• When it comes to important policy decisions, 64% of voters trust the American people more than political leaders and government experts.
  
  • Just 17% feel the opposite, while about 1 in 5 (19%) are not sure.
  • Overall, 3 quarters (74%) of Republicans trust the people more than the leaders to make decisions, along with a majority (56%) of Democrats.
  • The main difference is that 1 quarter (24%) of Democrats are undecided on the question, compared to just 12% of Republicans.
• Even voters who prefer policies similar to Bernie Sanders (one of the groups most skeptical of the American people on this question) still trust people over politicians by a margin 51% to 23%.
• Strong majorities of both parties also believe voters and elected officials should have a chance to overturn regulations that they oppose.
  • This includes 76% of Republicans and 65% of Democrats.
  • Just 18% of voters believe experts at government organizations should be allowed to make the final decisions.
• Part of the reason for this is that voters do not consider someone an expert simply for spending time at a federal agency.
  • By a 53% to 28% margin, voters say time working for private organizations in the relevant field is more valuable than time spent at a federal agency.
• For instance, 65% of voters report that they would consider a doctor of 20 years a more reliable expert than someone who worked for the Food and Drug Administration for 20 years.
  • This includes 72% of Republicans and a nearly 6 in 10 Democrats (59%).

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, November 7-8, 2024. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.