Institutions

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Major Institutions	MAJOR INSTITUTIONS in general GOVERNMENT: In general ˇ Federal ˇ State ˇ Local See also: Political parties

Major Institutions

Gallup Poll. Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 2011. N=1,012 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"In your opinion, which of the following will be the biggest threat to the country in the future: big business, big labor, or big government?"
.
		Big business	Big labor	Big government	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/28 - 12/1/11	26	8	64	2
	3/27-29/09	32	10	55	3
	12/4-7/08	31	11	53	6
	12/11-14/06	25	9	61	5
	12/5-7/05	27	8	61	4
	12/5-8/04	27	11	57	5
	11/10-12/03	29	9	57	5
	7/5-8/02	38	10	47	5
	10/25-28/00	22	7	65	6
	8/24-26/99	24	8	65	3

Gallup Poll. March 25-27, 2011. N=1,027 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
						.
"As I read off each of the following, please tell me whether you think it has too much power, about the right amount of power, or not enough power. How about [see below]?"
						.
		Too much	About right	Not enough	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
						.
	"Lobbyists"
	3/25-27/11	71	13	8	8
						.
	"Major corporations"
	3/25-27/11	67	21	9	3
						.
	"Banks and financial institutions"
	3/25-27/11	67	23	8	2
						.
	"The federal government in Washington"
	3/25-27/11	58	30	9	3
						.
	"Labor unions"
	3/25-27/11	43	28	24	4
						.
	"The government in your state"
	3/25-27/11	34	49	15	2
						.
	"The courts, legal system and judges"
	3/25-27/11	34	49	14	3
						.
	"Organized religion and churches"
	3/25-27/11	25	46	24	4
						.
	"The municipal or local government where you live"
	3/25-27/11	22	53	21	3
						.
	"The military"
	3/25-27/11	14	53	28	4

Gallup Poll. July 8-11, 2010. N=1,020 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
						.
"I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one: a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little. . . ."
						.
		A great deal	Quite a lot	Some	Very little	None (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%	%
	The military
	7/8-11/10	44	32	18	4	1	1
	6/14-17/09	45	37	12	5	-	1
	6/9-12/08	45	26	20	7	1	1
	6/11-14/07	39	30	21	8	1	-
	6/1-4/06	41	32	19	5	1	1
						.
	Small business
	7/8-11/10	30	36	26	6	-	1
	6/14-17/09	30	37	26	7	-	1
	6/9-12/08	28	32	31	7	-	2
	6/11-14/07	24	35	32	7	-	2
						.
	The police
	7/8-11/10	26	33	27	12	1	1
	6/14-17/09	28	31	29	10	1	-
	6/9-12/08	28	30	30	10	1	1
	6/11-14/07	23	31	33	12	1	1
	6/1-4/06	25	33	29	10	2	1
						.
	The church or organized religion
	7/8-11/10	25	23	30	18	2	2
	6/14-17/09	29	23	29	14	3	2
	6/9-12/08	26	22	31	15	2	3
	6/11-14/07	24	22	30	21	2	2
	6/1-4/06	28	24	26	19	2	1
						.
	The medical system
	7/8-11/10	16	24	38	20	1	1
	6/14-17/09	15	21	41	21	2	1
	6/9-12/08	16	19	38	24	2	1
	6/11-14/07	13	18	38	28	2	1
	6/1-4/06	14	24	36	22	2	1
						.
	The presidency
	7/8-11/10	16	20	26	31	6	1
	6/14-17/09	26	25	24	19	4	1
	6/9-12/08	13	13	25	41	7	2
	6/11-14/07	12	13	28	39	7	1
	6/1-4/06	15	18	25	36	4	1
						.
	The U.S. Supreme Court
	7/8-11/10	15	21	43	16	2	3
	6/14-17/09	15	24	41	17	1	3
	6/9-12/08	13	19	44	17	1	5
	6/11-14/07	14	20	41	21	2	2
	6/1-4/06	14	26	41	15	1	3
						.
	The public schools
	7/8-11/10	14	20	39	23	1	2
	6/14-17/09	15	23	39	20	2	1
	6/9-12/08	16	17	42	22	1	2
	6/11-14/07	14	19	41	25	1	1
	6/1-4/06	15	22	36	23	2	2
						.
	The criminal justice system
	7/8-11/10	9	18	44	24	3	1
	6/14-17/09	11	17	44	25	2	1
	6/9-12/08	8	12	44	32	2	2
	6/11-14/07	7	12	44	33	2	1
	6/1-4/06	9	16	43	28	3	1
						.
	Newspapers
	7/8-11/10	9	16	41	29	4	2
	6/14-17/09	10	15	43	27	4	1
	6/9-12/08	10	14	45	26	2	2
	6/11-14/07	8	14	48	26	2	1
	6/1-4/06	12	18	40	25	2	2
						.
	Banks
	7/8-11/10	9	14	45	28	2	1
	6/14-17/09	8	14	49	26	3	1
	6/9-12/08	11	21	45	21	1	1
	6/11-14/07	15	26	44	13	1	1
	6/1-4/06	18	31	39	10	-	1
						.
	Television news
	7/8-11/10	11	11	41	32	4	1
	6/14-17/09	10	13	41	31	4	1
	6/9-12/08	11	13	43	28	3	2
	6/11-14/07	10	13	40	33	3	1
	6/1-4/06	12	19	40	25	3	1
						.
	Organized labor
	7/8-11/10	10	10	41	33	3	4
	6/14-17/09	8	11	40	34	5	3
	6/9-12/08	10	10	44	28	2	6
	6/11-14/07	8	11	45	29	3	3
	6/1-4/06	9	15	43	26	2	6
						.
	Health maintenance organizations, HMOs
	7/8-11/10	8	11	43	28	4	5
	6/14-17/09	8	10	44	31	4	3
	6/9-12/08	6	7	41	38	3	5
	6/11-14/07	7	8	39	38	4	4
	6/1-4/06	6	9	40	33	5	6
						.
	Big business
	7/8-11/10	7	12	42	35	3	1
	6/14-17/09	6	10	42	36	5	1
	6/9-12/08	7	13	43	32	3	2
	6/11-14/07	7	11	39	38	3	2
	6/1-4/06	6	12	40	36	4	2
						.
	Congress
	7/8-11/10	4	7	37	45	5	2
	6/14-17/09	6	11	45	34	4	1
	6/9-12/08	6	6	45	38	3	2
	6/11-14/07	4	10	46	36	3	1
	6/1-4/06	5	14	44	32	3	2

The Harris Poll. Feb. 16-21, 2010. N=1,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"As far as people in charge of running [see below] are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them?"
						.
		Great Deal of Confidence
						.
		2/10	2/09	2/08	2/07
		%	%	%	%
	The military	59	58	51	46
	Small business	50	48	47	54
	Major educational institutions, such as colleges and universities	35	40	32	37
	Medicine	34	34	28	37
	The U.S. Supreme Court	31	30	25	27
	The White House	27	36	15	22
	Organized religion	26	28	25	27
	The courts and the justice system	24	19	16	21
	Public schools	22	25	20	22
	Television news	17	22	16	20
	Major companies	15	11	14	16
	Organized labor	14	16	11	15
	The press	13	12	10	12
	Law firms	13	11	10	13
	Congress	8	9	8	10
	Wall Street	8	4	11	17
						.
		Great Deal of Confidence
						.
		2/06	2/05	2/04	12/02	1/02
		%	%	%	%	%
	The military	47	47	62	62	71
	Small business	45	47	n/a	n/a	n/a
	Major educational institutions, such as colleges and universities	38	39	37	31	33
	The U.S. Supreme Court	33	29	29	34	41
	Medicine	31	29	32	31	29
	Organized religion	30	27	27	19	23
	The White House	25	31	31	40	50
	Public schools	22	26	n/a	n/a	n/a
	The courts and the justice system	21	22	n/a	n/a	n/a
	Television news	19	16	17	21	24
	Wall Street	15	15	17	12	19
	The press	14	12	15	15	16
	Major companies	13	17	12	13	16
	Organized labor	12	17	15	14	11
	Congress	10	16	13	20	22
	Law firms	10	11	10	12	13

Gallup Poll. Jan. 26-27, 2010. N=972 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"Just off the top of your head, would you say you have a positive or negative image of each of the following? How about . . . ?"
.
		Positive	Negative	Unsure
		%	%	%
	Small business	95	4	1
	Free enterprise	86	10	4
	Entrepreneurs	84	10	6
	Capitalism	61	33	7
	Big business	49	49	2
	The federal government	46	51	3
	Socialism	36	58	6

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. May 20-21, 2003. N=900 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"I'm going to read you a list of people and institutions. Please tell me how much confidence you have in each. How much confidence do you have in [see below]: a great deal, some, not much, or none at all?"
						.
		A great deal	Some	Not much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	The military	77	19	2	1	1
	The President	49	27	13	10	1
	The public school system	18	45	22	11	4
	The Catholic Church	17	25	18	21	19
	The Internal Revenue Service	12	50	19	13	6
	The Congress	11	60	19	6	4
	The news media	9	43	31	15	2
	Major business corporations	6	43	29	17	5

Bloomberg News Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. June 11-16, 2002. N=1,201 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
					.
"As far as people in charge of running [see below] are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them?"
					.
		Great deal	Only some	Hardly any	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	The White House	29	51	16	4
	Major companies	13	55	27	5
	Congress	12	64	19	5
	Organized labor	11	53	28	9
	Wall Street	11	52	26	10

Government

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by Hart Research Associates (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R). Nov. 14-17, 2014. N=1,000 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.
						.
"I'm going to read you two statements about the role of government, and I'd like to know which one comes closer to your point of view. Statement A: Government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people. OR, Statement B: Government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals." Options rotated
						.
		Should do more	Doing too many things	Some of both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	11/14-17/14	52	46	1	1
	6/11-15/14	46	50	2	2
	10/7-9/13	52	44	2	2
	5/30 - 6/2/13	48	48	2	2
	6/20-24/12	49	47	2	2
	6/9-13/11	51	46	2	1
	2/24-28/11	51	46	2	1
	3/2-5/07	52	40	6	2
	1/02	45	43	9	3
	12/97	41	51	5	3

Pew Research Center. Nov. 6-9, 2014. N=1,353 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.
.
"And thinking about the government, which comes closer to your view, even if neither is exactly right? Government should do more to solve problems. Government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals." Options rotated
.
		Should do more	Is doing too many things	Both/Neither/ Unsure/ Refused	.
		%	%	%	.
	11/6-9/14	49	46	6	.
	1/23 - 2/9/14	45	51	4	.
	9/12-16/12	44	49	6	.
	11/4-7/10	43	48	9	.
	6/8-28/10	43	47	10	.

CBS News Poll. July 29-Aug. 4, 2014. N=1,344 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"If you had to choose, would you rather have a smaller government providing fewer services, or a bigger government providing more services?"
.
		Smaller/ Fewer	Bigger/ More	Depends (vol.)	Unsure/ No answer
		%	%	%	%
	7/29 - 8/4/14	56	35	3	6

CNN/ORC Poll. Oct. 18-20, 2013. N=841 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
.
"On the whole, would you say you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the nation is being governed?"
.
		Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	14	83	2
	3/15-17/13	25	74	1
.
"Some people think the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Others think that government should do more to solve our country's problems. Which comes closer to your own view?"
.
		Trying to do too much	Should do more	Depends/ Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	60	35	4	-
	6/3-7/11	63	33	3	1
	7/16-21/10	61	35	3	1
	12/19-21/08	52	45	2	-
	10/20-22/06	54	37	-	9
.
"How much confidence do you have in our system of government: a great deal of confidence, some, only a little, or none at all?"
.
		A great deal	Some	Only a little	None at all
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	17	33	27	23
	5/17-18/13	17	39	26	17
.
"How much confidence do you have in the people who run our government: a great deal of confidence, some, only a little, or none at all?"
.
		A great deal	Some	Only a little	None at all
		%	%	%	%
	10/18-20/13	4	29	39	28
	5/17-18/13	8	35	34	22

Gallup Poll. Oct. 3-6, 2013. N=1,028 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"On the whole, would you say you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the nation is being governed?"
.
		Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/3-6/13	18	81	2
	9/5-8/13	32	67	1
	9/6-9/12	34	64	1
	9/8-11/11	19	81	1
	9/14-16/07	31	67	2
	9/7-10/06	41	57	2
	9/12-15/05	44	55	1
	9/13-15/04	49	49	2
	9/8-10/03	56	43	1
	9/5-8/02	59	39	2
	9/7-10/01	57	39	4

Gallup Poll. Sept. 5-8, 2013. N=1,510 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"Some people think the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Others think that government should do more to solve our country's problems. Which comes closer to your own view?"
.
		Trying to do too much	Should do more	Depends/ Mixed (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/5-8/13	53	40	4	3
	9/24-27/12	57	34	6	3
	9/8-11/11	56	39	2	2
	6/11-13/10	53	39	7	1
	8/31 - 9/2/09	57	38	4	1
	3/27-29/09	50	42	6	2
	3/5-8/09	47	42	8	3
	9/8-11/08	53	41	4	2
	6/15-18/08	50	43	5	2
	9/5-8/02	50	43	5	2

Pew Research Center/USA Today. Sept. 4-8, 2013. N=1,506 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
.
"If you had to choose, would you rather have a smaller government providing fewer services, or a bigger government providing more services?"
.
		Smaller/ Fewer	Bigger/ More	Depends (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	9/4-8/13	51	40	2	7
	9/12-16/12	51	40	4	6
	1/4-8/12	52	39	2	7

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll**. Aug. 22-25, 2012. N=1,002 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"Generally speaking, would you say you favor smaller government with fewer services, or larger government with more services?" Options rotated
.
		Smaller	Larger	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/22-25/12	56	38	7
	1/12-15/10	58	38	4
	6/18-21/09	54	41	4
	1/13-16/09	53	43	4
	6/08	50	45	5
	11/07	50	44	5
	6/04	50	46	4
	7/02	53	42	6
	1/02	54	41	5

Gallup Poll. Jan. 7-9, 2011. N=1,018 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"I'm going to read some aspects of life in America today. For each one, please say whether you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. How about our system of government and how well it works?"
.
		Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/7-9/11	8	34	29	27	2
	1/10-14/01	16	52	21	9	2

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb. 12-15, 2010. N=1,023 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"Which of the following statements comes closest to your view? Our system of government is broken and cannot be fixed. Our system of government is broken but can be fixed. Our system of government is not broken."
.
		Broken, cannot be fixed	Broken, but can be fixed	Not broken	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/12-15/10	5	81	14	1
	10/13-15/06	7	71	22	-
.
"Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in this country?"
.
		Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%
	2/12-15/10	40	59	1

Gallup Poll. Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"How much trust and confidence do you have in general in men and women in political life in this country who either hold or are running for public office: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all?"
.
		Great deal	Fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/31 - 9/2/09	5	44	42	8	1
	9/8-11/08	8	58	29	3	2
	9/14-16/07	5	50	37	6	1
	9/12-15/05	4	54	35	5	2
	9/13-15/04	6	57	32	3	2
	9/8-10/03	5	54	36	4	1
	9/02	6	54	33	6	1
	9/01	4	51	39	6	-
	7/00	7	57	31	3	2
	12/98	7	56	31	4	2
.
"More generally, how much trust and confidence do you have in the American people as a whole when it comes to making judgments under our democratic system about the issues facing our country: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all?"
.
		Great deal	Fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/31 - 9/2/09	20	53	23	4	-
	9/8-11/08	19	53	23	3	2
	9/14-16/07	17	53	27	4	-

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. March 4-5, 2009. N=1,203 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
.
"In general, government grows bigger as it provides more services. If you had to choose, would you rather have a smaller government providing less services, or a bigger government providing more services?"
.
		Smaller	Bigger	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	44	44	12
	Republicans	67	24	9
	Democrats	23	65	12
	Independents	45	42	13

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Jan. 10-13, 2008. N=2,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.
.
"Do you think that quite a few of the people running the government are crooked, not very many are, or do you think hardly any of them are crooked?"
.
		Quite a few	Not very many	Hardly any	All (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/10-13/08	52	28	10	5	4
	7/6-9/00	49	38	8	3	2
	5/30 - 6/1/97	50	37	8	3	2
	5/9-12/96	52	32	9	5	2
	6/3-6/94	58	29	6	5	2
	4/20-22/92	61	25	7	4	3

CBS News/New York Times Poll. July 11-15, 2004. N=955 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"Would you say the government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves or that it is run for the benefit of all the people?"
.
		A few big interests	All the people	Unsure
		%	%	%
	7/04	64	28	8

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Oct. 9-10, 2003. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
"Generally speaking, how often do you think you can trust the government to do what's right? Can you trust the government most of the time, only some of the time, hardly ever, or never?"
						.
		Most of the time	Some of the time	Hardly ever	Never	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/03	27	52	13	6	2

*CBS News/New York Times* Poll**. May 10-13, 2000. N=947 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
						.
		ALL	Republicans	Democrats	Independents
		%	%	%	%
"Do you think the government can have a positive impact on your own life, or not?"
	Can	83	88	84	76
	Cannot	15	11	13	20
	Don't know	2	1	3	4
						.
"These days, what kind of impact do you think the government has on most people's lives -- a positive impact, a negative impact, or doesn't the government have much impact on most people's lives?"
	Positive	37	34	44	34
	Negative	29	34	19	36
	Not much	24	22	26	23
	Don't know	10	10	11	7
						.
"How much say do you think people like yourself have about what the government does -- a good deal, some, or not much?"
	Good deal	10	10	8	11
	Some	25	28	31	18
	Not much	64	61	61	69
	Don't know	1	1	0	2

Council for Excellence in Government poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). May 21-28, June 1, 1999. N=1,214 adults nationwide.
					.
"Overall, how would you describe the effect that government has had on the lives of you and your family: very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative, or very negative, or has it had no effect either way?"
					.
		%
	Very positive	7
	Somewhat positive	44
	Somewhat negative	18
	Very negative	8
	No effect either way	20
	Not sure	3
					.
"When you think and talk about government, do you tend to think of it more as THE government or more as OUR government?"
					.
		%
	THE government	55
	OUR government	42
	Not sure	3
					.
"One goal that Americans have traditionally considered important is to have a government that is 'of, by, and for the people' -- meaning that it involves the people and represents them. In your opinion, do we have a government today that is 'of, by, and for the people?'"
					.
		%
	Yes	39
	No	54
	Not sure	7
					.
"Some people say that we get the government we deserve, because so many people do not make the effort to vote or get involved. Other people say that we deserve better government than we get from our leaders. Which do you agree with more: we get the government we deserve, or we deserve to get better government?"
					.
		%
	We get what we deserve	38
	We deserve better	49
	Some of both (vol.)	11
	Neither (vol.)	1
	Not sure	1
					.
Asked of half the sample: "Among the following, which one or two would you say are most responsible for what is wrong with government today? . . ."
					.
		%
	Special interest groups	38
	The media	29
	Elected officials	24
	Political parties	24
	The public	14
	Government employees	6
	None/Other/All (vol.)	8
	Not sure	2
					.
Asked of half the sample: "Which do you think is the bigger problem today: elected officials who worry too much about doing what is popular instead of providing leadership, or elected officials who pursue their own personal agendas rather than the public's priorities?"
					.
				%
	Elected officials who pursue own agendas			55
	Officials who worry about doing what is popular			28
	Some of both (vol.)			14
	Neither (vol.)			1
	Not sure			2
					.
"Now I have some questions about your own involvement with government. Some people feel close and connected to government, while others feel more distant and disconnected from government. How would you describe your own relationship to [see below]: very connected, fairly connected, fairly disconnected, or very disconnected?"
					.
		Federal Government	State Government	Local Government
		%	%	%
	Very connected	6	8	14
	Fairly connected	27	33	37
	Fairly disconnected	34	33	27
	Very disconnected	29	22	19
	Not sure	4	4	3

Government: Federal

Pew Research Center. Oct. 9-13, 2013. N=1,504 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
.
"Some people say they are basically content with the federal government, others say they are frustrated, and others say they are angry. Which of these best describes how you feel?"
.
		Basically content	Frustrated	Angry	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	12	55	30	3
.
"How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just about always	Most of the time	Only some of the time	Never (vol.)	Unsure/ Refused
		%	%	%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	3	16	68	12	1
.
"Now I'd like your views on some people. Would you say your overall opinion of federal government workers is very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?"
.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of (vol.)	Can't rate (vol.)/Refused
		%	%	%	%
	10/9-13/13	62	29	1	7

CNN/ORC Poll. June 11-13, 2013. N=1,014 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"Do you think the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens, or not?"
						.
		Poses an immediate threat	Does not pose an immediate threat	Unsure	.	.
		%	%	%	.	.
	6/11-13/13	62	37	1	.	.
	2/12-15/10	56	44	-	.	.

Gallup Poll. May 20-21, 2013. N=523 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 6.
.
"Do you think the federal government today has too much power, has about the right amount of power, or has too little power?" Options rotated
						.
		Too much	About right	Too little	Unsure	.
		%	%	%	%	.
	5/20-21/13	54	36	8	1	.
	9/6-9/12	51	40	8	1	.
	9/8-11/11	57	35	8	1	.
	9/13-16/10	59	33	8	1	.
	8/31 - 9/2/09	51	39	8	2	.
	3/5-8/09	50	42	7	2	.
	9/8-11/08	52	40	6	2	.
	9/5-8/02	39	52	7	2	.
.
"Do you think the federal government poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens, or not?"
						.
		Poses an immediate threat	Does not pose an immediate threat	Unsure	.	.
		%	%	%	.	.
	5/20-21/13	46	53	2	.	.
	9/8-11/11	49	50	2	.	.
	9/13-16/10	46	51	3	.	.

Pew Research Center. March 13-17, 2013. N=1,501 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
.
"Would you say your overall opinion of the federal government in Washington is very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?"
.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/13-17/13	28	65	2	5
	4/4-15/12	33	62	-	5
	7/22-26/09	42	50	-	8
	4/08	37	58	1	4
	1/07	45	46	1	8
	2/06	43	50	-	7
	12/05	46	49	-	5
	10/05	45	48	-	7
	2/04	59	36	-	5
	4/03	73	22	0	5
	12/02	64	27	-	9
	11/01	82	15	0	3
	10/97	38	59	0	3

CNN/ORC Poll. Sept. 23-25, 2011. N=1,010 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just about always	Most of the time	Only some of the time	Never (vol.)
		%	%	%	%
	9/23-25/11	2	13	77	8
	9/1-2/10	2	23	66	8
	2/12-15/10	2	24	69	5
	12/16-20/09	2	18	72	8
	12/19-21/08	3	22	66	9

Gallup Poll. Jan. 7-9, 2011. N=1,018 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"I'm going to read some aspects of life in America today. For each one, please say whether you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. How about the size and power of the federal government?"
.
		Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/7-9/11	5	26	29	38	2
	1/10-14/01	8	42	29	18	3

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. June 23-24, 2010. N=964 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.8.
.
"Some people say they are basically content with the federal government, others say they are frustrated, and others say they are angry. Which of these best describes how you feel?"
.
		Basically content	Frustrated	Angry	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	6/23-24/10	21	52	24	3

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. June 3-6, 2010. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.5.
.
"I am going to mention four phrases and ask you which one best describes how you feel about the way the federal government works. Do you feel enthusiastic, satisfied but not enthusiastic, dissatisfied but not angry, or angry?"
.
		Enthusiastic	Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Angry	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	6/3-6/10	2	28	45	25	1
	4/22-25/10	4	26	51	18	1
	2/4-8/10	3	29	48	19	-
	10/03	2	41	42	15	-
	10/02	4	47	42	7	1
	2/02	7	49	36	7	1
	12/00	4	55	34	6	1

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb. 12-15, 2010. N=1,023 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"Which of the following words or phrases do you think describe officials in Washington and which do not describe them? . . ."
.
		Describes	Does not describe	Unsure
		%	%	%
.
	"Heavily influenced by special interests"
	2/12-15/10	87	13	1
.
	"Mainly concerned about getting reelected"
	2/12-15/10	86	13	-
.
	"Out of touch with the average person"
	2/12-15/10	81	19	1
.
	"Honest"
	2/12-15/10	22	75	3
.
"Do you think you personally could do a better job running the country than our government officials are presently doing?"
.
		Yes	No
		%	%
	2/12-15/10	36	64

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Feb. 2-3, 2010. N=900 registered voters nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"Overall, do you feel like the federal government is trying to do too much these days, too little, or about the right amount?"
.
		Too much	Too little	About right	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/2-3/10	57	17	21	4

Gallup Poll. Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"How much trust and confidence do you have in our federal government in Washington when it comes to handling [see below]: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all?"
							.
		Great deal	Fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	"International problems"
							.
	8/31 - 9/2/09	13	49	28	9	1
	9/8-11/08	13	43	31	12	1
	9/14-16/07	8	43	34	13	1
	2/1-4/07	7	46	36	10	1
	9/7-10/06	13	39	33	14	1
	2/6-9/06	10	49	31	8	2
	9/12-15/05	14	42	33	11	-
	2/7-10/05	14	48	31	7	-
	9/13-15/04	18	45	28	8	1
.
	"Domestic problems"
							.
	8/31 - 9/2/09	9	42	34	14	1
	9/8-11/08	6	42	37	14	1
	9/14-16/07	6	41	38	14	1
	2/1-4/07	8	44	38	10	1
	9/7-10/06	8	44	34	13	1
	2/6-9/06	8	45	36	10	1
	9/12-15/05	10	43	35	11	1
	2/7-10/05	9	47	35	8	1
	9/13-15/04	13	48	31	7	1
.
"As you know, our federal government is made up of three branches: an executive branch, headed by the president; a judicial branch, headed by the U.S. Supreme Court; and a legislative branch, made up of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. (First,) let me ask you how much trust and confidence you have at this time in [see below]: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all?"
							.
		Great deal	Fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
							.
	"The executive branch, headed by the president"
							.
	8/31 - 9/2/09	26	35	22	16	1
	9/8-11/08	12	30	30	28	1
	9/14-16/07	15	28	32	24	1
	9/7-10/06	15	31	28	24	1
	9/12-15/05	19	33	30	18	-
	9/13-15/04	31	27	25	16	1
	9/03	25	35	26	14	-
	9/02	28	44	20	7	1
	9/01	21	42	28	8	1
	7/00	18	47	23	11	1
	2/99	21	43	24	11	1
	12/98	24	39	23	12	2
	6/97	13	49	27	9	2
	6/76	13	45	30	9	4
	4/74	12	28	36	20	3
	5/72	24	49	20	4	2
							.
	"The judicial branch, headed by the U.S. Supreme Court"
							.
	8/31 - 9/2/09	18	58	18	4	2
	9/8-11/08	14	55	23	6	3
	9/14-16/07	15	54	23	6	1
	9/7-10/06	15	54	21	7	3
	9/12-15/05	13	55	25	6	1
	9/13-15/04	14	51	27	6	2
	9/03	13	54	27	5	1
	9/02	17	58	18	5	2
	9/01	17	57	20	4	2
	7/00	23	52	18	6	1
	2/99	29	51	13	5	2
	12/98	27	51	16	4	2
	6/97	19	52	22	5	2
	6/76	16	47	26	6	4
	4/74	17	54	20	5	5
	5/72	17	49	24	7	4
							.
	"The legislative branch, consisting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives"
							.
	8/31 - 9/2/09	6	39	38	17	-
	9/8-11/08	4	43	38	12	2
	9/14-16/07	5	45	36	12	1
	9/7-10/06	6	50	31	10	2
	9/12-15/05	8	54	31	6	1
	9/13-15/04	7	53	33	6	1
	9/03	8	55	31	5	1
	9/02	9	58	26	6	1
	9/01	7	58	28	6	1
	7/00	11	57	24	7	1
	2/99	8	49	34	7	2
	12/98	13	48	30	7	2
	6/97	6	48	36	8	2
	6/76	9	52	31	6	4
	4/74	13	55	24	4	4
	5/72	13	58	22	3	3

CBS News Poll. Aug. 27-31, 2009. N=1,097 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just about always	Most of the time	Only some of the time	Never (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/27-31/09	2	21	68	7	2
	6/12-16/09	3	17	73	6	1
	10/10-13/08	1	16	74	9	1
	7/9-17/07	2	22	71	5	0
	10/5-8/06	2	26	66	4	1
	9/15-19/06	1	26	65	6	2
	1/20-25/06	5	27	63	4	1
	12/2-6/05	2	30	65	2	1
	9/9-13/05	3	26	63	6	2
	7/11-15/04	4	36	56	3	1
	7/13-27/03	4	32	60	3	1
	9/2-5/02	5	33	57	4	2
	10/25-28/01	10	45	42	2	2

Gallup Poll. July 10-12, 2009. N=1,018 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"How would you rate the job being done by [see below]? Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?"
.
		Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
.
	"NASA, the U.S. space agency"
	7/10-12/09	13	45	26	7	10
	9/8-10/03	12	38	36	10	4
.
	"The Department of Homeland Security"
	7/10-12/09	8	38	31	18	4
	9/8-10/03	10	38	33	15	4
.
	"The Federal Reserve Board"
	7/10-12/09	4	26	35	22	13
	9/8-10/03	10	43	33	5	9
.
	"The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the FBI"
	7/10-12/09	10	48	27	7	8
	9/8-10/03	10	43	31	12	4
.
	"The Central Intelligence Agency, or the CIA"
	7/10-12/09	10	37	29	13	12
	9/8-10/03	9	36	35	13	7
.
	"The Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS"
	7/10-12/09	5	35	36	20	5
	9/8-10/03	6	38	38	15	3
.
	"The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA"
	7/10-12/09	5	37	33	21	4
	9/8-10/03	6	33	38	20	3
.
	"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC"
	7/10-12/09	11	50	24	10	5
	9/8-10/03	18	48	25	6	3
.
	"The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA"
	7/10-12/09	5	33	37	22	3

Associated Press poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Dec. 17-19, 2007. N=1,004 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.1.
						.
"I'd like your opinion on some organizations and institutions. For each of the following, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the organization or institution. Let's start with [see below]." If "favorable" or "unfavorable": "Is that very favorable/unfavorable or somewhat favorable/unfavorable?" If unsure: "Do you mean you've never heard of [see below] or you just can't rate it?"
						.
		Very favorable	Somewhat favorable	Somewhat unfavorable	Very unfavorable	Never heard of	Can't rate
		%	%	%	%	%	%
						.
	The Postal Service
	12/17-19/07	58	31	5	5	-	1
						.
	The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI
	12/17-19/07	31	46	10	7	1	5
						.
	The U.S. Supreme Court
	12/17-19/07	27	43	15	9	1	5
						.
	The Defense Department
	12/17-19/07	31	34	14	15	2	4
						.
	The Social Security Administration
	12/17-19/07	24	40	19	13	-	4
						.
	The Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA
	12/17-19/07	23	40	16	15	1	5
						.
	The Food and Drug Administration, the FDA
	12/17-19/07	21	41	19	13	3	3
						.
	The Department of Homeland Security
	12/17-19/07	24	36	17	17	1	5
						.
	The Department of Education
	12/17-19/07	22	37	19	19	-	3
						.
	The Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA
	12/17-19/07	22	36	16	14	2	10
						.
	The Transportation Security Administration, the TSA
	12/17-19/07	15	41	16	9	9	9
						.
	The Internal Revenue Service, the IRS
	12/17-19/07	14	42	21	18	1	4
						.
	The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA
	12/17-19/07	16	33	21	20	5	5
						.
	The U.S. Congress
	12/17-19/07	11	35	24	26	0	4

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Jan. 6-8, 2006. N=1,003 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just about always	Most of the time	Only some of the time	Never (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/6-8/06	4	28	64	3	1
	6/16-19/05	4	26	65	5	-
	10/03	4	33	58	4	1
	9/02	8	38	52	2	-
	6/02	6	39	51	3	1
	10/01	13	47	38	1	1
	7/00	4	38	56	2	-
	2/99	5	29	64	2	-
	2/98	6	33	59	2	-
	6/97	3	29	65	2	1

Gallup Poll. Sept. 12-15, 2005. N=921 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
						.
"Next, we are going to name some major areas the federal government handles. For each one, please say whether you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the work the government is doing. How about [see below]?"
						.
			Satisfied	Dissat- isfied	Unsure
			%	%	%
	National parks and open space
	9/12-15/05		71	27	2
	9/7-10/01		64	31	5
		.				.
	The nation's military and national defense
	9/12-15/05		59	40	1
	9/7-10/01		65	31	4
		.				.
	Agriculture and farming
	9/12-15/05		56	38	6
	9/7-10/01		49	43	8
		.				.
	Transportation
	9/12-15/05		56	42	2
	9/7-10/01		65	29	6
		.				.
	Homeland security
	9/12-15/05		50	49	1
		.				.
	Environmental issues
	9/12-15/05		48	51	1
	9/7-10/01		46	50	4
		.				.
	Public housing and urban development
	9/12-15/05		47	49	4
	9/7-10/01		49	43	8
		.				.
	Criminal justice
	9/12-15/05		47	52	1
	9/7-10/01		40	57	3
		.				.
	Labor and employment issues
	9/12-15/05		44	54	2
	9/7-10/01		42	54	4
		.				.
	Foreign affairs
	9/12-15/05		41	58	1
	9/7-10/01		57	38	5
		.				.
	Education
	9/12-15/05		41	59	-
	9/7-10/01		38	60	2
		.				.
	Job creation and economic growth
	9/12-15/05		39	60	1
	9/7-10/01		39	58	3
		.				.
	Responding to natural disasters
	9/12-15/05		33	66	1
		.				.
	Energy policy
	9/12-15/05		27	71	2
	9/7-10/01		38	57	5
		.				.
	Health care
	9/12-15/05		24	75	1
	9/7-10/01		27	71	2
		.				.
	Poverty
	9/12-15/05		24	75	1
	9/7-10/01		26	71	3
		.				.
	The nation's finances
	9/12-15/05		23	76	1
	9/7-10/01		34	62	4

Government: State

Pew Research Center. March 13-17, 2013. N=1,501 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
.
"Would you say your overall opinion of your state government is very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?"
.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/13-17/13	57	38	-	5
	4/4-15/12	52	42	-	6
	7/22-26/09	50	44	-	6
	4/08	59	37	0	4
	12/05	57	37	-	6
	12/02	62	31	1	7
	11/01	77	18	-	5
	10/97	66	29	-	5

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb. 12-15, 2010. N=1,023 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"How much of the time do you think you can trust your state's government to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just about always	Most of the time	Only some of the time	Never (vol.)
		%	%	%	%
	2/12-15/10	3	30	62	5

Gallup Poll. Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"How much trust and confidence do you have in the government of the state where you live when it comes to handling state problems: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all?"
.
		Great deal	Fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/31 - 9/2/09	12	39	36	13	1
	9/8-11/08	18	49	22	10	2
	9/14-16/07	18	49	23	9	1
	9/12-15/05	17	50	26	7	-
	9/13-15/04	16	51	24	8	1
	9/8-10/03	12	41	34	12	1
	9/7-10/01	17	48	27	7	1
	12/98	29	51	15	4	1
	6/97	18	50	25	6	1
	6/76	13	59	19	7	2
	4/74	16	59	17	3	4
	5/72	15	48	27	6	3

Government: Local

Pew Research Center. March 13-17, 2013. N=1,501 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 2.9.
.
"Would you say your overall opinion of your local government is very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable?"
.
		Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	3/13-17/13	63	32	-	5
	4/4-15/12	61	31	-	7
	7/22-26/09	60	32	0	8
	4/08	63	33	1	3
	12/05	66	28	-	6
	12/02	67	25	-	7
	11/01	78	17	-	5
	10/97	68	25	-	7

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb. 12-15, 2010. N=1,023 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 3.
.
"And how much of the time do you think you can trust the local governments in the area where you live to do what is right: just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?"
.
		Just about always	Most of the time	Only some of the time	Never (vol.)
		%	%	%	%
	2/12-15/10	8	44	46	3

Gallup Poll. Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. Margin of error ą 4.
.
"And how much trust and confidence do you have in the local governments in the area where you live when it comes to handling local problems: a great deal, a fair amount, not very much, or none at all?"
.
		Great deal	Fair amount	Not very much	None at all	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/31 - 9/2/09	19	50	22	8	1
	9/8-11/08	23	49	17	9	2
	9/14-16/07	22	47	19	10	2
	9/12-15/05	23	47	23	7	-
	9/13-15/04	21	47	24	7	1
	9/8-10/03	18	50	23	8	1
	9/7-10/01	19	50	20	10	1
	12/98	23	54	16	5	2
	6/97	21	48	21	7	2
	6/76	13	52	23	9	3
	4/74	16	55	16	8	5
	5/72	12	51	26	7	4

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