A. Some people think that the government in Washington ought to reduce the income differences between the rich and the poor, perhaps by raising the taxes of wealthy families or by giving income assistance to the poor. Others think that the government should not concern itself with reducing this income difference between the rich and the poor. Here is a card with a scale from 1 to 7. Think of a score of 1 as meaning that the government ought to reduce the income differences between rich and poor, and a score of 7 meaning that the government should not concern itself with reducing income differences. What score between 1 and 7 comes closest to the way you feel? (CIRCLE ONE):
Should government reduce income differences · Asked in 27 waves, 1978–2024 · 41,637 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → web (2021).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Survey 2024 | 2024-04-05 to 2024-12-02 | mixed | 3,309 | 2,193 |
| General Social Survey 2022 | 2022-05-08 to 2023-01-08 | mixed | 3,544 | 2,371 |
| General Social Survey 2021 | 2020-12-03 to 2021-05-02 | web | 4,032 | 2,672 |
| General Social Survey 2018 | 2018-04-12 to 2018-11-10 | face to face | 2,348 | 1,563 |
| General Social Survey 2016 | 2016-04-05 to 2016-11-19 | face to face | 2,867 | 1,956 |
| General Social Survey 2014 | 2014-03-31 to 2014-10-13 | face to face | 2,538 | 1,687 |
| General Social Survey 2012 | 2012-03-20 to 2012-09-05 | face to face | 1,974 | 1,338 |
| General Social Survey 2010 | 2010-03-15 to 2010-08-12 | face to face | 2,044 | 1,377 |
| General Social Survey 2008 | 2008-04-17 to 2008-09-13 | face to face | 2,023 | 1,365 |
| General Social Survey 2006 |
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → web (2021).
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 | The government should reduce income differences | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | The government should not concern itself with reducing income differences | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 31% | 8% | 14% | 15% | 10% | 6% | 16% | 2193 | ±3 | |
| Democrats | 46% | 15% | 12% | 14% | 9% | 1% | 3% | 599 | ±6 | |
| Independents (incl. leaners) | 31% | 7% | 19% | 17% | 8% | 6% | 12% | 973 | ±4 | |
| Republicans | 14% | 3% | 10% | 14% | 13% | 10% | 36% | 547 | ±6 |
General Social Survey 2024 · US adults 18+ living in households (English, and Spanish since 2006). 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.
| 2006-03-07 to 2006-08-07 |
| face to face |
| 4,510 |
| 1,989 |
| General Social Survey 2004 | 2004-08-18 to 2005-01-04 | face to face | 2,812 | 876 |
| General Social Survey 2002 | 2002-02-06 to 2002-06-26 | face to face | 2,765 | 912 |
| General Social Survey 2000 | 2000-02-01 to 2000-06-25 | face to face | 2,817 | 1,896 |
| General Social Survey 1998 | 1998-02-01 to 1998-06-19 | face to face | 2,832 | 1,911 |
| General Social Survey 1996 | 1996-02-01 to 1996-05-25 | face to face | 2,904 | 1,925 |
| General Social Survey 1994 | 1994-01-04 to 1994-06-29 | face to face | 2,992 | 2,011 |
| General Social Survey 1993 | 1993-02-05 to 1993-04-26 | face to face | 1,606 | 1,057 |
| General Social Survey 1991 | 1991-02-09 to 1991-05-06 | face to face | 1,517 | 1,017 |
| General Social Survey 1990 | 1990-02-06 to 1990-04-22 | face to face | 1,372 | 899 |
| General Social Survey 1989 | 1989-02-04 to 1989-05-01 | face to face | 1,537 | 1,035 |
| General Social Survey 1988 | 1988-02-12 to 1988-04-26 | face to face | 1,481 | 997 |
| General Social Survey 1987 | 1987-01-31 to 1987-04-28 | face to face | 1,819 | 1,819 |
| General Social Survey 1986 | 1986-02-14 to 1986-04-24 | face to face | 1,470 | 1,470 |
| General Social Survey 1984 | 1984-02-06 to 1984-04-20 | face to face | 1,473 | 1,473 |
| General Social Survey 1983 | 1983-02-23 to 1983-04-27 | face to face | 1,599 | 1,599 |
| General Social Survey 1980 | 1980-01-18 to 1980-05-16 | face to face | 1,468 | 1,468 |
| General Social Survey 1978 | 1978-02-13 to 1978-04-29 | face to face | 1,532 | 761 |