U.S. Public Picks “Most Popular Federal Government Services”
Jan 19th, 2010 • Posted in: Research ReportMedicare, crime fighting, Social Security, and defense most popular; foreign aid, immigration and naturalization, and food stamps least popular
From Harris Interactive:
“The level of support for most major federal government programs, which rose significantly between 2005 and 2008, remains high. But there has been a little slippage since last year. Medicare, crime-fighting and prevention and Social Security are the most popular of 13 programs covered in this survey, followed by defense, the national parks, unemployment benefits and federal aid to public schools.
“The programs that receive the least public support are foreign aid and immigration and naturalization….
“The main findings of this survey include:
- “A 57% majority of adults support the Medicare program ‘a great deal,’ and a further 33% support it ’somewhat,’ making a total of 90% who support it.
- “Other very popular services include crime-fighting and prevention (88% support, 47% ‘a great deal’), Social Security (86% support and 53% ‘a great deal’); defense (83% and 47% ‘a great deal’); the national parks (83% support and 41% ‘a great deal’); unemployment benefits (82% support and 39% ‘a great deal’) and federal aid to public schools (81% support and 43% ‘A great deal’)….
- “The one program supported by less than 50% is foreign aid (37% support and 6% ‘a great deal’).
“…While the level of support for most programs has not fallen significantly, support for three programs has fallen by five or more percentage points:
- “Immigration and naturalization (from 64% to 55%);
- “Environmental protection (from, 81% to 74%);
- “National parks (from 88% to 83%).
“Surprisingly perhaps, the proportions of Republicans and Democrats who support most of those programs are not very different…. The biggest differences between Republican and Conservative support are for environmental protection (55% and 88%), and food stamps (48% and 78%).
“It is interesting that while government, and ‘Washington,’ are generally unpopular, 12 of the 13 major federal government services are supported by more than half of all adults, ten are supported by more than 70%, and seven are supported by more than 80%.
“The differences between Democrats who tend to be ‘pro-government’ and Republicans who are more likely to be ‘anti-government’ are not as large as one might have expected. Most Republicans support 11 of these 13 programs.
“A possible hypothesis would explain the trends in these numbers since 2005 — that support for government programs increases as the economy goes south, and is starting to fall now as the economy starts to recover.”
For the full press release from Harris Interactive, Jan. 14, click here.
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I would like to see an inquiry into all government authorized CHARITY. American society supports a great number of good causes around the world. At home we have Federal, State, Town, and village charity but none are called that. Special names, entitlements, emergency management funds, earned income tax credits, medicaid are examples of “government charity” which is really the taxpayer’s money. Abroad, who knows? I am hoping that it all would be labeled in parentheses as {charity] and we have a grasp of what we are doing. The popularity of federal services does not seem of value to me.