"Americans Speak on Lawsuit Abuse" is a national survey commissioned by the American Tort Reform Association and Sick of Lawsuits and conducted by Luce Research, Colorado Springs, Colo. The survey results, which were released in August, offer insight into concerns regarding lawsuit abuse in the U.S.

The results are based on a survey of 1,013 U.S. voters, which was conducted by telephone from July 11-19.

Following are some key findings from the survey's results:

• Eighty-nine percent of voters believe lawsuit abuse is a problem, with 69 percent saying it is a "major problem" or "big problem"; 5 percent say lawsuit abuse is not a problem and 5 percent are unsure.
• Ninety-four percent of Republicans; 89 percent of Independents; and 86 percent of Democrats believe lawsuit abuse is a problem.
• Eighty-nine percent of men and 89 percent of women believe lawsuit abuse is a problem.
• Sixty percent of voters believe the number of lawsuits filed against businesses has hurt the U.S. economy.
• Seventy-eight percent of voters believe there are too many lawsuits in the U.S.; 8 percent believe there are too few, and 3 percent say there are the right amount.
• Thirty-six percent of voters say personal injury lawyers are most to blame for the problems in the liability lawsuit system.
• Sixty percent of voters believe consumers negatively are affected by lawsuit abuse, and 46 percent believe small businesses negatively are affected.
• Fifty-three percent of voters say they are afraid they or their family members one day will be a victim of a lawsuit.
• Ninety-percent of voters agree "lawsuits and legal settlements should seek to compensate people for their actual losses and not make them ridiculously rich."
• Seventy-three percent of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports liability lawsuit reform; 58 percent say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who opposes reform.

To view more survey results, click here.

This Web exclusive information is a supplement to Creditors and predators.