A long-standing Gallup trend question asks Americans if government should be doing more to solve problems rather than leaving that challenge to individuals and businesses. Americans are divided in their responses: Half say things are better left to business and industry, while 44% say the government should do more. Answers to a separate question show that slightly over half say the government has too much power today. And, given three choices for government regulation, well less than half say the government should do more to regulate business and industry (the rest say either that regulation is about right or that we need less regulation).
Despite holding these mixed general attitudes about enlarging the role of government, Americans are positive about some proposed specifics. Majorities of Americans say government should ensure that all Americans have healthcare, favor higher taxes on the rich, support government intervention into the energy and industrial systems that create pollution, favor stricter environmental regulations, and strongly favor more government expenditures on infrastructure. Americans also appear quite positive about some aspects of what government is already doing today. The public has more confidence in the military than in any other social institution we measure, and Americans 65 and older, most of whom are on Medicare, are more satisfied with their healthcare quality and coverage than Americans with private health insurance.
On the latter point, Kaiser Family research has shown that “Medicare for all” tests better than three other descriptions of a government-run healthcare system. This helps explain why proponents of universal healthcare are using that name, taking advantage of the presumption that Americans have a positive opinion of the existing Medicare program.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member