Posted on 04/18/2013 2:42:05 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
About six in 10 Americans believe that money and wealth should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people in the U.S., while one-third think the current distribution is fair. Although Americans' attitudes on this topic have fluctuated somewhat over time, the current sentiment is virtually the same as when Gallup first asked this question in 1984. Slightly fewer have favored a more even distribution since October 2008.
The range in the percentage saying wealth should be "more evenly distributed" has been relatively narrow over time, from a low of 56% in 2000 to a high of 68% in April 2008.
Gallup has asked the question at least once during the administration of three Republican presidents -- Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush -- and two Democrats, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But there is no generally consistent pattern across these administrations. For example, the slightly lower percentage favoring a more even distribution during the Obama administration started in the final year of George W. Bush's administration -- after the onset of the financial crisis.
Wealth distribution is a key polarizing issue in contemporary U.S. politics. Partisan reactions to this question reflect that polarization, with more than eight in 10 Democrats saying money and wealth need to be more evenly distributed, compared with 28% of Republicans. There is a similar, although less extreme, divide between the views of liberals -- 79% of whom say money and wealth should be more evenly distributed -- and those of conservatives (41%).
(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com ...
Gallup pushing the Marxist agenda.
AllahPundit of Hotair comments:
... The bottom 50 percent or so in household income naturally wishes they had a little more to work with, and well-to-do liberals for ideological reasons wish they could give it to them. (Not out of their own pockets, of course, but out of America’s tax coffers.)
My assumption was that the privations of a recession would sharpen the resentment of the poor and middle class towards wealthier people so that you’d see a spike since 2009, but they actually seem to be dulling it a bit. Why? Maybe there’s a perception, even among redistributionists, that everyone gets hurt in a slowdown and therefore it’s less fair to ask for more. Conversely, during the prosperity of the 90s and 00s, support for redistribution stays high. Where does that dip circa 2001 come from, though? The mild recession of that decade didn’t start until a year later. Is that some byproduct of 9/11, i.e. “we all need to pull together” and not squabble over resources?
Also curious: If you follow the link up top and scroll down, you’ll see that support for tax hikes on the rich doesn’t track closely with the above graph on redistribution. That number’s at a 15-year high right now even though support for redistribution in the abstract is actually lower than it was in 1998. What explains that? I’m thinking there may be an “Obama effect” where the attention O has devoted specifically to taxing the rich over the last few years has helped push support for that particular form of redistribution upward, but meanwhile the recession and subsequent stagnant Obama “recovery” has kept support for redistribution in principle low-ish by historic standards. And yet, even with the trend in support for tax hikes, the number who support those right now (52 percent) is actually lower than the number that supports redistribution in principle (59 percent). Who are the seven percent who want more redistribution but not necessarily through tax hikes? What do they have in mind?
One last footnote: Compare the numbers for Republicans and independents at the link when they’re asked whether wealth should be redistributed more fairly and whether the government, specifically, should do the redistributing. Indies are split almost evenly on the latter question but are heavily in favor of more redistribution on the former. Republicans are heavily opposed to both ideas. That’s one reason why the Democrats’ attack on the GOP as the “party of the rich” perpetually gets traction with voters, no matter how many wealthy donors contribute to the DNC and no matter how cozy big-name Dems get with Wall Street.
This, in a nutshell, is why Obama won. He’s promising to take from the rich and hand it to the middle class. He’s promising to expand disability and food stamps until pretty much anyone who doesn’t want to work can live for free off the backs of the productive. 80 years of the Welfare State have given way too many Americans a mindset of “gimme gimme gimme and make the rich pay for it.” Not just the poor, but a lot of middle class people too. Its why we are in decline. People don’t want to work and produce. They want to live the good life off someone else’s dime.
52%? Isn’t that the same percentage of the population that pays no taxes? figures.
Of course.
Society has deteriorated to the point of no return.
This is the scariest poll I’ve seen in quite some time.
RE: 52%? Isn’t that the same percentage of the population that pays no taxes?
Actually it is 47%, but there are also many liberals who DO pay taxes, so 52% seems to be the right number ( seeing how it closely tracks the population voted in 2102)
That’s good idiots. Kill the golden goose.
Those who rob Peter to pay Paul can always be assured of Paul’s support.
Not sure you need a poll to figure that one out. I would title it “Majority in U.S. think they should get more of other people’s money”. Just a guess but the large majority of that 52% is likely in the bottom 50% of income.
“”The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
— Thomas Jefferson
About the same percentage who pay no federal income tax.
You got it.
I’m surprised that ONLY 52 percent favor higher taxes on “the rich.” The American people are looking for quick cash any way they can find it.
de Tocqueville’s tipping point.
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