A new poll has revealed a massive shift in Americans' opinion on how the government impacts its citizens' private lives.
The results of a new survey reveal that 52% believe that "the government is doing too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses," while 43% think the government should take a more proactive approach in problem solving on a national scale. This is in contrast to the record-high 54% of U.S. adults who said last year that the government should do more to solve the nation's problems
The new Gallup poll on Governance was conducted between September 1 to 17 this year and the annual survey showed a major shift toward favoring a more active government role in 2020 among Democrats and independents compared to Republicans. Last year's results was the second time in Gallup's 29-year trend that at least half of Americans expressed desire for an active role for the government on this item.
The survey also showed that all respondents from different parties were less likely now than last year to favor a more active government role. In 2020, 56% of independents wanted the government to do more to solve problems compared to 38% this year. Those who identified as independent are also now less inclined to want a more active government role this year than in 2019 before the onset of the pandemic, with 45% saying so. Among Republicans, there was no meaningful change last year.
As per the results of the new survey, Americans now also prefer a limited government role when considering the trade-offs between taxes and government services. Half of Americans believe they prefer fewer government services and lower taxes, while only 19% want higher taxes and more services. About 29% prefer taxes and services to stay the same as they are now.
A majority of Americans consistently prefer lower taxes and fewer services, as evidenced by the Gallup poll. Results also showed that a majority of Americans believe that the government is "doing too many things." Up to 54% said that the federal government has too much power, a small drop from the 56% that said the same in 2019.
Notably, since 2005, at least half of Americans said that the government has too much power. The figure rose to 60% in 2013 and 2015. Meanwhile, from 2002 to 2004, in the first few years following the 9/11 attacks, more Americans said the federal government had just the right amount of power than believed it had too much. Very few Americans ever said that the federal government has too little power. This is also indicative of who is currently leading the White House.
"Joe Biden, as I've written before, is a radical president. Especially when it comes to the role government can and should play in the lives of everyday Americans," CNN Editor-at-large Chris Cillizza wrote in a news analysis, as reported by CBN News. Cillizza argued that if the Democratic leader's policy agenda, including this $1 trillion infrastructure bill and multi-trillion dollar social safety net legislation, would pass, it would "fundamentally alter the relationship we have with government."
Cillizza concluded, "In short: The era of small government (such as it ever existed) would be over. The era of expansive government would begin."
