A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 15 percent of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is more honorable to work for the government than it is to work for a private company. Sixty-one percent disagree and say it is not more honorable. But a sizable 24 percent are not sure.

Democrats believe more strongly than Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major political party that it is more honorable to work for the government. But majorities of all three groups disagree with that proposition.

Most voters in nearly every demographic category do not rate government service as more honorable than working for a private company.

Among union members, however, 25 percent think government service is more honorable, and just 48 percent disagree. Twenty-seven percent are not sure. Most union members in America today are government employees. By comparison, 13 percent of non-union members believe government service is more honorable than work in the private sector, but 63 percent disagree.

Eighty percent of voters who are members of the tea party reject the idea that government work is more honorable, compared to 58 percent of those who are not members of the grass roots movement.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on May 20-21, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
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