New Poll: 59 Percent of Americans ‘Concerned’ Biden Will Do Too Much to Increase Role of Government

Americans are increasingly concerned that President Biden will go too far in expanding government, according to a new Washington Post-ABC poll.

The poll asked, “How concerned are you, if at all, that Biden will do too much to increase the size and role of government in U.S. society?” In response, 59 percent said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned, while 38 percent said they were “not so” or “not at all” concerned. That’s a significant swing from when the question was asked in April, when the breakdown was 53 percent to 45 percent.

But before we get too excited that there will be a new birth of Milton Friedman-ism, the same poll finds support for Biden’s specific spending initiatives.

According to the survey, 63 percent supported spending $1 trillion on infrastructure, and 58 percent say they support “spending about two trillion dollars to address climate change and to create or expand preschool, health care and other social programs.”

So, the fight goes on.

Meanwhile, as Jim notes below, the poll brings other bad news for Democrats. It finds Biden’s approval taking another hit, since the same poll in September, and he’s now down to 41 percent. He’s also underwater in his handling of the economy (39–55) and the coronavirus (47–49).