Americans Want Era of Big Government to End

A new poll finds most Americans want an end to the era of big government, with more than half of them saying they view the federal government unfavorably.

The Rasmussen Reports poll of 1,000 likely U.S. voters found 64 percent of respondents viewed the federal government as "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable," while only 28 percent said they viewed the federal government as "somewhat favorable." A minuscule number -- 4 percent -- of voters said they view the government as "very favorable."

Most voters prefer smaller governments with fewer services and lower taxes -- 59 percent said they favor such a type of government. On the flip side, 28 percent said they'd prefer a larger government with more services and higher taxes.

Voters still aren't convinced the era of big government is over just yet. Less than a quarter (18 percent) said big government's reign is over, but a little more than half (53 percent) said the era hasn't ended just yet.

Nearly half (48 percent) said they want the era of big government to end, with 27 percent saying they don't want it to end and 25 percent who aren't sure.

The survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Oct. 7-8 by Rasmussen Reports.