In surveys throughout the year, many Americans have expressed their displeasure with the federal government and political leaders. But while Washington has rarely seen such low levels of trust and favorability, more among the public say that they pay about the right amount in taxes considering what they get from the federal government (50%) than say they pay more than their fair share in taxes (43%). Just 3% were willing to say they pay less than their fair share in taxes. In 1997, a majority (52%) said they paid more than their fair share in federal taxes. There is little partisan difference on this question, with 55% of Democrats and roughly half of independents (49%) and Republicans (47%) saying they pay about the right amount in taxes. Supporters of the Tea Party movement, however, are more likely than those who disagree or do not have an opinion of the Tea Party to say they are taxed more than their fair share. Read More
Taxed Enough Already?
Russell Heimlich is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.