The Political Class - Middle Class Disconnect

Drawing on recent national polling data, pollster Scott Rasmussen finds that "when a politician talks of helping the middle class with a new government program, it just doesn't ring true" with middle America.

What is especially interesting about the data is the income demographic. Upper-income Americans are evenly divided as to whether government management of the economy helps or hurts. Middle-income Americans, on the other hand, overwhelmingly view government management of the economy as hurtful.

"The affluent, perhaps because they can easily gain access to the policymakers, are OK with government management of the economy," writes Rasmussen, while "[t]he middle class, without friends in Congress or on Wall Street, has an entirely different view."

• a plurality of Americans now believe the United States has a system of crony capitalism rather than free-market competition
• only 27% of voters believe government management of the economy actually helps the economy
• 50% think government economic activitism does more harm than good
• 77% of voters think the government could help the economy by reducing the government deficit
• 71% think it would help to reduce government spending
• 59% think tax cuts would help
• 6 out of 10 voters agree with President Reagan's conclusion in 1980s that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

Read Rasmussen's full article here.