Posted on 08/23/2011 5:50:19 AM PDT by markomalley
Americans increasingly believe government anti-poverty programs cause more poverty in this country.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 49% of American Adults now think government programs increase the level of poverty in the United States, while just 20% say they decrease the problem. Nearly as many (19%) say the programs have no impact. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This marks a steady increase in the number of those who think the programs cause more of the problem they’re supposed to solve – from 43% last September to 45% in April to 49% now.
There’s a noticeable partisan difference of opinion on this question, however. While 68% of Republicans and 60% of adults not affiliated with either major political party think government programs increase the level of poverty in America, just 20% of Democrats agree.
Last fall, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 14.3% of Americans fall below the federal poverty line, the highest number of people living in poverty since the estimates first became available in 1959. But a new study that takes a closer look at the Census Bureau numbers finds that many of those the federal government says are living in poverty have a decent place to live, adequate food on the table and two color TVs, among other amenities, and most Americans don't regard that as being poor.
In fact, 71% now believe that the bigger problem with the welfare system in the United States is that there are too many overqualified recipients getting benefits.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 16-17, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
A plurality (47%) of adults agree with the statement that “some people support government programs to fight poverty because it’s easier than getting personally involved.” Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree with the statement, but another 26% are not sure.
Fifty percent (50%) of Republicans and 58% of unaffiliated adults agree with the statement. Democrats are almost evenly divided on the question.
Yet while U.S. voters believe church and community volunteer work is more important than politics when it comes to being a good citizen, they have slightly more faith in the government as an avenue for change. Forty-three percent (43%) of voters say new government programs and policies are more likely than volunteer activities and organizations to bring about the change needed in the country. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disagree and have more confidence in volunteerism.
Men are more skeptical about government anti-poverty programs than women are. While 55% of whites and 44% of adults of other races think the programs increase poverty in this country, a modest plurality (40%) of black voters feel that they decrease the number who are poor.
Those who earn over $60,000 per year are much more critical of the effectiveness of the programs than those who earn less. Government workers have more faith in the programs than those who work in the private sector do.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) of voters now think that thoughtful spending cuts should be considered in every program of the federal government as the nation searches for solutions to the budget crisis.
Florida and Missouri have already passed measures that require some form of drug testing during the welfare application process, with Florida now requiring all applicants to be tested. A majority of voters nationwide agree with automatically testing all welfare applicants for illegal drug use.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Americans say the government should require those who receive food stamps to work.
At the same time, Americans are now less convinced than they have been at any time during the Obama presidency that it's still possible for anyone in this country to work their way out of being poor. But when it comes to job creation and improving the overall economy, voters think tax cuts will work better than more government spending or government jobs creation programs.
Most Americans believe there is more poverty in the United States today than 10 years ago. But 61% also think that if immigration laws were enforced, there would be less poverty in the country.
What “anti-poverty” programs exist? what will teach actual skills? What will actually build something of use?
guess which 20%.
Take a look at Haiti, Somalia, Bangladesh. I would argue that we have no poverty in the US.
Of course they work. Without them there would be some bureaucrats out of a job.
If less than half of Americans pay any federal income tax, shouldn’t it be higher than 20% if all the recipients were included? I mean the current tax system redistributes wealth by taxing the upper brackets more and giving lower brackets not only no tax but often the benefit of refundable credits (money coming back to the “taxpayer” even when they dont pay taxes to begin with). So if it was all recipients the poll would say a majority, not 20%. So this poll seems to mean that even a vast majority (25-33%) of the recipients of funds from government anti-poverty programs even hate them. Certainly not good news for Oba.
In other news:
The other 80% of Americans say the government is doing just fine at creating poverty and mayhem.
Did you all hear that 90% (iirc) of new SS Disability claims are coming from Puerto Rico. And just think they got a graze from Irene.
Yeah the Poverty Programs work if you intention is to keep people in Poverty. Little do they know that the Dummies consider them undesirables. When the money completely runs out guess who will need to be done away with.
The fascist find genocide the answer to all their problems.
Remember Hitler started with the disabled and poor.
They work great. Manufacture millions of new Democrat votes every year. That’s the point, and always has been.
Everything they do just grows the Tea Party more!
I truly suspect that less than 20% of any Federal programs could be reliably said to achieve their stated goals. If they did so-it would be time to terminate them
You get more of what you focus on and invest in. Our economy and way of life are imperiled because over the past decades we increasingly focused on and invested in poverty. The return on that investment has been the destruction and wealth and what might have been. Our economy and prosperity are being sucked by a vortex of negativity into the destructive black hole of poverty. Pouring focus, energy and material resources into negativity is failure itself. It is folly in the extreme and a sure formula for disaster. Our only hope that we can reverse this trend, our only hope that we can rescue our future is to understand and immediately reverse this dynamic.
Ours was a robust, muscular appreciation based society. Appreciation that led to the recognition and the taking advantage of opportunities. Being appreciation based and opportunity driven we were propelled to unprecedented wealth, prosperity and growth. Over the past decades we have shifted to more of a flaccid and effete culture dominated by whining and pity. Whining and pity are an outcome of focusing on the negative. All a formula for failure and decline.
OBAMA HIT AN ALL-TIME LOW ON RASMUSSEN TODAY!!!!!
-26!!!!!!!
SPREAD THE WORD!!!
I love how he vaulted over -25, and went from -24 straight to -26!!!
Au contraire! Exit polls say that they are just treading water.
Smackdown! By Independents & Moderates 2006
In exit polls, 47 percent of voters described their views as moderate, 21 percent liberal and 32 percent conservative.Enemies of the White House - Discontent is growing on the center-right. 2008
This was ratified by the exit poll on Election Day. Only 22 percent identified themselves as liberal, while 34 percent were conservatives and 44 percent moderates.What the Voters Actually Said on Election Day 2010
Conservatives were 41 percent of the electorate, up a significant 9 percentage points from 2006. They were more enthusiastic about GOP House candidates than in 2006, when 74 percent of self-identified conservatives supported Republicans. This year, 84 percent did. Self-identified liberals formed 20 percent of the electorate in both years.When only one out of five is a self-identified, true believer, we have a lot of room for growth. The GOP got sixty percent of the white vote in 2010, the all time high. While I want to go after everybody, it's time to take the Jacksonian Democrats. The rats' energy and environmental policies are killing them, IMHO.
If we just required those who got federal or state benefits to provide some sort of work to the feds or the state at least we could get some productivity out of these people!
Thanks markomalley for the topic, thanks neverdem for the ping.
If that is the case...then maybe there is still hope for America. I understand that sometimes in our lives, we all need help.
I recall my family needing to go on foodstamps back in the mid-1970s. Bad economic times, dad needed spinal surgery(at the time it meant a year long recovery). How bad was it...? Our class often collected food for the poor at Thanksgiving and Christmas(Catholic School). As an 8th grader do you know how mortified I was when the class president's deliver boxes of food to my house? We were part of the parish poor. I didn't have a winter coat that year. I wore a hand-me-down sweatshirt under a hand-me-down jean jacket. I recall a friend of the family sharing with us some "government cheese." While some of these memories are fresh and still can bring tears to my eyes...I will never forget my Mom's embarrassment of paying for our groceries with foodstamps.
I also recall my Mom having to go back to work and that this situation was only a 6-month allotment. And my parents struggling with the last of their savings to pay the mortgage, utilities, and for us to stay in Catholic school. I think the parish discounted our tuition at the time, but it was not free. The following year we all ended up in public school.
Work ethic and basic ethics...it appears they may still be out there.
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