Views about size of government among independents and those who don't lean to either party by sources of guidance on right and wrong (2014) Switch to: Sources of guidance on right and wrong among independents and those who don't lean to either party by views about size of government

% of independents and those who don't lean to either party who would rather have…

Sources of guidance on right and wrongSmaller government; fewer servicesBigger government; more servicesDependsDon't knowSample size
Religion43%45%5%7%1,786
Philosophy/reason52%38%5%5%544
Common sense49%40%4%6%2,555
Science41%51%3%5%471
Don't know39%25%15%21%302
Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.

Learn More: Smaller government; fewer services, Bigger government; more services