Americans think the federal government wastes 51 cents on the dollar, according to a new Gallup poll, but Americans themselves aren’t guilty of wastefulness — at least according to themselves.
A Gallup survey found that 55 percent of Americans claim to only shop for what they need.
Gallup has been tracking public opinion on government spending for over 30 years. Since 2010, Americans have reported that they feel the federal government wastes more than 50 cents for each dollar it spends. While state and local governments are probably wasteful, Americans feel that their spending is not nearly as bad as the federal government’s.
While Americans may not have much faith in government spending, they are pretty confident in their own. Even though 44 percent reported spending more in July and August of this year than last, 73 percent feel pretty confident that they are careful with their money.
Only 15 percent admitted to spending their money as soon as they got it, but over half reported that they always save at least some of their income. And 55 percent reported only shopping for what was necessary.
Either Americans are much better with their money than the government, there’s some bias playing out across the nation, or times really are so tough that debt can be skyrocketing while most Americans just spend what’s necessary.