72 Percent of Americans See Big Government as Biggest Threat to Future of Country
Photo Credit: Fox News
By Fox News.
A new Gallup poll finds 72 percent of Americans feel big government poses a greater threat to the United States in the future than big business or big labor, a record high since the polling outfit began asking the question nearly 50 years ago.
The response suggests that far-reaching government policies, such as ObamaCare, along with recent revelations of NSA spying tactics, have helped raise concerns among Americans, the company said Wednesday.
“(The findings) may be partly a reaction to an administration that favors the use of government to solve problems,” Gallup wrote.
Big government has always topped business and labor as a concern since Gallup began asking the question in 1965, but its previous high was 65 percent in 1999 and 2000, before the Sept. 11 attacks helped rally American support for government institutions and officials.
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Record High in U.S. Say Big Government Greatest Threat
By Jeffrey M. Jones.
Seventy-two percent of Americans say big government is a greater threat to the U.S. in the future than is big business or big labor, a record high in the nearly 50-year history of this question. The prior high for big government was 65% in 1999 and 2000. Big government has always topped big business and big labor, including in the initial asking in 1965, but just 35% named it at that time.
The latest update comes from a Dec. 5-8 poll. Gallup has documented a steady increase in concern about big government since 2009, rising from 55% in March 2009 to 64% in November 2011 and 72% today. This suggests that government policies specific to the period, such as the Affordable Care Act — perhaps coupled with recent revelations of government spying tactics by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden — may be factors.
Currently, 21% name big business as the greatest threat, while 5%, a record low, say big labor. The high point for big labor was 29% in 1965. No more than 11% of Americans have chosen big labor since 1995, clearly reflecting the decline of the labor movement in the United States in recent decades.
The historical high choosing big business, 38%, came in 2002, after a series of corporate scandals rocked major corporations including Enron and Tyco. Also at that time, Americans may have been less willing to choose government given the rally in support for government institutions and officials after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Americans were also more likely to view big business as a big threat during the recent recession, with more than three in 10 choosing it in 2008 and 2009, a time when many large corporations, including financial and automotive companies, failed or were in danger of failing without government intervention. But fewer Americans now view big business as a threat — the current 21% is the lowest Gallup has measured since 1983.
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