These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
62% Say Politicians Want Government to Have More Power and Money
Monday, June 21, 2010
When it comes to money and power, politicians want the government to have more of it, while voters want the government to have less. At least that's what most Americans think.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of Adults nationwide say most politicians want more power and money for the government. Just 13% believe the opposite is true.
At the same time, 58% believe that most voters want the government to have less power and money. Only 22% believe most voters hold the opposite view and want a bigger role for government.
This sense of a fundamental divide between politicians and voters helps explain the frustration felt by many Americans today. Just 21% of voters nationwide believe the government today has the consent of the governed.
This nationwide survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 18-19, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
In his new book, In Search of Governance , Scott Rasmussen says, "The gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians who want to rule over them may be as big today as the gap between the colonies and England during the 18th century." In Search of Self-Governance , is available at Rasmussen Reports and Amazon.com .
The belief that politicians want government to have more power, while voters want the opposite is found across partisan and demographic lines. The gap between the two is much bigger among Republicans and unaffiliated voters than it is among Democrats. However, even a solid plurality of Democrats share the overall perception.
By a 46% to 19% margin, Democrats believe politicians want more power. By a 48% to 27% margin, Democrats believe most voters want the government to have more power and money.
Politicians frequently explain this apparent disconnect by saying that "people hate Congress but love their own congressman." Yet, by a two-to-one margin, voters believe that election rules are "rigged to benefit members of Congress." Also, by a two-to-one margin, Americans believe no matter how bad things are, Congress can make it worse .