The Candidates
Government Services vs. TaxesSixty-two percent (62%) of voters would prefer fewer government services with lower taxes. Nearly a third (29%) disagrees and would rather have a bigger government with higher taxes. Ten percent (10%) are not sure.
Republican voters overwhelmingly prefer fewer government services-83% of the GOP faithful hold that view while just 13% prefer more government involvement. Democratic voters are evenly divided on this question: 46% prefer more government services, while 43% prefer less government services.
Not surprisingly, conservative voters like less government while liberal voters favor a bigger government. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of politically moderate voters prefer smaller government. A separate survey found that most adults (56%) are worried that the next president will raise taxes too much.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters think American society is generally fair and decent. Twenty-seven percent (27%) think it is unfair and discriminatory.
Three quarters of voters (75%) think people who move to America from other countries should adopt the nation’s culture. Just 13% think they should maintain their home country’s culture (see video report).
May 20th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
This just confirms what John McCain said recently, that despite the current environment, this is fundamentally a conservative country.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
> “Not surprisingly, conservative voters like less government while liberal voters favor a bigger government.”
I would have said “conservatives like less government” would have been pretty much of a no brainer — but that was pre-Bush and his big government conservatism. Let’s hope we can get back to those principles.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
On #1. People are always philosophically conservative but operationally liberal. Sure they might want less spending in general, but they care a lot more that their program doesn’t get cut. Like old people might want to cut education/welfare/health care/etc., but they want their Social Security.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I also find the last question really weird. Who cares what immigrants do when they come here? My answer would have been “I don’t care”. Maybe that’s what the other 12% were thinking too.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
No, Ajay, the last question is critical for America’s future survival.
What has made us work is that we were a melting pot, with immigrants from different cultures coming together under the same language and a common belief in the rights of the individual to succeed under capitalism. That’s not to say they can’t maintain other cultural traditions.
But if immigrants are no longer coming together in that manner, we will have Balkanization, the exact opposite of Americanization, and we will not survive like that.