Shocker! Gallup finds that 69 percent of Americans view big government as the biggest threat in the future. The figure is slightly down from 2013, where it stood at 72 percent. For those “Feeling the Bern,” we regret to inform you that only 25 percent feel that big business is a threat, followed by big labor at six percent. Another interesting aspect is the number of Democrats and Independent voters who also feel big government is a problem.
Of course, almost every Republican–88 percent–agrees that big government poses the biggest threat to the country. But 53 percent of Democrats feel the same way, along with 67 percent of Independents. That’s a double-digit gain from 2009-10, where only 32 percent of Democrats felt we should fear our government’s power. Maybe that was before the gears of Obamacare started to move.
Nevertheless, it’s interesting that the party who pushed through Obamacare, the epitome of big government policy, and one that thinks more government power concentrated in Washington would strengthen the socioeconomic fabric of the country feels that big government is our greatest threat.
While down slightly from 2013, 69% of Americans say big government is the biggest threat to the country in the future. This comes at a time when Americans name the government as one of the three most important problems facing the country and when 75% of Americans perceive widespread corruption in the government.
Further, only 8% of Americans in June said they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress, far below the 24% who said they have that much confidence in organized labor and 21% in big business. But slightly more Americans said they have confidence in the presidency and the Supreme Court than said they have confidence in organized labor or big business.
Half of Americans say the federal government poses an immediate threat to rights and freedoms, and Congress' job approval continues to languish -- perhaps explaining why so many see big government as the biggest threat to the country.