In 1973, the majority of people disagreed they thought it was important to have a big government. Then Blueprint asked the same question again. This time the majority of people agreed. The polling results were the mirror image of what they had been 25 years ago. This illustrates a sea change happening in the country.
More people place more faith in the private sector than they do in the public sector.
Relatedly, you see some shift in attitudes towards taxes. The same 1998 poll asked people if they thought it was the job of government to redistribute wealth, one of the effects of taxation. In the late 1990s, people aren t interested in a tax policy that just helps them tread water. They want a tax policy that allows them to have a shot at being part of the new bonanza. Yet, so often, our current government, our tax writers, don t seem to understand that.