...the time dropped from 63.7% in 1964 to 37.7% in 1970. During the same time frame, the question was asked: "Would you say the government is pretty much...that it is run for the benefit of all the people?" The percentage of Americans believing the government was run for the benefit of all the people dropped...

...percent in 1964 to a low of 21.3 percent in 1974, while the percentage of people polled who believe that government is "pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves" increased from 29 percent in 1964 to a high of 69.9 percent in 1974. Findings I, H155; IIA JA 252-53;...

...disaffected: "You can trust the government in Washington to do what is right . . . only some of the time." "The government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." "Quite a few of the people running government are a little crooked." "Quite a few of the people running...

...question does serve to pinpoint a dimension of political anomie (Finifter 1970). It reads: "The federal government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." Miller, Brown, and Raine (1973) use this question with slightly different words as a part of their...

...question does serve to pinpoint a dimension of political anomie 1Finifter 19701. lt reads: "The federal government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." Miller. Brown. and Raine 119731 use this question with slightly different words as a part of their...

...percent in 1964 to 19 percent by 1994. By a 75-19 percent margin Americans told pollsters in 1994 that "government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." Since both institutions and national narratives seemed so far removed from everyday experiences and...

...government waste a lot of the money we pay in taxes, waste some of it, or do not waste very much of it? Q3. Would you say the government is pretty much run by...that it is run for the benefit of all the people? Q4. Do you think that quite a few of the people running the government are crooked, not very many are,...

...right—just about always, most of the time, or only some of the time?" and (b)" Would you say that the government is pretty much run by a few big interests...that it is run for the benefit of all the people?" Responses to the first question in this figure include those who answered "just about always" or "most...

...1 960, 1 5 percent agreed and 73 percent disagreed. In response to the question "Would you say that the government is pretty much run by a few big interests...themselves or that it is run for the benefit of all people?", 76 percent of those polled in 1992 said "few big interests," and 20 percent said "benefit...

...well-meaning. 75 The same survey found that in 1996 eight out of ten Americans agreed with the view that the government "is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." 76 Whether one sees this as an accurate perception of current political reality or hopelessly distorted,...