What Americans Want From Their Federal Government
Public confidence in government is at an all-time low, according to a major new survey commissioned by the Center for American Progress. And yet clear majorities of Americans of all ages want and expect more federal involvement in priority areas such as energy, poverty, and education, the poll found.
The key lesson embedded in these seemingly paradoxical results: Americans want a federal government that is better, not smaller. CAP's new research shows people would rather improve government performance than reduce its size. And they are extremely receptive to reform efforts that would eliminate inefficient government programs, implement performance-based policy decisions, and adopt modern management methods and information technologies.
The May survey of 2,523 adults conducted by Hart Research Associates found that public lack of confidence in government's ability to solve problems is more closely related to perceptions of government performance than it is a function of partisan affiliation or political ideology.
A majority of respondents indicated they would be more likely to support political candidates who embrace a reform agenda of improving government performance, effectiveness, and efficiency.
While recession-fueled record low levels of confidence are sobering, the broader lesson for policymakers is that a better-run government will increase public confidence in public institutions.
According to the survey, a majority of Americans respondents favor more government involvement in the following five areas:
- Developing new energy sources
- Improving public schools
- Making college education affordable
- Reducing poverty
- Ensuring access to affordable health care
Apart from health care, over three-fourths of liberals/progressives— and over 60 percent of moderates—favor a stronger government role in every area. Remarkably, at least 40 percent of conservatives/libertarians support a larger role in pursuing each of these four goals. Even on health care, we see a 56 percent majority of moderates supporting more federal engagement.
To read the full report by the Center for American Progress, click here. You can also download the report to your mobile devices or e-reader from Scribd.
