Government responsibilities scale | Pew Research Center

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May 6, 2025

Americans see a role for the federal government in many domains, but some large partisan divisions persist

Government responsibilities scale

Government responsibilities scale

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Government responsibilities scale

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Americans see a role for the federal government in many domains, but some large partisan divisions persist
How Americans’ views of the federal government’s responsibilities have shifted in recent years
Bipartisan agreement on some core responsibilities of government, but wide partisan gaps over health insurance, education, income and retirement support
Small uptick in share of Americans who prefer a bigger government providing more services
Government responsibilities scale
Americans who see a smaller role for government are more likely to approve of Trump administration cuts
Large majorities of Americans favor a role for the federal government in a wide range of policy areas