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Updated, 9:57 a.m.

More than eight in 10 Americans want to extend the Bush era tax cuts for at least some households by the end of the year, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

The new poll, from USA Today and Gallup suggests the hot button issue will continue to be a top priority for the White House and Congress through the lame duck Congress. If no compromise is reached, it'll be another blow to the White House as it looks to rebound off the midterm elections and the economy continues to recover at a slow pace.

A failure to reach a compromise would also get the new Republican House majority off on the wrong foot, as nearly 95 percent of Republicans in the poll want at least some of the tax cuts extended.

The poll comes a day after Pres. Obama met with congressional leaders of both parties at the White House to discuss issues including the tax cuts. Both sides expressed optimism of reaching a compromise, but it is still unclear what that compromise will be.

Forty percent want to extend the tax cuts for all households -- as Republicans have called for -- while more -- 44 percent -- prefer to extend them for households with an income limit. Only 13 percent want to allow all the tax cuts to expire.

Looking more deeply into the numbers, a vast majority -- 83 percent -- support keeping the tax cuts in place at least for individuals earning up to $250,000. More than half -- 57 percent -- would support extending the tax cuts for individuals earning up to $500,000.