Poll: GOP Voters Don’t Consider Social Security A Ponzi Scheme

The majority of Republican voters disagree with Texas Governor Rick Perry’s assertion that Social Security is a “ponzi scheme,” according to new data put out by Public Policy Polling.

A survey released Wednesday found that 53 percent of likely Republican primary voters say that the entitlement program isn’t how Perry described it, whereas only 33 percent say it is. 14 percent replied that they were not sure.

Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who is Perry’s closest rival among GOP candidates, butted heads Monday night over Perry’s rhetoric, with Romney accusing the Texas Governor of scaring senior citizens.

Still, despite apparent disagreement over Perry’s description, the same poll found that Perry still holds a double-digit lead over Romney, via a 31-18 percent margin. Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who made headlines over his response to a question of whether the government should help sick people who can’t afford insurance, received 11 percent of the vote. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came in fourth, with 10 percent.

In a hypothetical two-way race between Perry and Romney, the former leads 49-37 percent.

Among Tea Party voters, the poll found that a third of them backed Perry. At 33 percent, the Texas Governor has a huge lead on the rest of the field in that department. However, Romney leads Perry 28-26 percent with non-Tea Party Republicans.

The poll was conducted September 8^th through the 11^th among 500 usual Republican primary voters.