If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

POLITICS

53% View Government As Threat To Individual Rights

Over half (53%) of Americans now believe the federal government is more of a threat to individual rights than a protector.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 33% of Adults believe the government is more of a protector of those rights. Fourteen percent (14%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

In a survey nearly a year ago, 48% believed the government was a threat to individual rights, while 37% saw the government as a protector. 

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Americans think it is more important for the government to protect individual rights than to promote economic growth. Twenty-eight percent (28%) take the opposite view and say the government should put promoting economic growth ahead of individual rights. Another 20% aren’t sure. These findings are similar to those found a year ago.

In late December, 59% of voters said protecting individual rights was a more important role for government than managing the economy or promoting social justice. 

However, voters still tend to believe America’s legal system puts too much emphasis on individual rights when it comes to both national security and public safety.

(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 survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on May 30-31, 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.

Want to read more?

Become a Rasmussen Reader to read the article

Have an account?

Log In

Become a Reader

Subscribe

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.