A Lot of Americans Fear the Federal Government

More than one in three voting Americans are afraid of the federal government, according to a recent poll.

The survey by Rasmussen Reports found 37 percent of U.S. voters “fear the federal government.” More than half of voters -- 54 percent -- said the federal government is a “threat to individual liberty,” while just 22 percent saw it as a protector of individual rights.

The percentage of U.S. voters who viewed the government as a protector of rights decreased by more than half since December 2012, when 45 percent viewed the government as a positive force.

About seven in 10 voters said if the Founding Fathers came back today, they would view the government as too big. Fewer than one in five respondents said the federal government “does the right thing nearly all the time.” Thirty-six percent of voters said the federal government rarely or never does the right thing.

Two-thirds of voters viewed the government as a special interest group that “looks out primarily for its own interests.” Precise figures from the poll are shown below.

Rasmussen surveyed 1,000 likely voters on April 15-16 and its margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.