One of the more palpable emotions to emerge from the government shutdown, Obamacare and the upcoming showdown over the debt limit is anger. Rhetoric has been heated, passionate, and at times, downright hostile.
In recent weeks, it feels as if the majority of this anger is coming from the right. According to a new poll from the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, this perception is correct.
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According to Pew, 41 percent of Republicans said they are angry with the federal government. Overall, 26 percent said they were angry at the government, 51 percent said that they were frustrated, while 17 percent said they were content.
Pew found that anger toward the government has been concentrated with Republicans since President Obama took office in 2009. This anger is especially strong among people who identify with the Tea Party.
“Currently, 50 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the Tea Party say they are angry at the government, compared with just 27 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans,” Pew found.
Not surprisingly, the anger toward government shifted from Democrats to Republicans when Obama took office. Check out the chart below:
Anger with the government has done an about-face as administrations have shifted, a reflection of the partisanship that has gripped national politics over the last decade.
“Currently, 50 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners who agree with the Tea Party say they are angry at the government, compared with just 27 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans,” Pew found.
No Agreement on Congressional Dysfunction
The majority of Americans believe that Congress is dysfunctional, but there is no general agreement on the cause of this dysfunction. Pew broke it down in the chart below:
"Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans (52 percent vs. 25 percent) to blame congressional gridlock on a few members holding things up," Pew found. “Republicans are more likely than Democrats (62 percent vs. 34 percent) to say this gridlock is the result of the growing distance between the parties more generally.”
Young People Running Out
Pew found that the frustration and general disagreements between Republicans and Democrats exists primarily with older Americans. For better or worse, Millennials simply don’t follow politics closely.
“Among those younger than 30, however, 63 percent say they are not following news about the government shutdown closely, including nearly half (46 percent) who say they aren’t following it at all,” Pew found. “Just 13 percent of young adults are tracking news about the budget battles in Congress very closely, compared with 30 percent of those ages 30-49, 47 percent of those ages 50-64 and 54 percent of those ages 65 and older.”
