Americans'+Attitudes+Toward+Government

toc =__American Attitudes Toward Government (O'Connor)__= In today’s world in the United States of America, many problems within our national governmental system have arisen. Thus, such problems and complications have caused many Americans to shift their views and their attitudes toward the government.

Problems directly linked to changing racial, ethnic and even age and family demographics further transform Americans’ attitudes toward their government and how the government responds to such problems. The demographics of America greatly affect politics and government simply because each individual has certain perspective influences that determine one’s attitude.

Because of the large concern over demographic complication-barriers, politicians must place extra emphasis on those concerns in order to have the government properly function to the best of its ability. With the extra emphasis placed on these issues, politicians are promising change and reform that they cannot necessarily pull through with. The numerous promises made only create high expectations made by Americans for their American government. Additional turmoil is created after the government cannot deliver on their promises thus further tampering with Americans’ attitude toward the government and politicians.

Americans then begin to lose faith in their government and government institutions; they begin to blame the government for all personal and societal problems that have occurred or that will occur in the future. Americans fully believe that problems are arising with credit to the government; for example, a recent 2008 poll declares that eight in ten Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Despite the many negative attitudes Americans have toward the American government, it is important to realize the good the government can do for the American people; however, many Americans overlook the good as the bad consumes all great things the government does or can do. The government must strive for reform and change as they must focus on changing Americans’ attitudes toward the government.

=__Attitudinal Polls__= According to When Americans citizens were asked, “Should legal immigration into the United States be kept at its present level, increased, or decreased?”, 38% answered decreased, 19% responded increased, 36% said the current level is fine, and 7% did not respond or responded that they did not know.

Another poll was held asking "Do you think the US (United States) economy is fully recovered, better than it was a year ago but not fully recovered, about the same  as a year ago, or worse than it was a year ago?". 0% responded fully recovered. 22% of people thought the economy was bett er, but not fully recovered. 35% of people thought it was about the same as a year ago. Finally, 42% felt the economy is worse than a year ago.

On average, 35% of Americans prefer an activist government, which tries to improve upon the lives of its citizens. Also, 37% of Americans only want the government to function on a basic level, which leaves the freedom to create business, among other things, for the people.

Americans possess strong negative opinions upon the way America is governed. 57% have concerns about the power of the federal government. Many also feel that the government is too involved within business and that there should be fewer government services and less taxation. Satisfaction with government is at a 32 year low, 11%.

=__Online Newspaper References__= Trust in Government at All Time Low In September a poll released only 15 percent of Americans say they trust the government to do what’s right always or some of the time. September of 2010 the figure was at 25 percent. Eight percent of Americans say that they don’t trust the government at all. A decade ago the percent of trust was in the 30 and 40’s. Democrats are more likely to trust the federal government than Republicans, but only two-thirds of the democrats rarely trust the government.

New Lows for Obama: Obama’s approval ratings are at al time low since he became president. Americans do not like the direction of the country, the economy, Congress, and overall Obama’s presidency. Only 19 percent think that the country is going in the right direction. For Obama’s approval rating 43 percent is approval, and 53 percent is disapproval. Americans don’t believe he is trying to create new jobs. The only good hope form the recent polls are that 82 percent of Americans that disapprove of Congress, blame republicans for the recent Standard & Poor’s rating downgrade.

=__Comparing and Contrasting__= The polls reveal that the government is at “an all-time low” in approval rating; the government and their functions are crumbling from within and many subjects answering the polls believe that the government has too much power and cannot utilize it properly. Americans are losing faith in the government and their attitudes toward the government are quickly weakening at a substantial rate.

According to the textbook, many facts and even supported opinions relate to the polls about the government. The textbook states that the government is failing and many Americans are losing faith in the government and its institutions; the polls found on many of the visited websites further solidify the textbook’s facts and supported opinions. The polls greatly reflect much of what is stated in the textbook.

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