A M O N T H L Y P O L L C O M P I L A T I O N
Volume 6, Issue 11 • December 2010
The Role of Government: What Do Americans Want?
We devote this issue of AEI’s Political Report to attitudes
about the federal government. The bipartisan National
Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform issued its
report in early December, and public opinion will play a
role in deficit discussions going forward.
Five pollsters conducted significant surveys on the role
of government this year. The surveys produced similar
results, and many of the findings are familiar. But the
degree of anti-Washington sentiment in them was greater
than in the past. As Pew put it, “By almost every conceiv-
able measure, Americans are less positive and more critical
of government these days.” The surveys that inquired about
state and local government activity provided fresh evidence
that negative views of the federal government have infected
state governments.
We draw several conclusions from the collection. First,
contemporary criticisms of the federal government are
broad and deep. Today three in ten have no confidence that
when Washington tackles a problem it will be solved. That
is the highest response on the question since it was first
asked in 1991. Nearly three in ten say the federal govern-
ment does a poor job running its programs and another
46 percent says it does an “only fair” job. A majority say it
needs “very major” reform. Only 3 percent say it doesn’t
need much change at all. More than twice as many say its
performance is getting worse than getting better. The top
criticism of government is that it is wasteful and inefficient.
The public is deeply skeptical of big powerful institu-
tions with substantial reach and diffuse missions. Big gov-
ernment, big labor, big business, and big media fall into
this category, and public criticism of all is significant.
Second, in difficult economic times, people want the
federal government to do less. When people feel they and
their families are doing well, they are generally more gen-
erous about what they want government to do. When they
are worried about their own welfare, they usually prefer
less government. In this painful recession, sentiments
about more federal government activity in the abstract are
especially negative. In a 2000 poll, when economic times
were good, 10 percent said they were angry with the federal
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202.862.5800 www.aei.org
government. Twice that many give that response today.
Around 45 percent in several polls say the federal govern-
ment is a threat to their rights and freedoms.
As Pew noted, rather than a more activist government,
growing numbers want government’s power curtailed. The
recession and the cumulative impact of TARP, the auto
bailout, the stimulus plan, and the health care legislation on
public psychology have been substantial. In one survey,
50 percent now say they would prefer a smaller government
with fewer services and 39 percent a larger government with
more services. The number preferring smaller government
has risen dramatically since President Obama took office.
The belief that government is doing too many things that
are better left to individuals and businesses has also risen.
There is a partisan element to attitudes toward government
with supporters of the party in power generally more posi-
tive about it than the out party.
Third, for many people taxes aren’t the issue. Although
Americans say they don’t want their taxes to go up, plurali-
ties in many polls today say they are paying about the right
amount in federal taxes. Nor for many people are govern-
ment’s priorities the problem. Nor do people see our sys-
tem of government as fundamentally flawed. The broad
public criticisms are about government effectiveness and
waste. Fifty percent in the new Kaiser/Washington Post/
Harvard survey say the federal government can balance its
budget just by cutting wasteful spending.
What is to be done? There is considerable evidence in
the surveys that Americans are hopelessly conflicted, want-
ing the federal government to do many things but also
deeply concerned that it is wasteful, inefficient, and too
expensive. Most people say cuts in many programs should
be off the table. At the same time, they say in broader ques-
tions that everything should be on the table, and that cuts
are going to have to be made in programs. The questions
we show at the end of this issue of Political Report provide
some insight into how Americans would react to various
proposals to trim the deficit, but what these hypothetical
questions can’t tell us is how people would react to particu-
lar packages of cuts and tax increases.
 The Contemporary Critique of Government
Q: When the government in Washington decides to solve a problem, how much . . . ?
Have a lot of confidence that when the government in Washington
decides to solve a problem the problem will actually be solved 4%
Some confidence 29
Just a little confidence 35
No confidence at all 31
Note: The 31 percent “no confidence at all” response is the highest since the question was asked by other pollsters starting in 1991.
Source: Hart Research/Center for American Progress, May 2010.

Q: And which of these statements comes closest to your view . . . ?

March 2010 October 1997
The federal government . . .
Needs very major reform 53% 37%
Is basically sound, needs only some reform 42 58
Not much change at all 3 4
Note: Sixty-five percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents, and 41 percent of Democrats said the federal government needs very
major reform.
Source: PSRA/Pew, latest that of March 2010.

Q: All in all, how good a job . . . ? Q: Some people think criticism of the way the federal
Federal government’s job running its programs government does its job is justified, while others think the
Excellent 2% government often does a better job than it is given credit
Good 21 for. Which comes closer to your view?
Only fair 46 Criticism of the way the federal
Poor 28 government does its job is justified 59%
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010. Government often does a better job
than it is given credit for 36
Q: Generally speaking, would you say the . . . ? Note: The March 2010 Pew responses to this question were 61 and
30 percent, respectively.
Performance of federal government Source: Kaiser/Washington Post/Harvard, September–October 2010.
programs and agencies is getting better 15%
Getting worse 38 Q: Do you think . . . ?
Staying about the same 45
The federal government could be more effective
Source: Hart Research/Center for American Progress, May 2010.
if it were better managed 74%
Is bound to be ineffective no matter what 23
Q: Would you say that you have more faith or less faith in
Source: Hart Research/Center for American Progress, May 2010.
government than you did two years ago?
More faith than two years ago and Q: Do you think . . . ?
feel this way strongly 19%
The federal government can balance its budget
More faith/feel somewhat strongly 13
just by cutting wasteful spending 50%
Less faith/feel somewhat strongly 14
The federal government would also have
Less faith/feel strongly 48
to cut some useful government programs 47
Source: Politico/George Washington University/Tarrance Group/Lake
Research, October 2010. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post/Harvard,
September–October 2010.

(continued on the next page)

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 2
(continued from the previous page)

Q: Considering all the problems a big country like this faces, do you feel . . . ?
2010 1973
Possible for the federal government to be run well 79% 86%
Not possible 20 8
Note: Harris question asked, “Considering all the problems a big country like this faces today, do you feel your federal government can be run
well or not?”
Source: Kaiser/Washington Post/Harvard, September–October 2010; Harris, 1973.

Q: Some people say they are basically content with the federal government, others say they are frustrated, and others
say they are angry. Which of these best describes how you feel . . . ?
2010 2000
Basically content with the federal government 19% 33%
Frustrated 56 54
Angry 21 10
Source: PSRA/Pew, latest that of March 2010.

Q: As I read a few criticisms people have made of the federal government in Washington, please tell me if you think
each is a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem.
National ——Responses of——
Major problem Rep. Dem. Ind.
The government is wasteful and inefficient 70% 81% 58% 76%
Government policies unfairly benefit
some groups 62 66 55 65
The government doesn’t do enough
to help average Americans 56 50 63 54
The government is too big and powerful 52 70 34 55
The government interferes too much in
people’s lives 46 61 33 47
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010.

Bigness is a Problem Taxes Aren’t the Problem

Q: Please tell me if you think each of the following . . . . Q: Considering what you get from the federal
government, do you think . . . ?
Having a positive effect
on the way things are Pay more than your fair share
going in the country of taxes 43%
Less 3
Small business 71%
About the right amount 50
The national news media 31
The federal government 25 Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010.
Large corporations 25
Congress 24
Banks and other financial institutions 22
Note: Not all categories shown.
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010.
(continued on the next page)

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 3
(continued from the previous page)

. . . Nor, for Many Is the Problem the Government’s Priorities

Q: What do you personally feel is the bigger problem with the government?
March 2010 October 1997
Government has the wrong priorities 38% 29%
Government has the right priorities
but runs programs inefficiently 50 61
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010.

Q: Please tell me which you think should be the higher priority for improving the federal government . . . ?
Reducing the size of government should
be the higher priority 36%
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness
of the federal government should be 62
Source: Hart Research/Center for American Progress, May 2010.

Larger or Smaller? Too Much or Too Little?

Q: In general, government grows bigger as it provides more services. If you had to choose, would you rather have a
smaller government providing less services or a bigger government providing more services? (April 1976–January 1989)
Q: If you had to choose, would you rather have a smaller government providing fewer services, or a bigger government
providing more services? (October 1991–September 2010)
70

Smaller Govt/Fewer Services

60
Smaller Govt/Fewer Services
53%
50 48%

40
41%
34%

30
Larger Govt/More Services Larger Govt/More Services

20
1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

Source: CBS/New York Times; Kaiser/Washington Post/Harvard; PSRA/Newsweek.

(continued on the next page)

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 4
(continued from the previous page)

Q: Some people think the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses.
Others think that government should do more to solve our country’s problems. Which comes closer to your own view?

80

70

Govt doing too much that should be

left to individuals and business
61%
60

50

40

35%

30
Govt doing too more to solve the country’s problems

20
1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009
Source: Question wording varies slightly. ABC/Washington Post; Gallup; Yankelovich; NBC/Wall Street Journal; CNN/Opinion Research Corpo-
ration; Kaiser/Washington Post/Harvard; Gallup/USA Today.

Q: Next I’d like you to think more broadly about the purpose of government. Where would you rate yourself on a scale
of 1 to 5 . . . ?
5/Government should take active steps in every area it can to try and improve the lives of its citizens 19%
4 15
3 33
2 15
1/Government should do only those things necessary to provide the most basic government functions 18

Mean response: 3.0

Source: Gallup/USA Today, September 2010.

AEI POLITICAL REPORT CONTRIBUTORS

Karlyn Bowman, Senior Fellow; John Fortier, Research Research Assistants: Jennifer Marsico, Editor; Andrew
Fellow; Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar; Rugg, Editor.
Michael Barone, Resident Fellow. Interns: Kathleen Nahill, James Paul, Lucy Zheng.

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 5
 Washington as a Threat
Q: Do you think . . . ?
March 2010 October 2010
The federal government is a threat to
your own personal rights and freedoms 47% 46%
Not a threat 50 52
Note: This question has been asked by various survey organizations since 1995. The responses in terms of a threat have ranged between
36 percent in May 1995 and 47 percent in this poll.
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010, Kaiser/Washington Post/Harvard, September–October, 2010

Q: Do you think . . . ? Q: Which of these statements comes closer to your

The federal government poses an view? It is . . . ?
immediate threat to the rights It is never justified under any circumstances to
and freedoms of ordinary citizens take violent action against the U.S. government 66%
2010 46% Under certain circumstances, it may be justified
2006 44 for Americans to take violent action against
2005 37 the government 30
2004 35 Source: Kaiser/Washington Post/Harvard, September–October 2010.
2003 30
Source: Gallup/USA Today, latest that of September 2010. Q: Would you favor or oppose . . . ?
Favor allowing an American state to secede
and become independent from the country
if a majority of the people from that state
wanted to do this 25%
Oppose 67
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010.

Now What?
Q: Is it now a . . . ?
Good idea for government to exert more
control over the economy than it has in recent years
March 2009 54%
April 2010 40
Source: PSRA/Pew, April 2010.

Q: Generally speaking, do you think . . . ?

The federal government should spend . . .
A great deal/somewhat more money
for domestic programs 49%
Somewhat/great deal less 49
Note: The Los Angeles Times asked this question occasionally in the 1980s and 1990s. The new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation “spend
more” response is the lowest recorded.
Source: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, November 2010.

(continued on the next page)

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 6
(continued from the previous page)

Q: As you may know, it is estimated that the federal budget deficit now exceeds one trillion dollars. If you had to
choose, what do you think should be the higher priority?
———2010——— —–———2009——–——
Nov. Oct. Sept. July April
Higher priority
Increasing government spending on health care reform,
and the development of alternative energy sources,
even if that means the federal budget deficit
will increase even more 46% 45% 46% 47% 49%
Reducing the federal budget deficit by cutting spending,
even if that means the government could not enact
new programs on education, health care reform, and
the development of alternative energy sources 47 50 50 47 43
Source: AP/CNBC/GfK-Roper, latest that of November 2010.

Q: In order to balance the federal budget, which should Q: Do you think it is possible for the federal government
be the main focus of lawmakers? to . . . ?
Increasing taxes should Possible to balance its budget without
be the main focus 30% increasing taxes 33%
Cutting government Some taxes will have to be increased 65
services should be 59
Source: AP/CNBC/GfK-Roper, November 2010. Possible to balance its budget without
cutting government services 19%
Some government services will have
to be cut 79
Source: AP/CNBC/GfK-Roper, November 2010.

Q: Can you give me an example of something the federal government is currently doing that you think it should not be doing?
Q: Can you please give me an example of something the federal government is currently not doing that you think it
should be doing?

Government should Government should

not be doing this be doing
Health care legislation 18% Creating jobs/reducing unemployment 15%
Spending too much 10 Securing borders/addressing
War in Iraq/Afghanistan 9 immigration issue 13
Raising taxes/not extending tax cuts 6 Focusing more on country’s
Bailouts of large corporations 6 problems/people’s problems 12
Improve the economy 6
Balancing budget/limiting spending 6

Note: All items below 6 percent not shown. All responses are volunteered responses.
Source: Gallup/USA Today, September 2010.

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 7
 What to Cut? Scalpels and Cleavers
Q: As you know, Congress may try to cut federal programs in order to reduce the budget. For each of the following
programs, please tell me whether you think it is . . . ?
More important to More important to prevent
reduce the federal that program from being
budget deficit significantly cut
2010 1995 2010
Medicare–the federal health program for the elderly 19% 19% 79%
Medicaid–the federal health program for the poor 28 29 69
Social Security 19 20 78
Defense spending 48 52 49
Aid to farmers 36 43 61
Funding for the arts 61 66 37
Loans to college students 34 31 65
Welfare programs in general 55 65 43
Assistance to unemployed workers 38 NA 61
Salaries and benefits for the federal government workers 68 NA 30
Source: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, latest that of November 2010.

Q: To reduce the budget deficit, spending cuts or changes to major government programs may be required. In that
context, please tell me for each of the following if you think this approach should be . . . ?
————Approach should be————
Strongly Just Taken off
considered considered the table
On Social Security, remove the cap so that wages over $107,000 a year
are subject to the tax 30% 42% 21%
Allow the income tax rate for the highest income earners to go
back up to where it was 10 years ago 33 32 28
Raise the income tax rate on middle-class Americans by 2 percent 5 23 70
Cut federal spending on roads, bridges, and public transportation 14 37 47
Privatize Medicare with assistance for low-income seniors 19 39 37
Stop extending unemployment benefits beyond the usual
26 weeks to workers who lost their job during the recession 21 36 40
Privatize Social Security 13 31 48
Raise the age at which a person can start receiving Medicare benefits 12 33 52
Raise the age at which a person can start receiving full Social Security benefits 14 33 51
Cut defense spending by 10 percent, which could mean
closing military bases and eliminating major weapons programs 21 28 48
Reduce federal subsidies for college loans by 20 percent 19 36 42
Substantially reduce federal research funds for diseases like cancer
or Alzheimer’s 17 31 51
Source: Selzer & Company/Bloomberg, October 2010.

(continued on the next page)

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 8
(continued from the previous page)

Q: As you know, some members of a federal panel have proposed cutting federal programs and changing the tax laws
in order to reduce the budget deficit. Please tell me whether you favor or oppose each of the following proposals.
Favor Oppose
Eliminating the tax deduction for homeowners with mortgages 27% 70%
Eliminating the tax deduction that parents can take for children under 18 23 75
Increasing the federal tax on gasoline 32 66
Increasing the age in which people are eligible to receive
their full Social Security benefits 32 65
Reducing Social Security benefits for wealthy retirees 53 44
Reducing the yearly increase in Social Security benefits 23 74
Source: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, November 2010.

Q: The following are some ways that some people have proposed making cuts in government spending to reduce the
federal budget deficit. For each one, please tell me if you favor, oppose, or neither favor nor oppose it as a way of
reducing the federal budget deficit.
Ways of reducing the federal budget deficit
Neither favor
Favor nor oppose Oppose
Reducing the number of federal workers 62% 12% 25%
Freezing the salaries of federal workers 59 8 32
Reducing the number of overseas military bases 54 10 34
Eliminating the tax deduction for mortgage interest,
in exchange for a lower overall income tax rate 49 15 31
Reducing Medicare benefits for seniors with higher incomes 45 11 43
Reducing Social Security benefits for seniors with higher incomes 44 9 46
Reducing farm subsidies by 3 billion dollars per year 41 14 40
Reducing research on advanced military weapons systems 39 11 49
Reducing federal government spending on homeland security 34 11 54
Freezing the non-combat pay of members of the military 28 13 55
Reducing the number of people in the military 26 10 61
Reducing federal government spending on education 25 7 67
Eliminating the child tax credit 24 11 61
Source: AP/CNBC/GfK-Roper, November 2010.

Q: As I read a few statements some people have made about the federal government, please tell me if you . . . .
Agree, Americans aren’t willing to pay for
the things they want government to do 56%
Disagree 39
Source: PSRA/Pew, March 2010.

5
The editors of the Political Report wish you a happy New Year.

1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 202 .862.5800 www.aei.org 9