Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Low-Income Republicans Say Government Does Too Little for Poor People

February 2, 2012

Mitt Romney's emphatic statement that he is focused solely on the problems of middle class Americans, not the poor, may not sit well with most of the lower income voters within his own party. Roughly a quarter of Republican and Republican leaning registered voters live in households with annual incomes under $30,000, and a majority of them believe that the government does not do enough for poor people in this country.

By a 57% to 18% margin, lower income Republican voters say the government does too little, not too much, for poor people. By contrast, higher-income Republicans tend to take the opposite view; b roughly two-to-one (44% to 21%) Republicans with incomes of $75,000 or more say the government does too much, not too little for poor people.

Read the full analysis.