Seventy-two percent of Americans believe that big government is the largest threat facing the country, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
Survey respondents also said that big givernment was a bigger threat than big business and big labor. Twenty-one percent said big business is the greatest threat, while only 5 percent said big labor is.
Americans have always viewed big government as the biggest threat, but this is a record high for the survey. The fear of big government has risen dramatically since 2009, when 55 percent believed it was the greatest threat to the country’s future, according to Gallup.
Gallup attributed the rise in concern to Republicans, who historically view big government as a bigger threat than Democrats. Ninety-two percent of Republicans said that big goverment is the greatest threat to the country.
Gallup surveyed 1,031 adults via telephone on Dec. 15-18 and the poll carried a margin of error plus or minus four percentage points.
