52% Share Reagan’s View That “Help” From the Government Can Be Terrifying

Ronald Reagan famously declared that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Those words continue to resonate with many Americans.

The latest Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 52% of voters share Reagan’s view of how terrifying government “help” can be. Only 35% disagree while 13% are not sure.

The implications of this finding during a time of lockdowns were addressed in a Newsweek column by Scott Rasmussen.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Republicans today agree with Reagan’s view. So do 46% of Democrats and 44% of Independents.

The view is shared by 51% of white voters, 49% of black voters, and 54% of Hispanic voters.

It is also shared by 56% of Rural voters, 53% of Suburban voters, and 48% of Urban voters.

Just 45% of college graduates share Reagan’s view. Among those without a degree, that figures rises to 55%.

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The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from May 14-16, 2020. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or by text while 238 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Certain quotas were applied, and the overall sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.

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