions that made poor financial decisions while a 48% plurality says the bailout makes them angry. As on other economic recovery policies, the partisan divide is widening; about two-thirds of Democrats (66%) say this is the right thing to do, while only 27% of Republicans say the same. Almost half (46%) of independents say it is the right thing to do.[Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1153/obama-job-approval-economic-policy-views-divided-iraq-afghanistan)