Loading…
Some people think the government should provide fewer services, even in areas such as health and education, in order to reduce spending. (2004: Suppose these people are at one end of a scale, at point 1.) Other people feel that it is important for the government to provide many more services even if it means an increase in spending. (2004: Suppose these people are at the other end, at point 7. And of course, some other people have opinions somewhere in between, at points 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 services and spending scale · Asked in 16 waves, 1982–2024 · 44,501 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Dropped only in years where the codebook names a design split (alternate form, half sample, abbreviated or web instrument): 0 in 2000, 2008. Kept and flagged: 0 (no_answer), 9 (dk). Codebook notes: 1980 NOTE: The 1980 version of this question was not comparable. 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 represented here. 2004 NOTE: Tbis question was asked in the pre-election survey and the post- election survey. The pre-election data are reported here. 2008 NOTE: This question was administered to a random half sample of respondents using verion ‘OLD’; the remaining respondents (version ‘NEW’) were administered a branching series of questions.
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 2024 Time Series Study Source variable: V241239. | 2024-08-03 to 2025-02-17 | mixed | 5,521 | 5,521 |
| ANES 2020 Time Series Study Source variable: V201246. | 2020-08-18 to 2021-01-04 | mixed | 8,280 | 8,280 |
| ANES 2016 Time Series Study Source variable: V161178. | 2016-09-07 to 2017-01-09 | mixed | 4,270 | 4,270 |
| ANES 2012 Time Series Study Source variable: spsrvpr_ssself. | 2012-09-09 to 2013-01-13 | mixed | 5,914 | 5,914 |
| ANES 2008 Time Series Study Source variable: V083105. | 2008-09-02 to 2008-12-30 | face to face | 2,322 | 1,153 |
| ANES 2004 Time Series Study Source variable: V043136. | 2004-09-07 to 2004-12-19 | face to face | 1,212 | 1,212 |
| ANES 2000 Time Series Study Source variable: V000545. | 2000-09-05 to 2000-12-22 | mixed | 1,807 | 1,005 |
| ANES 1998 Time Series Study |
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 should provide many fewer services: reduce spending a lot | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Government should provide many more services: increase spending a lot | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 7% | 6% | 13% | 20% | 20% | 14% | 21% | 5521 | ±2 | |
| Liberals | 1% | 1% | 3% | 12% | 27% | 24% | 33% | 1612 | ±4 | |
| Moderates | 3% | 3% | 11% | 27% | 25% | 13% | 19% | 1187 | ±4 | |
| Conservatives | 14% | 14% | 25% | 23% | 11% | 6% | 8% | 1933 | ±3 |
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: V960450. | 1996-09-03 to 1997-01-02 | mixed | 1,714 | 1,714 |
| ANES 1994 Time Series Study Source variable: V940940. | 1994-11-09 to 1995-01-08 | mixed | 1,795 | 1,795 |
| ANES 1992 Time Series Study Source variable: V923701. | 1992-09-02 to 1993-01-16 | mixed | 2,485 | 2,485 |
| ANES 1990 Time Series Study Source variable: V900452. | 1990-11-06 to 1991-01-21 | face to face | 1,980 | 1,980 |
| ANES 1988 Time Series Study Source variable: V880302. | 1988-09-06 to 1989-01-23 | face to face | 2,040 | 2,040 |
| ANES 1986 Time Series Study Source variable: V860448. | 1986-11-05 to 1987-02-07 | face to face | 2,176 | 2,176 |
| ANES 1984 Time Series Study Source variable: V840375. | 1984-09-04 to 1985-01-24 | mixed | 2,257 | 2,257 |
| ANES 1982 Time Series Study Source variable: V820443. | 1982-11-02 to 1983-01-31 | face to face | 1,418 | 1,418 |