Very Large Majorities of Americans Believe Big Companies, PACs, Political Lobbyists and the News Media Have Too Much Power and Influence in D.C.

But nine in ten Americans believe small business has too little power and
influence
ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
When one thinks of Washington D.C. and the power corridors, smoke filled rooms
and shady deals with lobbyists may come to mind. There are certain groups which
are singled out by large majorities of the American public as having too much
power in influencing the government. Influencers leading the list are big
companies and Political Action Committees (PACs), which give money to political
candidates. Eighty-five percent of Americans see them both as having too much
influence.

Large majorities also believe that political lobbyists (81%) and the news media
(75%) have too much power. Rounding out the top five are entertainment and
sports celebrities, as over two-thirds (70%) of Americans believe they have too
much power and influence in D.C.

Fully 90% of Americans believe that small business has too little power and
influence. Large majorities also believe public opinion (76%) and nonprofit
organizations (7%) have too little power and influence.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 1,010 adults surveyed by
telephone between February 10 and 15, 2009 by Harris Interactive®.

Who Else Has Power and Influence?

In addition to PACs, big companies, lobbyists, the media and celebrities, there
are three other institutions which majorities of the public believe have too
much power - TV and radio talk shows (59%), trade associations (55%) and labor
unions (54%). Looking at the other side of the issue, just over half of the
public believes racial minorities (53%) and churches and religious groups (57%)
all have too little power and influence. Also a 51% to 38% majority believe
opinion polls have too little influence.

Changes over Time

Since The Harris Poll began asking these questions 15 years ago, the rank order
of interests, in terms of their perceived power and influence, has not changed
very much. Big companies, PACs and political lobbyists have always topped the
list of the too powerful; small business, public opinion and (since we began
asking them) non-profit organizations have always headed the list of those
having "too little power and influence."

The biggest changes since 1994 is an eight-point increase, from 51% to 59% in
those seeing TV and radio talk shows having too much power and influence.

Differences between the Views of Republicans, Democrats and Independents

Republicans, Democrats and Independents tend to agree on some groups related to
their power and influence in Washington and disagree about others. Over 80% of
all three believe that big business and PACs have too much power and influence.
Furthermore, similar numbers of Republicans and Democrats believe TV and radio
talk shows (60% and 64% respectively) have too much power and influence. Only
four or five percent of all three party groups think small business has too much
power and influence in D.C.

However, there are also some large differences. Republicans are much more likely
than Democrats to believe that labor unions have too much power (77% vs. 36%).
They are also more likely to think that racial minorities (50% vs. 18%), opinion
polls (48% vs. 24%), and the news media (88% vs. 66%) have too much power.

Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely than Republicans to think that
churches and religious organization (41% vs. 18%) have too much power and
influence

So What?

Politicians know how to use this kind of information. It helps to identify
oneself as being on the side of small business and public opinion. If you are
looking for groups to criticize, big business, PACs, lobbyists and the news
media are good targets.

One finding is particularly striking, the different between big business (bad)
and small business (good), with one at the top of "too powerful" list and the
other topping the "too little power" list. The foundation of America may be
business but the distrust of big business is pervasive. However, it may be worth
noting, hostility to big business is no higher than it was over the last three
years. The economic crisis has had a big impact on how people see banks (The
Harris Poll) but not, it seems, what they think of business in general.

Methodology

The Harris Poll®was conducted by telephone within the United States between
February 10 and 15, 2009 among a nationwide cross section of 1,010 adults (aged
18 and over).Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region, number of
adults in the household, size of place (urbanicity), and number of phone lines
voice/telephone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to bring
them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Full data tables
and methodology are available at www.harrisinteractive.com

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council
on Public Polls.

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About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and
rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we
assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients
globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of
independent market research firms. For more information, please visit
www.harrisinteractive.com.

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Copyright Business Wire 2009