The Public's Agenda
Despite six years of effort by the Reagan Administration to reduce the Federal Government's role in American life, a large majority of people still insist that Washington should be deeply involved in keeping the U.S. healthy, well housed and well educated. According to a poll taken for TIME by Yankelovich Clancy Shulman,* 77% of the public feel that in the future the Federal Government should play a more active role in such areas as health, housing, education and help for the poor. And 60% of those questioned -- including 49% of Republicans -- say they would support increased spending for social programs even if it meant paying more in taxes. Most critical, 56% of Americans now say they would prefer having a President in 1988 who would spend more on social needs, while only 33% would like a President who would keep such spending at current reduced levels.
Fewer than one-third of those surveyed (31%) still support increased Government spending for the military, and 69% -- including 55% of Republicans -- say they would spend more on social programs than on the military if they had to choose between the two. Public opinion has changed on this issue as the Reagan Administration has fulfilled its mandate: in the last year of the Carter Administration: 78% favored spending more for national defense.
The public is not entirely pleased with the Administration's tighter spending policies. The poll found that 62% of Americans are aware that there have been cutbacks in some social programs during the Reagan years; 61% of the public disapprove of them.
Republicans are more ambivalent, with 44% approving of the cuts and 44% disapproving. Large majorities now favor increased Government spending on health care for the elderly, nutrition programs for mothers and infants, housing for people with low or moderate incomes, more loans and grants to college students, cleaning up the environment and reducing acid-rain pollution. At the same time, those surveyed are cool toward additional spending on food stamps and the space program, with only about a third favoring increases in these areas and about the same number wanting to hold spending about where it is now.
More than a third of those surveyed want to cut spending on the President's Strategic Defense Initiative, although 49% want spending increased or kept the same. In October 1986, at the time of the Reykjavik summit, public approval for Star Wars stood at 64%.
Americans are still generally satisfied with the overall state of affairs in the country: 60% say things are going well, a drop of only two points since last September. The percentage of those citing the economy as a major problem dropped dramatically, from 50% of those polled in September 1985 to 33% today, as inflation and interest rates have withered and stock prices have leaped to record highs. Nor is there widespread concern about the federal deficit: only 12% of the people polled now consider Government spending a major problem, in contrast to 22% as recently as September 1985. For all the public attention drug abuse has received, only 9% cite it as a particular worry.
A great concern for Americans is the nation's schools: 56% agree that U.S. education is poor, and 49% say educational standards have become worse. Fully 65%, meanwhile, favor giving "substantially higher pay" to teachers to improve the schools.
FOOTNOTE: *The survey of 1,014 adults was taken by telephone Feb. 17-18. The potential sampling error is plus or minus 3%.
CHART:
Increased Decreased Kept same
Health programs for the elderly 78% 2% 18%
The environment 73% 5% 19%
Aid to the homeless 71% 5% 21%
Health services for the poor 71% 5% 22%
Nutrition programs for
mothers and infants 55% 6% 34%
Reducing acid-rain pollution 54% 11% 25%
Low- and moderate-income
housing 54% 11% 32%
Loans and grants to college
students 52% 15% 29%
The food-stamp program 33% 24% 36%
The space program 33% 27% 34%
The military 31% 25% 38%
Star Wars 23% 35% 26%
CREDIT: NO CREDIT
CAPTION: Should Government spending be increased, decreased, or kept the same?