Views about government aid to the poor among adults who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services by state (2014) Switch to: State among adults who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services by views about government aid to the poor

% of adults who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services who say government aid to the poor…

StateDoes more harm than goodDoes more good than harmNeither/both equallyDon't knowSample size
Alabama70%24%5%1%314
Alaska60%35%4%2%183
Arizona63%31%3%3%410
Arkansas71%26%1%2%172
California57%39%4%1%1,784
Colorado65%33%2%1%278
Connecticut61%35%4%1%196
Delaware62%32%5%1%146
Florida66%29%4%1%1,035
Georgia69%25%4%2%528
Hawaii54%38%7%2%160
Idaho61%32%6%2%209
Illinois61%35%3%1%721
Indiana72%23%3%2%383
Iowa65%29%5%1%201
Kansas63%31%6%< 1%204
Kentucky67%25%6%2%245
Louisiana66%28%3%3%262
Maine59%35%4%2%180
Maryland61%33%3%2%298
Massachusetts57%38%4%1%325
Michigan62%35%3%1%545
Minnesota59%37%4%1%331
Mississippi69%27%2%3%178
Missouri64%32%3%1%402
Montana74%24%1%1%215
Nebraska68%29%2%1%202
Nevada62%33%4%1%194
New Hampshire54%40%3%3%180
New Jersey58%37%2%3%437
New Mexico65%33%1%1%153
New York57%37%5%1%882
North Carolina64%31%3%1%559
North Dakota68%29%2%1%233
Ohio65%31%3%1%682
Oklahoma64%31%2%3%240
Oregon55%38%6%2%228
Pennsylvania63%32%3%1%793
Rhode Island59%37%1%3%155
South Carolina61%31%5%3%271
South Dakota66%31%2%1%212
Tennessee64%31%3%3%407
Texas65%29%3%2%1,330
Utah73%26%1%1%222
Vermont50%45%2%3%143
Virginia70%25%3%2%516
Washington56%39%3%2%386
West Virginia63%31%4%2%188
Wisconsin65%31%2%2%369
Wyoming71%22%5%1%230
Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.

Learn More: Does more harm than good, Does more good than harm