ACIR Poll Finds Local Governments Lead State
Governments And The Federal Government In Public Esteem

Among the findings of a new poll by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations are that local government scores higher than state government and the federal government in public esteem, that many Americans believe Washington has too much power over states and localities, and that between 1986 and 1987 the percentage of respondents choosing the federal income tax as the worst tax declined, while those choosing state taxes rose.

In selecting the people running governments (federal, state, or local) in which they have the most trust and confidence, 37% of the poll respondents chose local, 22% chose state, and 19% chose federal. Asked which government wastes the most of their tax money, 8% said local, 14% said state, and 66% said federal.

Forty-six percent of respondents also said that the federal government has too much power over the activities of state and local governments, while 37% think it has the right amount of power, and 7% feel it has too little power.

ACIR has commissioned a poll on public attitudes toward governments and taxes since 1972. In each of the past 16 years, respondents have been asked: "Which do you think is the worst tax — that is, the least fair (the federal income tax, state income tax, state sales tax, or local property tax)?" In this year's poll those choosing the federal income tax dropped to 30% from 37% in 1986. Because full implementation of federal tax reform will not occur until 1988, it is still too early to attribute this drop to the new tax code, but the 30% citing it as the worst tax is a reversal from the consistent average of about 36% since 1979.

In comparison, respondents citing the state income tax as the worst tax rose to 12% in 1987 from 8% in 1986. Those citing the state sales tax rose to 21% in 1987 from 17% in 1986, and from 14% in the early-1980s (perhaps reflecting the fact that since 1982 twenty-two states have increased their sales tax rates).

The percentage citing the local property tax declined from 28% in 1986 to 24% in 1987.

Despite varying views on some questions, the public is fairly evenly divided about which level of government gives them the most for their tax dollars. Twenty-eight percent say federal, 22% say state, and 29% say local — with 21% undecided. In addition, federal, state, and local governments are rated roughly equal in ability to carry out their responsibilities. The percentages of respondents saying they have either "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust and confidence in the three levels of government were 68% for federal, 73% for state, and 73% for local.

Full demographic tables for these questions and polling results on several additional questions are published in Chicago Public Attitudes on Governments and Taxes 1987, S-16. It is available for $10.00 from: ACIR Publications, 1111 Twentieth Street, N.W., Suite 2000, Washington, D.C. 20575.

For the past five years, ACIR has commissioned the Gallup Organization of Princeton, N.J. to conduct this poll. Findings are based on a personal interview research survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,044 men and women, 18 years of age and over, living in private households in the United States. Interviewing was completed from June 6 to June 14, 1987. Sampling tolerances for the survey are ± 4 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.

The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations is a bipartisan body established by Congress in 1959 to monitor the American federal system and make recommendations for change. Its 26 members include officials from federal, state, and local governments, as well as representatives of the general public. Robert R. Hawkins, Jr., of San Francisco, California is Chairman. •

Page 14 / Illinois Municipal Review / November 1987