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Some people feel that the government in Washington should see to it that every person has a job and a good standard of living. (1972- 1978,1996-LATER: Suppose these people are at one end of a scale, at point 1). Others think the government should just let each person get ahead on his/their own. (1972-1978,1996: Suppose these people are at the other end, at point 7. And, of course, some other people have opinions somewhere in between, at pints 2,3,4,5 or 6.) Where would you place yourself on this scale, or haven’t you thought much about this? (7-POINT SCALE SHOWN TO R)
Government guarantee of jobs and living standard scale · Asked in 21 waves, 1972–2024 · 53,138 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Codes that include 'no Pre/Post IW' were dropped for respondents without that interview. Dropped as not asked: -1 'Inapplicable (unlisted code)'. Dropped only in years where the codebook names a design split (alternate form, half sample, abbreviated or web instrument): 0 in 1986, 2000, 2008. Kept and flagged: 0 (no_answer), 9 (dk). Codebook notes: GENERAL NOTE: See also: VCF0808. 1972 NOTE: This question was asked in the pre for form I and in the post for form II (and IV). 2000 NOTE: This variable represents 7-point scale data from interviews conducted face-to-face. Respondents interviewed by telephone were asked a branching series and are not included here. 2008 NOTE: This question was administered to a random half sample of respondents using verion ‘OLD’; the remaining respondents were administered an alternative version (version ‘NEW’).
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 2024 Time Series Study Source variable: V241252. | 2024-08-03 to 2025-02-17 | mixed | 5,521 | 5,273 |
| ANES 2020 Time Series Study Source variable: V201255. | 2020-08-18 to 2021-01-04 | mixed | 8,280 | 8,273 |
| ANES 2016 Time Series Study Source variable: V161189. | 2016-09-07 to 2017-01-09 | mixed | 4,270 | 4,265 |
| ANES 2012 Time Series Study Source variable: guarpr_self. | 2012-09-09 to 2013-01-13 | mixed | 5,914 | 5,914 |
| ANES 2008 Time Series Study Source variable: V083128. | 2008-09-02 to 2008-12-30 | face to face | 2,322 | 1,151 |
| ANES 2004 Time Series Study Source variable: V043152. | 2004-09-07 to 2004-12-19 | face to face | 1,212 | 1,212 |
| ANES 2000 Time Series Study Source variable: V000615. | 2000-09-05 to 2000-12-22 | mixed | 1,807 | 1,006 |
| ANES 1998 Time Series Study |
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| Group | Government see to job and good standard of living | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Government let each person get ahead on his own | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 16% | 10% | 15% | 20% | 14% | 12% | 13% | 5273 | ±2 | |
| Less than high school | 27% | 8% | 8% | 19% | 11% | 10% | 17% | 270 | ±8 | |
| High school | 16% | 9% | 12% | 20% | 14% | 13% | 16% | 1297 | ±4 | |
| Some college | 16% | 7% | 17% | 20% | 14% | 13% | 13% | 1251 | ±4 | |
| Bachelor's | 14% | 11% | 17% | 19% | 16% | 12% | 11% | 1327 | ±4 | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | 15% | 21% | 20% | 14% | 12% | 9% | 1049 | ±4 |
ANES 2024 Time Series Study · US citizens 18+ (face-to-face samples: contiguous 48 states and DC; web samples: 50 states and DC). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.
| 1998-11-04 to 1998-12-23 |
| mixed |
| 1,281 |
| 1,281 |
| ANES 1996 Time Series Study Source variable: V960483. | 1996-09-03 to 1997-01-02 | mixed | 1,714 | 1,714 |
| ANES 1994 Time Series Study Source variable: V940930. | 1994-11-09 to 1995-01-08 | mixed | 1,795 | 1,795 |
| ANES 1992 Time Series Study Source variable: V923718. | 1992-09-02 to 1993-01-16 | mixed | 2,485 | 2,482 |
| ANES 1990 Time Series Study Source variable: V900446. | 1990-11-06 to 1991-01-21 | face to face | 1,980 | 1,980 |
| ANES 1988 Time Series Study Source variable: V880323. | 1988-09-06 to 1989-01-23 | face to face | 2,040 | 2,032 |
| ANES 1986 Time Series Study Source variable: V860486. | 1986-11-05 to 1987-02-07 | face to face | 2,176 | 1,090 |
| ANES 1984 Time Series Study Source variable: V840414. | 1984-09-04 to 1985-01-24 | mixed | 2,257 | 2,244 |
| ANES 1982 Time Series Study Source variable: V820425. | 1982-11-02 to 1983-01-31 | face to face | 1,418 | 1,418 |
| ANES 1980 Time Series Study Source variable: V801110. | 1980-09-02 to 1981-02-07 | face to face | 1,614 | 1,408 |
| ANES 1978 Time Series Study Source variable: V780357. | 1978-11-08 to 1979-01-25 | face to face | 2,304 | 2,304 |
| ANES 1976 Time Series Study Source variable: V763241. | 1976-09-07 to 1977-01-30 | face to face | 2,248 | 2,243 |
| ANES 1974 Time Series Study Source variable: V742265. | 1974-11-06 to 1975-01-31 | face to face | 1,575 | 1,575 |
| ANES 1972 Time Series Study Source variable: V721067. | 1972-09-01 to 1973-02-13 | face to face | 2,705 | 2,478 |