ASBURY PARK, N.J. — A new survey by Rasmussen Reports indicates that Americans are lukewarm at best when questioned about their outlook for the viability of General Motors and Chrysler and the role the automotive industry will play in the recovery of the U.S. economy.

In response to a telephone poll, 76 percent of respondents said that the economy can recover even if GM were to cease operations. Nine percent said the opposite, while 15 percent were unsure.

Eighty percent of respondents said that the U.S. automotive industry is "at least somewhat important" to the wider economic picture, but only 32 percent said it is "very important." The same poll conducted two years ago found 49 percent of respondents in the "very important" group.

A mere 23 percent of voters are in favor of additional federal loans for GM and Chrysler, with 62 percent opposed. Fifty-nine percent of voters said it is "at least somewhat likely" that one of the two automakers would shut their doors over the next few years, and 19 percent said it was "very likely."

The full results of the survey can be found here.