Americans don’t want corporations involved in politics but place greater trust in private business than government in urging the private sector to take on more responsibility in society, according to a survey by the Public Affairs Council.
Polling 1,750 adult Americans on attitudes toward lobbying, politics and the private/public sector split, PAC found 72% saying business should run food banks and job training, while 68% said business should help improve healthcare and 66% said the same of education.
More people said federal regulation (52%) is a greater threat to the middle class than corporate power (40%). But the public also thinks corporate executives are being overpaid (71%) and many want the government to ramp up regulations in areas like environmental protection.
Doug Pinkham, president of the PAC, said Americans have “serious doubts” about whether the federal government can handle the nation’s challenges. He said, "As a result, the public is turning to the business sector and saying, 'The government can't seem to manage these things, so what can you do to help?'"
Public favorability views toward corporations, small business and government.
Source: PAC
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PAC found that support of big companies rose from 61% last year to two-thirds (67%) in the latest survey, although concerns about corporate power and profits linger. [Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer earlier this year found business support at 47% and government trust at 38%.]
Pinkham, who discussed the results of the survey in a length appearance on C-SPAN, said the fact that the economy improved slightly over the past year may account for the rise in corporate support, which is also buoyed by steadfast support for small business.
The largest support for corporate America came from Generation X (ages 36-47) with 71% favorability, followed by the 18-35 demographic (68%) and Boomers at 64%. While many see top executives as overpaid, 56% said companies don’t pay other workers fairly.
The public also showed some weariness toward outside lobbyists and corporations that get involved in the political process. Fifty-four percent said they think more unfavorably of a company that hires lobbyists, but large majorities support lobbying by business to protect jobs (81%), open new markets (78%), level a playing field (71%), or reduce costs (63%).
A solid 57% said they would feel less favorable about a company that paid for advertising in support of a political candidate.
The survey, which Pinkham said is intended to gain understanding of how Americans see the relationship between business and the federal government, was conducted for PAC by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International.