Poll: More Americans Prefer Larger Government

For the first time in eight years, more Americans prefer a bigger rather than a smaller government, a new survey shows.

The Pew Research Center reported Monday that 48 percent of Americans said they'd prefer bigger government that provides more services, up 7 points since last September; 45 percent said they'd prefer a smaller government that provided fewer services, down 5 points since September.

Americans are divided over party lines on the issue, with 65 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents preferring bigger government. Only 21 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents feel that way.

On the other hand, 74 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want smaller government, along with 27 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents.

Here's how the priorities broke down for programs' funding, according to the survey:

• 75 percent supported increased money for veterans' benefits.
• 67 percent want more funding for education.
• 58 percent favor increased money for rebuilding highways and bridges.

Lowest on the priority list were:

• Funding for the State Department and embassies, 15 percent.
• Assisting the needy around the world, 29 percent.
• Helping the unemployed, 29 percent.

The margin of error for the entire survey was 2.9 percentage points.

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