PACs, Big Companies, Lobbyists, and Banks and Financial Institutions Seen by Strong Majorities as Having Too Much Power and Influence in DC

NEW YORK, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When one thinks about how Washington, D.C. works, certain groups are always seen as being too powerful and wielding too much influence whether in the halls of Congress or the White House. Almost nine in ten Americans say that political action committees or PACs (88%) and big companies (86%) have too much power and influence in Washington, D.C. More than four in five U.S. adults believe political lobbyists (85%), and banks and financial institutions (81%) carry too much influence inside the Beltway while almost three-quarters believe the news media (73%) has too much power.

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These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 1,016 adults surveyed by telephone between April 10 and 17, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Two-thirds of Americans say entertainment and sports celebrities (67%) have too much power and influence and more than two in five say the same about television and radio talk shows (65%) and trial lawyers (62%). Majorities believe this about trade associations (57%) and labor unions (56%).

At the other end of the spectrum, nine in ten Americans (90%) say that small business has too little power and influence in Washington, D.C., while 78% say the same about public opinion and 64% believe this about non-profit organizations. Just over half of U.S. adults say that racial minorities (56%) have too little power.

Two things fall in the middle. Just under half say churches and religious groups (48%) and opinion polls (47%) have too little power and influence while two in five say churches and religious groups (41%) and opinion polls (40%) have too much.

Changes over time

There have been some changes from both last year and over time. Some of the largest shifts from 1994 when this question was first asked are:

• A fourteen point increase, from 51% to 65%, in those who believe TV and radio talk shows have too much power;
• A ten point increase, from 46% to 56%, in those who say labor unions have too much power; and,
• A six point decrease, from 79% to 73%, in those who say the news media has too much power.

Some of the largest changes since last year are:

• A twelve point increase, from 53% to 65%, in those who believe TV and radio talk shows have too much power;
• A five point increase, from 62% to 67%, in those who believe entertainment and sports celebrities have too little power;
• A five point decrease, from 40% to 35%, in those who say labor unions have too much power; and,
• A four point decrease, from 85% to 81%, in those who say banks and financial institutions have too little power.

Partisan differences
Surprisingly, there are actually some issues where, even in this election year, Republicans, Democrats and Independents tend to agree. Over four in five of all three groups believe that PACs (91%, 85% and 91%, respectively), big companies (86%, 84%, and 87%, respectively), and political lobbyists (91%, 81%, and 87%, respectively) have too much power and influence in Washington, D.C. and around four in five think the same about banks and financial institutions (79%, 83%, 84%, respectively). Less than one in ten of all three parties think small business has too much power and influence in D.C. (6%, 4%, and 3%, respectively).

However, there are also some large differences. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to believe that labor unions have too much power (79% vs. 35%). They are also more likely to think that racial minorities (47% vs. 19%), trial lawyers (75% vs. 49%), non-profit organizations (33% vs. 14%), and entertainment and sports celebrities (79% vs. 61%) have too much power.

Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely than Republicans to think churches and religious organizations (49% vs. 25%) have too much power.

So what?
The perception of business in this country is one that has always been split. For years, big business has been at or near the top of this list, being perceived as wielding too much power, while small business, seen as having too little, has sat at the bottom of the list. This is why the issue of large Wall Street bonuses and tax breaks for big companies will never sit well with Americans and why railing against big business is an effective campaign tactic for politicians.  The other rallying cry will be heard against PACs and lobbyists – two groups that are always seen with derision outside of the Beltway. And, in this election year, the rise of the Super-PAC makes this an even easier group for both sides to campaign against.

TABLE 1
GROUPS SEEN AS HAVING TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE POWER AND INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON

"And now a question about the power of different groups in influencing government policy, politicians, and policy makers in Washington. Do you think (READ EACH ITEM) have/has too much or too little power and influence in Washington?"

                Base: All Adults

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100 percent due to rounding.

TABLE 2
GROUPS SEEN AS HAVING TOO MUCH POWER - TRENDS 1994-2012

"And now a question about the power of different groups in influencing government policy, politicians, and policy makers in Washington. Do you think (READ EACH ITEM) have/has too much or too little power and influence in Washington?"

Percent saying "too much"

                       Base: All Adults

TABLE 3
GROUPS SEEN AS HAVING TOO LITTLE POWER - TRENDS 1994-2012

"And now a question about the power of different groups in influencing government policy, politicians, and policy makers in Washington. Do you think (READ EACH ITEM) have/has too much or too little power and influence in Washington?"

Percent saying "too little"

                         Base: All Adults

TABLE 4
GROUPS SEEN AS HAVING TOO MUCH POWER – BY PARTY ID

"And now a question about the power of different groups in influencing government policy, politicians, and policy makers in Washington. Do you think (READ EACH ITEM) have/has too much or too little power and influence in Washington?"

Percent saying "too much"

      Base: All Adults

   *Signifies less than 1%

Methodology
The Harris Poll^® was conducted by telephone within the United States between April 10 and 17, 2012 among a nationwide cross section of 1,016 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of adults in the household, size of place (urbanicity), and number of phone lines voice/telephone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling are subject to, multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.  Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading.  All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

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The Harris Poll^® #45, May 29, 2012
By Regina Corso, SVP, Harris Poll Insights, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive
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SOURCE Harris Interactive