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Trend: How Would You Rate the Honesty and Ethical Standards of Senators/Members of Congress? % High/Very high

Please tell me how you would rate the honesty and ethical standards of people in these different fields -- very high, high, average, low, or very low? First, ... Next, ... [RANDOM ORDER]

Trend on honesty and ethical standards of senators and congressmen: Based on percentage saying "very high" or "high"

	Senators	Members of Congress
	%	%
2011	N/A	7
2010	N/A	9
2009	11	9
2008	N/A	12
2007	N/A	9
2006	15	14
2005	16	14
2004	N/A	20
2003	20	17
2002	N/A	17
2001	25	25
2000	24	21
1999	17	11
1998	19	17
1997	14	12
1996	15	14
1995	12	10
1994	12	10
1993	18	14
1992	13	11
1991	19	19
1990	24	20
1988	19	16
1985	23	20
1983	16	14
1981	20	15
1977	19	16
1976	19	15

N/A: not asked

In your view, how good a job are President Obama and the current Congress doing in dealing with the United States' most important problems -- [ROTATED: very good, good, poor, (or) very poor]?

	Very good	Good	Poor	Very poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 15-18	4	26	40	27	1

Compared with how presidents and Congress have dealt with the nation's problems in the past, do you think President Obama and the current Congress are doing -- [ROTATED: a better job, about the same, (or are they doing) a worse job]?

	Better	About the same	Worse	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 15-18	13	33	52	2
2011 Jul 15-17	13	34	49	2

On the whole, would you say you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the way the nation is being governed?

	Satisfied	Dissatisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	19	81	1
2010 Sep 13-16	27	71	1
2009 Aug 31-Sep 2	43	56	1
2008 Sep 8-11	26	72	2
2007 Sep 14-16	31	67	2
2006 Sep 7-10	41	57	2
2005 Sep 12-15	44	55	1
2004 Sep 13-15	49	49	2
2003 Sep 8-10	56	43	1
2002 Sep 5-8	59	39	2
2001 Sep 7-10	57	39	4
1991 May 23-26 ^	58	39	3
1984 Dec 7-10	55	37	8
1973 Sep 21-24 †	26	66	8
1971 Dec 10-13 †	37	54	9

^ WORDING: the way the nation is governed
† WORDING: the way this nation is being governed

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?

	Government doing too much	Government should do more	Mixed/ Depends (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	56	39	2	2
2010 Sep 13-16	58	36	5	1
2010 Jun 11-13	53	39	7	1
2009 Aug 31-Sep 2	57	38	4	1
2009 Mar 27-29	50	42	6	2
2009 Mar 5-8 ^	47	42	8	3
2008 Sep 8-11	53	41	4	2
2008 Jun 15-18	50	43	5	2
2007 Sep 14-16	49	43	6	2
2006 Sep 7-10	47	44	6	3
2005 Sep 12-15	50	44	4	2
2004 Nov 19-21	55	36	7	2
2004 Sep 13-15	49	41	8	2
2003 Oct 24-26	52	40	6	2
2003 Sep 8-10	51	43	4	2
2002 Sep 5-8	50	43	5	2
2001 Oct 5-6	41	50	6	3
2001 Sep 7-10	55	36	7	2
2000 Sep 11-13	50	37	11	2
2000 Aug 18-19	54	38	6	2
1999 Sep 10-14	55	39	4	2
1998 Oct 29-30	50	38	6	6
1998 Apr 17-19	59	33	7	1
1997 Jan 31-Feb 2	58	33	6	3
1996 Jan 12-15	58	35	6	1
1995 Dec 15-19	60	32	5	3
1994 Nov 2-6	55	37	5	3
1994 Oct 22-25	57	37	4	2
1994 Jan 15-17	54	39	5	2
1993 Dec 17-19	55	38	6	1
1993 Apr 22-24	49	45	3	3
1993 Mar 22-24	45	49	4	2
1992 Oct 23-25	48	44	5	3
1992 Sep 11-15	51	43	4	3
1992 Aug 31-Sep 2†	50	43	5	2
^ Asked of a half sample
† Based on registered voters
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Some people think the government should promote traditional values in our society. Others think the government should not favor any particular set of values. Which comes closer to your own view?

	Promote traditional values	Not favor any set of values	No opinion
	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	48	46	3
2010 Sep 13-16	53	43	2
2010 June 11-13	47	49	2
2009 Aug 31-Sep 2	53	42	3
2008 Sep 8-11	48	48	4
2007 Sep 14-16	49	45	7
2006 Sep 7-10	50	44	6
2005 Sep 12-15	50	47	3
2004 Nov 19-21	55	41	4
2004 Sep 13-15	54	41	5
2003 Sep 8-10	56	40	4
2002 Sep 5-8	56	38	6
2001 Oct 5-6	59	39	3
2001 Sep 7-10	53	41	6
2000 Sep 11-13	54	38	8
1999 Sep 10-14	56	39	5
1998 Oct 29-30	56	37	7
1998 Apr 17-19	55	38	7
1997 Jan 31-Feb 2	53	40	7
1996 Jan 12-15	59	36	5
1994 Nov 2-6	55	37	8
1994 Oct 22-25	55	40	5
1994 Jan 15-17	54	40	6
1993 Dec 17-19	57	37	6
1993 Apr 22-24	55	39	6
1993 Mar 22-24	53	42	5

In general, do you think there is too much, too little, or about the right amount of government regulation of business and industry?

	Too much	Too little	Right amount	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
*Gallup poll*
2011 Sep 8-11	50	24	23	3
2010 Sep 13-16	49	27	21	3
2009 Aug 31-Sep 2	45	24	27	3
2008 Sep 8-11	38	27	31	3
2007 Sep 14-16	38	26	33	4
2006 Sep 7-10	36	28	30	6
2005 Sep 12-15	34	23	40	3
2004 Sep 13-15	37	24	34	5
2003 Sep 8-10	37	25	35	3
2002 Sep 5-8	35	31	31	3
2002 Jun 28-30	32	33	30	5
2002 Feb 8-10	28	30	39	3
2001 Sep 7-10	41	17	38	4
1993 Mar 22-24	37	28	30	5

*Los Angeles Times*
1991 Apr	27	29	36	8
1981 Mar	54	18	14	14

Do you think the federal government today -- [ROTATED: has too much power, has about the right amount of power, or has too little power]?

	Too much	About the right amount	Too little	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	57	35	8	1
2010 Sep 13-16	59	33	8	1
2009 Aug 31-Sep 2	51	39	8	2
2009 Mar 5-8 ^	50	42	7	2
2008 Sep 8-11	52	40	6	2
2007 Sep 14-16	56	36	6	2
2006 Sep 7-10	52	40	6	2
2005 Sep 12-15	50	43	6	1
2004 Sep 13-15	42	49	7	2
2003 Sep 8-10	43	49	7	1
2002 Sep 5-8	39	52	7	2
^ Asked of a half sample

Of every tax dollar that goes to the federal government in Washington, D.C., how many cents of each dollar would you say are wasted?

	None	10 cents or less	11-25 cents	26-50 cents	51-75 cents	76 cents or more	No opin- ion	*Mean*
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
2011	1	6	13	33	19	16	12	50.6
2009	2	7	12	35	19	16	10	49.7
2001	1	8	17	37	14	12	12	45.9
1986	1	10	20	40	6	5	18	38.2
1984	*	8	18	43	12	11	8	44.3
1981	1	9	18	44	12	13	3	44.9
1981	1	8	20	43	10	7	11	41.4
1981	1	10	19	44	11	9	7	42.4
1979	1	18	17	38	15	7	4	39.8
* Less than 0.5%

How many cents of each tax dollar that goes to the government of this state would you say are wasted?

	None	10 cents or less	11-25 cents	26-50 cents	51-75 cents	76 cents or more	No opin- ion	Mean
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
2011	2	12	18	33	13	10	12	41.8
2009	2	11	17	36	14	9	10	41.9
2001	1	15	20	35	10	6	12	37.6
1981	2	15	27	36	8	11	1	38.2
1981	2	16	27	37	6	5	7	33.3
1979	2	26	26	31	9	4	2	31.3

How many cents of each tax dollar that goes to your local government would you say are wasted?

	None	10 cents or less	11-25 cents	26-50 cents	51-75 cents	76 cents or more	No opin- ion	*Mean*
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
2011	3	18	20	25	11	10	12	37.5
2009	4	16	19	32	9	8	11	36.6
2001	3	19	20	30	9	8	12	35.9
1981	4	24	24	31	6	11	*	34.3
1981	4	24	27	27	6	4	8	28.5
1979	5	38	24	22	7	3	1	25.1
* Less than 0.5%

Next, I'd like you to think more broadly about the purposes of government. Where would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means you think the government should do only those things necessary to provide the most basic government functions, and 5 means you think the government should take active steps in every area it can to try and improve the lives of its citizens? You may use any number from 1 to 5.

	*2011 Sep 8-11*	*2010 Sep 13-16*
	%	%
5/Gov't. take active steps in every area it can	21	19
4	14	15
3	27	33
2	18	15
1/Gov't. provide most basic functions	19	18

No opinion	1	1

Mean	3.0	3.0

Would you rather have more government services if that meant more taxes, less government services in order to reduce taxes, or services and taxes about as we have them now?

	More services/ More taxes	Less services/ Reduce taxes	Services and taxes as now	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	16	56	26	3
1993 Mar 22-24	20	40	35	4

Next, we have a question about the best approach for political leaders to follow in Washington. Where would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means it is more important for political leaders to compromise in order to get things done, and 5 means it is more important for political leaders to stick to their beliefs even if little gets done? You may use any number from 1 to 5.

	2011 Sep 8-11	2011 Jan 7-9	2010 Nov 4-7
	%	%	%
5/More important to stick to beliefs	15	17	14
4	13	11	13
3	21	23	24
2	20	12	16
1/More important to compromise	31	35	31

No opinion	1	2	1

Mean	2.6	2.6	2.6

Do you think the federal government poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens, or not?

	Yes, immediate threat	No, does not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	49	50	2
2010 Sep 13-16	46	51	3
2006 Sep 7-10	44	54	2
2005 Sep 12-15	37	62	1
2004 Sep 13-15	35	63	2
2003 Sep 8-10 ^	30	68	2

^ Asked of a half sample

If the leaders of our nation followed the views of the public more closely, do you think the nation would be better off, or worse off than it is today?

	Better off	Worse off	No difference (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	77	20	1	3
2005 Sep 12-15	73	22	3	2
2001 Sep 7-10	75	18	4	3
1996 Apr 25-28 ^	80	11	--	9
1975 Oct 3-6	67	16	9	8

^ Asked of half sample

If the leaders of our nation followed the views of public opinion polls more closely, do you think the nation would be better off, or worse off than it is today?

	Better off	Worse off	No difference (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2011 Sep 8-11	68	25	3	4
2005 Sep 12-15	61	33	3	3
2001 Sep 7-10	63	27	6	4
1996 Apr 25-28 ^	73	14	--	13
(vol.) = Volunteered response
^ Asked of half sample

Now 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?
First, ... Next, [RANDOM ORDER]

2011 Jun 6-9	Great deal	Quite a lot	Some	Very little	None (vol.)	No opinion
The U.S. Supreme Court	17%	20	41	18	2	2
The presidency	15%	20	28	32	4	1
Congress	6%	6	40	44	4	1
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Trend on confidence in institutions: Based on percentage saying "great deal" or "quite a lot"

	The U.S. Supreme Court	The presidency	Congress
	%	%	%
2011 Jun 6-9	37	35	12
2010 Jul 8-11	36	36	11
2009 Jun 14-17	39	51	17
2008 Jun 9-12	32	26	12
2007 Jun 11-14	34	25	14
2006 Jun 1-4	40	33	19
2005 May 23-26	41	44	22
2004 May 21-23	46	52	30
2003 Jun 9-10	47	55	29
2002 Jun 21-23	50	58	29
2001 Jun 8-10	50	48	26
2000 Jun 22-25	47	42	24
1999 Jun 25-27	49	49	26
1998 Jun 5-7	50	53	28
1997 Jul 25-27	50	49	22
1996 May 28-29	45	39	20
1995 Apr 21-24	44	45	21
1994 Mar 25-27	42	38	18
1993 Mar 22-24	44	43	18
1991 Oct 10-13	39	50	18
1991 Mar 1	48	72	30
1990 Aug 16-19	47	N/A	24
1989 Sep 7-10	46	N/A	32
1988 Sep 23-26	56	N/A	35
1987 Jul 10-13	52	N/A	N/A
1986 Jul 11-14	54	N/A	41
1985 May 17-20	56	N/A	39
1984 Oct 6-10	51	N/A	29
1983 Aug 5-8	42	N/A	28
1981 Nov 20-23	46	N/A	29
1979 Apr 6-9	45	N/A	34
1977 Jan 7-10	46	N/A	40
1975 May 30-Jun 2	49	N/A	40
1973 May 4-7	44	N/A	42

N/A: Not asked

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 -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

2011 Mar 25-27 Sorted by "too much"	Too much	About right	Not enough	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
Lobbyists	71	13	8	8
Major corporations	67	21	9	3
Banks and financial institutions	67	23	8	2
The federal government in Washington	58	30	9	3
Labor unions	43	28	24	4
The government in your state	34	49	15	2
The courts, legal system and judges	34	49	14	3
Organized religion and churches	25	46	24	4
The municipal or local government where you live	22	53	21	3
The military	14	53	28	4

(Asked of a half sample) Next, please say whether you favor or oppose cutting government spending in each of the following areas. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

2011 Jan 14-16 (sorted by "favor")	Favor	Oppose	No opinion
	%	%	%
Foreign aid	59	37	4
Funding for the arts and sciences	46	52	2
Aid to farmers	44	53	3
Homeland security	42	56	3
The military and national defense	42	57	1
Anti-poverty programs	39	55	6
Medicare	38	61	1
Social Security	34	64	2
Education	32	67	2

(Asked of a half sample) What is the one thing you would recommend be done to fix the federal government? [OPEN-ENDED]

	2010 Oct 7-10

Fire all elected officials and start over	13
Cut spending/Control the deficit	10
Work together/More bipartisanship	10
Need more honest/reliable candidates	6
Create more jobs/Keep jobs in U.S.	5
Smaller government	4
Impeach the president and elect a new one	4
Term limits	4
Improve public awareness about voting/government	3
Less government involvement/control	2
Stop raising taxes/Lower taxes	2
Take care of people at home/Stop worrying about other countries	2
Follow the constitution	2
Put God/religion back in the picture	1
Work on improving the economy	1

Other	11

Nothing (vol.)	3

No opinion	16
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Can you please give me an example of something the federal government is currently doing that you think it should NOT be doing? [OPEN-ENDED]

	*2010 Sep 13-16*
	%
Healthcare legislation	18
Spending too much	10
Wars in Iraq/Afghanistan	9
Raising taxes/Not extending tax cuts	6
Bailouts of large corporations	6
Too involved in business affairs	5
Getting involved in other countries' affairs	4
Getting involved in matters of religion, morality	4
Immigration/Allowing illegal immigrants into country	4
Infringing too much on personal lives	2
Providing foreign aid	2
Too much regulation (nonspecific)	2
Challenging Arizona immigration law	2
Getting involved in Ground Zero mosque issue	2
Gay marriage	2
Education policy	1
Cap-and-trade legislation	1
Student loans/Costs for schooling	1
Moratorium on offshore drilling	1

Other	6

None/Nothing	12

No opinion	17

Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple responses

Can you please give me an example of something the federal government is currently NOT doing that you think it SHOULD be doing? [OPEN-ENDED]

	*2010 Sep 13-16*
	%
Creating jobs/Reducing unemployment	15
Securing the borders/Addressing immigration issue	13
Focus more on country's problems/people's problems	12
Improve the economy	6
Balance the budget/Limit spending	6
Bring troops home	5
Make infrastructure improvements	4
Expand healthcare coverage	4
Should be doing less in general	4
Cut taxes	4
Improve education	4
Regulation (nonspecific)	3
Regulate Wall Street/banks	3
Protect the environment/Address climate change	3
Help small businesses	2
Improve Social Security system	2
Help the elderly	1
Healthcare (nonspecific)	1
Help veterans	1

Other	9

None/Nothing	9

No opinion	8

Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple responses

Please tell me whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of the following statements. [RANDOM ORDER]

A. In general, businesses can do things more efficiently than the government

	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Total agree
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	28	45	21	4	2	73

B. In general, the way the government does things is fairer and more just to everyone involved than the way businesses do things

	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Total agree
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	6	30	43	17	4	36

C. There are some functions, such as building roads or funding research, the government needs to pay for because there are no incentives for private institutions to do so

	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Total agree
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	21	55	16	4	4	76

D. Business will harm society if it is not regulated by government

	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree	No opinion	Total agree
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	12	33	39	14	2	45

Next, I'm going to read a list of functions the federal government could serve. On a 1 to 5 scale, please say how much responsibility you think the government should have for each -- with 1 meaning the government should have no responsibility at all and 5 meaning the government should have total responsibility in this area. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Protecting Americans from foreign threats

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	83	10	4	*	2	*
* Less than 0.5%

B. Preventing discrimination

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	47	19	19	6	8	*

C. Upholding moral standards among its citizens

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	25	14	23	13	24	*

D. Making sure that all those who want jobs have them

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	35	16	21	13	14	*
* Less than 0.5%

E. Reducing income differences between the rich and the poor

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	23	11	20	11	33	1

F. Making sure that all Americans have adequate healthcare

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	42	15	14	9	20	*

G. Protecting consumers against unsafe products

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	51	25	15	6	3	*
* Less than 0.5%

H. Providing a minimum standard of living for all

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	30	15	21	15	18	1

I. Protecting the environment from human actions that can harm it

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	42	23	20	10	5	*

J. Developing and maintaining the nation's transportation systems

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	36	29	22	6	6	1

K. Protecting major U.S. corporations that are in danger of going out of business

	5/Total	4	3	2	1/None	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	13	6	24	20	36	*
* Less than 0.5%

Which comes closer to your view -- [ROTATED: most Americans demand more from the government than they are willing to pay taxes for, (or) most Americans are willing to pay the taxes needed to fund services they expect government to provide]?

	Demand more than willing to pay	Willing to pay taxes needed	No opinion
	%	%	%
2010 Sep 13-16	56	41	3

(Asked of those who believe government poses an immediate threat) In what ways do you see the government posing an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of its citizens? [OPEN-ENDED]

BASED ON THOSE WHO THINK THE GOVERNMENT POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF ITS CITIZENS

	*2010 Sep 13-16*
	%
Too many laws/Gov't too big in general	18
Too much involvement in people's private lives	17
Taking away freedom of speech/Violating First Amendment	15
Healthcare law	11
Socialist government	8
Overtaxing/Taxes too high	7
Taking away freedom of religion	6
Gun control/Violating Second Amendment	6
Failing to secure borders/Illegal immigration	3
Overregulation/Too much involvement in business	3
Too much spending	2
Marriage issue	2

Other	3

None/Nothing	2

No opinion	9

Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple responses

When it comes to the issues facing the country today, in general, do you think the federal government is -- [ROTATED: more a part of the problem (or) more a part of the solution]?

	More problem	More solution	Both (vol.)	No opinion
2010 Jun 11-13	65%	30	3	1
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Do you think President Obama's proposals to address the major problems facing the country call for too much expansion of government power, the right amount, or not enough expansion of government power?

	Too much expansion	Right amount	Not enough expansion	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2009 Sep 11-13	51	37	10	3
2009 Jul 17-19	52	35	10	3

How would you rate the job being done by -- [RANDOM ORDER]? Would you say it is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?

A. NASA -- the U.S. space agency

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	13	45	26	7	10
2007 Sep 14-16	16	40	29	8	6
2006 Jun 23-25	17	40	30	7	6
2005 Aug 5-7	16	44	29	8	3
2005 Jun 24-26	11	42	34	6	7
2003 Sep 8-10	12	38	36	10	4
1999 Dec 9-12	13	40	31	12	4
1999 Jul 13-4	20	44	20	5	11
1998 Nov 20-22	26	50	17	4	3
1998 Jan 30-Feb 1	21	46	21	4	8
1994 Jul 15-17	14	43	29	6	8
1993 Dec 17-19	18	43	30	7	2
1993 Sept 13-15	7	36	35	11	11
1991 May 2-5	16	48	24	6	6
1990 July 19-22	10	36	34	15	5

B. The Department of Homeland Security

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	8	38	31	18	4
2003 Sep 8-10	10	38	33	15	4

C. The Federal Reserve Board

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	4	26	35	22	13
2003 Sep 8-10	10	43	33	5	9

D. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the FBI

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	10	48	27	7	8
2003 Sep 8-10	10	43	31	12	4

E. The Central Intelligence Agency, or the CIA

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	10	37	29	13	12
2003 Sep 8-10	9	36	35	13	7

F. The Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	5	35	36	20	5
2003 Sep 8-10	6	38	38	15	3

G. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	5	37	33	21	4
2003 Sep 8-10	6	33	38	20	3

H. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	11	50	24	10	5
2003 Sep 8-10	18	48	25	6	3

I. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA

	Excellent	Good	Only fair	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Jul 10-12	5	33	37	22	3

Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the way the federal government in Washington is dealing with the problems the country is facing today?

	Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Very dissatisfied	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
2009 Apr 20-21	8	39	23	29	1
2008 Sep 5-7	3	17	28	51	1

Thinking about the way the federal government has responded to the financial crisis in recent months, generally speaking, do you approve or disapprove of the expansion of the government's role in the economy?

(Asked of those who approve of the expanded government role) Would you like to see the government's expanded role in the economy become permanent, or would you like to see the government reduce its role once the financial crisis is over?

COMBINED RESULTS: BASED ON FULL SAMPLE

	*2009 Mar 27-29*
	%
Approve of expanded role	53
(Would like to see it be permanent)	(13)
(Would like to see it reduced once crisis is over)	(39)
(Unspecified)	(1)

Disapprove of expanded role	44

No opinion	2

(Asked of a half sample) Do you think President Obama's proposals to address the economic problems in the country call for too big an expansion of government power, the right amount, or not a big enough expansion of government power?

	Too big an expansion	Right amount	Not big enough	No opinion
2009 Mar 27-29	40%	46	10	4

Next, we'd like to know how you feel about some things as far as their future is concerned. Please say whether you feel generally optimistic about -- [ITEMS ROTATED] -- as far as the future is concerned, generally pessimistic about it, or uncertain about it.

A. Our system of government and how well it works

	Generally optimistic	Generally pessimistic	Uncertain	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	44%	23	33	1
1999 Feb 4-8	53%	19	27	1
1996 Mar 8-10	43%	28	28	1

Trends for Comparison: The Roper Organization

	Generally optimistic	Generally pessimistic	Uncertain	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
1983 Feb	51	21	27	1
1981 Feb	51	21	26	2
1979 Feb	49	22	26	3
1977 Aug	47	21	29	3
1977 Feb	57	14	26	2
1975 Aug	45	24	29	3
1974 Aug	55	15	27	3

Next, I'm going to read you a list of things that are considered by some to be problems with the way things work in Washington. For each, please tell me whether you, personally, consider it to be -- a crisis, a major problem, a minor problem, or not a problem. How about -- [RANDOM OrDER]?

A. The failure of the government to solve the major challenges facing the country in the last few years

	Crisis	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	28%	52	16	3	2

B. Democratic and Republican leaders making decisions based on what is best for their party even if it is not in the best interests of the country

	Crisis	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	23%	57	16	3	2

C. Powerful special interests having too much control over what the government does

	Crisis	Major problem	Minor problem	Not a problem	No opinion
2008 Jan 10-13	29%	53	14	3	2

I'd like to ask you about your member of Congress. Would you say that your member of Congress is [RANDOM ORDER]? Next, is your member [ITEM INSERTED]?

A. Corrupt or not corrupt

	Corrupt	Not corrupt	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	22%	67	11
2006 Jan 6-8	22%	68	10
1994 Oct 22-24	27%	65	8

B. Focused on the needs of special interests, or focused on the needs of the constituents in your district

	Special interests	Constituents	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	40%	48	12
2006 Jan 6-8	40%	49	11
1994 Oct 22-24	42%	47	11

C. Generally out of touch with average Americans or generally in touch

	Out of touch	In touch	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	77%	22	1
2006 Jan 6-8	69%	28	2
1994 Oct 22-24	75%	23	2

I'd like to ask you about most members of Congress. Would you say that most members of Congress are [RANDOM ORDER]? Next, are most members [ITEM INSERTED]?

A. Corrupt or not corrupt

	Corrupt	Not corrupt	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	47%	46	7
2006 Jan 6-8	38%	55	7
1994 Oct 22-24	50%	44	6

B. Focused on the needs of special interests, or focused on the needs of the constituents in your district

	Special interests	Constituents	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	65%	30	6
2006 Jan 6-8	54%	40	6
1994 Oct 22-24	58%	37	5

C. Generally out of touch with average Americans or generally in touch

	Out of touch	In touch	No opinion
2006 Apr 28-30	38%	55	7
2006 Jan 6-8	38%	58	5
1994 Oct 22-24	41%	54	5

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