ShareThisMost Americans believe people have become less civil and polite when they talk about the federal government and its policies.
Fifty-seven percent of adults in a Scripps Howard survey answered "yes" to the question: "Does it seem to you that people, in general, have become less civil and less polite when they talk about the federal government?"
The poll found that 30 percent believe there has been no change in political rhetoric, 8 percent said the tone of debate has become "more civil and polite," and 5 percent were undecided or gave a different response.
Two-thirds of those polled said they believe their friends and acquaintances "are more angry with the federal government these days than they used to be."
That level of anger is actually down from a similar poll taken in 2006 when more than three-quarters said people have become generally angrier with their government.
Forty-one percent now say that they, personally, have become more irritated by the federal government. Again, this is down significantly from 54 percent three years ago.
The latest survey found that Republicans are much more likely to be irate than Democrats or political independents. Southerners, residents of rural areas, whites, and people who have attended religious services recently are especially likely to be personally angry with the federal government.
A 14-year study conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University found that anti-government anger is at relatively moderate levels these days despite worries over the stalled economy.
Scripps Howard has been tracking anti-federal anger since the 1995 bombing that killed 168 people in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Scripps Howard has asked about personal anger at the federal government in six separate polls and found that an average of 38 percent have said they're "more angry" with the government than they used to be.
The lowest level of anger was in 2001 during the era of pro-government feelings following the 9/11 terrorists attacks. Then only 12 percent said they were "more angry" than they used to be.
Public cynicism about the federal government is a strong as ever. Only 20 percent of adults in the latest poll said they think "the work the federal government is doing is making your own life better." About three-quarters said the government has had no impact on them or is actually making their lives worse.
The lowest pro-federal rating was in 1995 when only 18 percent thought government was making their lives better.
The survey was conducted by telephone from Sept. 27 through Oct. 21 among 1,001 adult residents of the United States. The poll was sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation and conducted at the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University under the direction of Associate Professor Jerry Miller.
The survey has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
