---
title: "Public remains divided over role of government in financial regulation"
description: "As Donald Trump and congressional Republicans take steps to roll back Obama-era financial regulations, the public remains divided over whether regulations of financial institutions have gone too far or not gone far enough."
date: "2017-03-02"
authors:
  - name: "Samantha Smith"
    job_title: "Former Research Assistant"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/samantha-smith/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/03/02/public-remains-divided-over-role-of-government-in-financial-regulation/"
categories:
  - "Congress"
  - "Economic Policy"
  - "Issue Priorities"
  - "Political Issues"
  - "Politics & Policy"
---

# Public remains divided over role of government in financial regulation

As Donald Trump and congressional Republicans [take steps](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/business/dealbook/trump-congress-financial-regulations.html) to [roll back Obama-era financial regulations](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/09/gop-preparing-plan-to-gut-consumer-finance-protection-bureau-roll-back-wall-street-reform/?utm_term=.1cad0a43cd7e), the public remains divided over whether regulations of financial institutions have gone too far or not gone far enough.

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/03/FT_17.03.02_financialReg_party.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/03/02/public-remains-divided-over-role-of-government-in-financial-regulation/ft_17-03-02_financialreg_party/)

Overall, about half of Americans (49%) say “the government has not gone far enough in regulating financial institutions and markets, leaving the country at risk of another financial crisis,” while 42% say the government has gone too far, “making it harder for the economy to grow.” These views are largely unchanged over the past several years.

By roughly two-to-one, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely to say financial regulations have gone too far (63%) than to say they have not gone far enough (31%). The balance of opinion among Democrats and Democratic leaners is reversed: More than twice as many Democrats say the government has not gone far enough in this area (62%) as say it has gone too far (29%). The partisan gap over financial regulation has changed little since Pew Research Center first asked the question in September 2013.

[![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/03/FT_17.03.02_financialReg_demographic.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/03/02/public-remains-divided-over-role-of-government-in-financial-regulation/ft_17-03-02_financialreg_demographic/)

There also are differences in views of financial regulations by age and education. Among Americans younger than 30, just 33% say the government has gone too far in regulating financial institutions, while more (52%) say it has not gone far enough. Older Americans are more divided in their views.

Majorities of those with at least a four-year college degree say the government hasn’t gone far enough regulating financial institutions: 56% say this, while just 34% say regulation has gone too far. By comparison, a smaller share of those with no more than a high school diploma (41%) think there has not been enough regulation of the financial sector, while 51% say the government has gone too far regulating these institutions.

*Note: Full methodology is available [here](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/03-02-2017_Financial_regulations_methodology.pdf), and survey topline is [here](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/03-02-2017_Financial_regulations_topline_for_release.pdf). (PDFs)*