Poll: Slimmer majority sees too much government reach

Most people in the United States think the government encroaches too far on businesses and individuals, though that number has also dropped in recent months, a new Gallup poll says.

Gallup found that 54 percent believe that government’s reach extends too far, down from 61 percent over the summer. Around four in 10 currently say federal authorities don’t do enough. 

The polling company, in releasing its figures, suggested that the recent Democratic convention might have played a role in the drop.

“These views may have moderated somewhat compared with prior surveys, most likely as a result of the apparently successful Democratic convention, which resulted in changes in a number of Gallup trends,” wrote Frank Newport, the editor in chief of the Gallup poll. 

Gallup has consistently found over the last two decades — with exceptions early in former President Clinton’s first term and shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — that Americans generally believe government is trying to do too much.  

People in the United States were mostly likely to think government was too involved when Clinton and President Obama, both Democrats, were in office.

The issue does break down starkly on partisan lines. Eight in 10 Republicans think government is doing too much, compared to around one in four Democrats. 

Independents are roughly twice as likely — 62 percent to 29 percent — to think government is going too far instead of not far enough.

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