America - Politics, culture, opinions
How old are you?
| 9% (6) | Less than 16 | |
|---|---|---|
| 30% (20) | 16-20 | |
| 10% (7) | 21-25 | |
| 13% (9) | 26-35 | |
| 36% (24) | Over 35 |
66 voters have answered this question.
What type of general governance do you believe in?
| 18% (12) | Large government, lots of taxes and social programs. | |
|---|---|---|
| 40% (27) | Medium government. | |
| 40% (27) | Small government, few taxes and social programs. |
66 voters have answered this question.
What services do you think a country should provide to its citizens out of tax money?
| 84% (56) | Police | |
|---|---|---|
| 84% (56) | Firefighting | |
| 75% (50) | Emergency weather situations | |
| 81% (54) | Military | |
| 46% (31) | Social programs for those out of work | |
| 59% (39) | Social programs for those physically/mentally unable to work | |
| 65% (43) | Emergency medical care | |
| 45% (30) | All medical care | |
| 81% (54) | Roads/bridges/highways | |
| 6% (4) | None, it should all be funded privately | |
| 4% (3) | Other, please comment (I admit I haven't been extremely thorough here) |
66 voters have answered this question.
In general (but not necessarily every single one), I believe services should be:
| 59% (39) | A public right, out of public dollars | |
|---|---|---|
| 40% (27) | A private concern, pay for it if you want it |
66 voters have answered this question.
The cost of medical care in America:
| 24% (16) | Is reasonable for the quality and type of work done. | |
|---|---|---|
| 60% (40) | Is too high, plain and simple. | |
| 13% (9) | Is affordable due to insurance companies. | |
| 34% (23) | Is made less affordable due to insurance companies. |
66 voters have answered this question.
The education systems in America:
| 7% (5) | Are top notch | |
|---|---|---|
| 50% (33) | Are mediocre for the amount of wealth we have (hint: pick this one if you have to look up "mediocre" and are over 16) | |
| 39% (26) | Should be entirely or mainly publicly funded | |
| 33% (22) | Should be entirely or mainly privately funded |
66 voters have answered this question.
I think that a person should be able to end up with more money by donating to charity and then paying less taxes than if they didn't donate to charity and paid more taxes (not your guess at how it works, your opinion on whether it should work this way):
| 54% (36) | Yes, it's good to reward that behavior | |
|---|---|---|
| 45% (30) | No, they're just avoiding taxes |
66 voters have answered this question.
I strongly believe in the American dream of working hard and making my way in life:
| 69% (46) | Yes, absolutely | |
|---|---|---|
| 22% (15) | Yes, but not without bending a few rules | |
| 13% (9) | No, there is too much competition | |
| 7% (5) | No, I don't have the right parents/background |
66 voters have answered this question.
In disaster situations, it's obvious:
| 15% (10) | That our government is on top of things and working hard to help everyday people. | |
|---|---|---|
| 39% (26) | That our government has our resources stretched pretty thin, but does the best that can be expected to help everyday people. | |
| 42% (28) | Isn't very responsive or reasonable. | |
| 28% (19) | Is concerned mainly with large companies who want to make lots of money off of it. | |
| 7% (5) | Other, please comment. |
66 voters have answered this question.
I feel like I have a lot of say in how my government runs things:
| 4% (3) | Yes. I can contact several members of my government easily and can make my opinions heard. | |
|---|---|---|
| 24% (16) | Yes, but it takes a lot of effort and it works better when you have a large group behind you. | |
| 12% (8) | No, but I feel as if I'm listened to if I have issues or complaints. | |
| 46% (31) | No, all I do is vote and then it feels like it's way out of my hands. | |
| 30% (20) | Are you kidding me, every few years it's "Pick a king" and hope for the best. |
66 voters have answered this question.
The legal system:
| 15% (10) | Is fine as is. | |
|---|---|---|
| 45% (30) | Should focus more on re-education and counselling than locking people up. | |
| 48% (32) | Should trim a lot of fat and stop taking up my tax dollars. | |
| 27% (18) | Should have corporal punishment instead of such long prison sentences for minor violent crimes and lesser crimes. |
66 voters have answered this question.
The news media I generally find is most popular:
| 4% (3) | Is fair and balanced | |
|---|---|---|
| 45% (30) | Is too liberal biased | |
| 30% (20) | Is too conservative biased | |
| 19% (13) | I don't know. How would I know whether or not they're telling it through one bias or another? |
66 voters have answered this question.
Are Americans obsessed with being entertained?
| 18% (12) | Yes, and it's fine. We're rich and powerful enough to sit back and enjoy. | |
|---|---|---|
| 30% (20) | Yes, and it's normal for any culture. | |
| 45% (30) | Yes, and it's a bit of a distraction from excelling on a personal level (watching tv instead of studying, for example). | |
| 50% (33) | Yes, and it's a bit of a distraction from public life and knowledge of politics and serious issues. | |
| 3% (2) | No. |
66 voters have answered this question.
Are Americans overly-stressed, and if yes then why?
| 19% (13) | No. Not more than any other highly-productive nation. | |
|---|---|---|
| 18% (12) | No. Not more than any other nation on average. | |
| 36% (24) | Yes. It's mainly poor diet and lack of exercise. | |
| 43% (29) | Yes. With so much competition in the workplace there is too much pressure to perform and deal with difficult situations/people. | |
| 18% (12) | Yes. The means in which we get our news and/or entertainment is overly-stimulating. | |
| 31% (21) | Yes. It's too easy to try to punish others with lawsuits and prison over what I would consider mistakes or minor infractions of the law. |
66 voters have answered this question.
America is very monochromatic, a term in anthropology essentially meaning that we're uptight about being exactly on time about everything. The results of this:
| 30% (20) | Allow us to be more productive. | |
|---|---|---|
| 62% (41) | Stress us out. | |
| 10% (7) | Alleviate stress when you get the hang of things. | |
| 28% (19) | Are good for people who run companies, but not for the employees themselves. | |
| 19% (13) | Are good for everyone overall |
66 voters have answered this question.
Do we really need pills for everything? If not, what seems like a frivolous usage of pharmaceuticals:
| 28% (19) | It's not need, but want. If we want it, we should be able to demand it and the people who supply it deserve the money they get. | |
|---|---|---|
| 51% (34) | I don't think we need as many pills as we are offered, even for real pain and sickness. I think there are better means to treat ourselves. | |
| 45% (30) | I think weight loss pill aren't necessary. It just takes diet and exercise. | |
| 24% (16) | I think impotence pills aren't necessary. It also just takes diet and exercise. Healthy habits, anyway. | |
| 12% (8) | Other, please leave comment. |
66 voters have answered this question.
Does the average American know much about politics? If not, why?
| 3% (2) | Yes. They know a lot about it. | |
|---|---|---|
| 6% (4) | Yes, they know enough. | |
| 57% (38) | No. People feel that their input doesn't matter and have become apathetic. | |
| 33% (22) | No. We're spoiled. We don't worry about it because things seem to do well without our input because the country is rich and powerful. | |
| 25% (17) | No. Most things are handled by private industry. Some of the biggest concerns being our sources of income and our supply of necessities. | |
| 18% (12) | Other. Please leave a comment. |
66 voters have answered this question.
Should there be a government enforced limit on the gap between rich and poor in a country?
| 28% (19) | Yes. It's ridiculous anywhere to have people who own Islands and people who don't have enough for a decent set of clothes to be in the same country. It seems unjust. | |
|---|---|---|
| 45% (30) | No. People who have more generally deserve more. They worked hard for it one way or another, it's not their fault that some people are poor and can't pick themselves up. | |
| 25% (17) | I have a more complex opinion (please comment) |
66 voters have answered this question.
