THIS QUESTION came from a Washington Post poll conducted from Jan 12-15, 2010.

Generally speaking, would you say you favor (smaller government with fewer services), or (larger government with more services)?

Nearly 60% favored smaller government.

Given the current political environment, that isn't too surprising. What is surprising is that it wasn't mentioned in the Washington Post article discussing the poll.

More surprising, looking at the details, was that the question has been asked in many polls before, and the results are consistent: 50% or more of the people polled since 1992 has opted for a smaller government with fewer services.


The rapid divergence post-Obama (white line) is particularly striking. The obvious conclusion is that it is a strong reaction to Democrats' overreach following the 2008 presidential election.

The Wall Street Journal has more on overreach.