1. Americans and their Government: Addressing the Challenge of Trust
Key findings from focus group research
Conducted April/May 2015
for the
11503a

2. Methodology
Seven focus group sessions among American adults without partisan leanings in four locations:
Cincinnati, OH, March 30
White non-college educated seniors
White non-college educated men, ages 25 to 54
Denver, CO, March 31
Latino men and women, mixed education
White college educated men
Charlotte, NC, April 7
White non-college educated women
White college educated women
Towson, MD
African American men and women, mixed education

3. Americans lack of trust in government centers on politicians, more than the system.
Several themes consistently emerge in discussions about government:
Politicians are only out for themselves, not regular Americans.
Politicians can’t be trusted to follow through on campaign promises.
Politicians are to the blame for pervasive problems in government:
Corruption
Gridlock

4. But voters also lack confidence that government can solve problems.
Confidence in government to solve problems (-5 = no confidence at all, 5 = a lot of confidence)
Total no/low confidence: 48
Total some confidence: 18
47 out of 65 say that government wastes too much of taxpayers’ money.
41 out of 65 say there is too much red tape and bureaucracy in government to get things done
-5 to -4
-3 to -1
1 to 3
4 to 5

5. Concern about government is more populist than conservative.
Number of respondents who rate statement as an 8 to 10 (0 = does not concern you at all, 10 = concerns you a great deal)
Government stacks the deck in favor of the rich and powerful, instead of average people 49
Government gives away too many handouts that make people dependent on government 27
The government is just too big and intrudes on decisions better made by individuals and businesses 20

6. Government does not receive much credit for accomplishments.
Government receives the most credit for:
Eradicating major diseases like polio and smallpox, protections against public health threats
Federal emergency management for national disasters
Protections for workers’ health and safety
Protections against contaminated food; safety standards
Government receives the least credit for:
National supervision of banks and insurance
Establishing eight-hour workday, 40-hour work week, unemployment insurance (unions get credit)
Women’s equality and reducing sex discrimination (women’s orgs get credit)
Social Security and Medicare
Dramatic reduction in air pollution (environmental orgs get credit)
Americans do not believe elected officials deserve a just trophy for doing their job.

7. Conservatives have an advantage when the conversation about government revolves around questions of size.
The idea that big government leads to ineffective government resonates with Americans’ pre-existing belief that nothing in government ever gets done.
Linking big government to big business and crony capitalism activates the belief that politicians are out for themselves.
“When government has no limits, it will do anything it wants.” -Cincinnati man
However, thinking about specific consequences undercuts the strength of Ryan’s argument
Mean rating of Ryan clip from ABC/Miller Center debate: 6.5 (0 = do not agree at all, 10 = totally agree)
23 out of 55 rated it an 8 to 10

8. An effective rejoinder to Ryan’s critique is to shift the focus from the size of government to how we can make government work for regular people.
Americans strongly agreed with Reich’s proposition that “the issue is not so much how large government should be, but who government should be for.”
While this is not top of mind, participants are quick to agree with the idea once it is introduced.
This resonates with their complaint that big corporations and wealthy individuals aren’t paying their fair share but offers a positive alternative.
Mean rating of Reich clip from ABC/Miller Center debate: 8.4 (0 = do not agree at all, 10 = totally agree)
40 out of 55 rated it an 8 to 10

9. Progressive frame: Political populism
Highlighting exercise*
We need to reform government so that it works for average Americans, not wealthy special interests. We should focus on lifting the incomes of average Americans, not creating loopholes and subsidies for big corporations. We should use tax dollars to build roads and create jobs, instead of giving tax breaks to billionaires. And we should get big money out of politics—government should help level the playing field, not rig the system for the powerful
This economic philosophy/priorities statement would make a candidate very appealing
Q.13
Swing voters
64%

10. Next Steps for the Quantitative Research…
Develop a sharper and more strategically useful understanding of public doubts about government.
Identify common elements and attributes of instances when Americans want government to do more rather than less
Develop a credible and compelling narrative that government can be made to act for the broad public interest.