Most Still Think Government Workers Better Off Than Those in Private Sector

Most Americans nationwide continue to believe that government workers get more pay and better job security but don’t work as hard as their counterparts in the private sector.

Two-out-of-three American Adults (66%), in fact, think those who work in the private sector work harder than government workers. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 13% disagree, while 21% more are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Even most government workers (52%) say private company employees work harder than they do. Eighty-two percent (82%) of Americans who work for private companies agree.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of all adults believe the average government worker earns more money annually than the average private sector worker. Twenty-five percent (25%) don’t believe government workers earn more, while 19% are not sure.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) believe government workers have more job security than their private sector counterparts. Only eight percent (8%) think government workers have less job security than those in the private sector. Sixteen percent (16%) say the two are about the same. 

The findings for all three questions are little changed from June and consistent with surveys since December 2009.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on October 1-2, 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.