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The Government-Citizen Disconnect
Americans’ relationship to the federal government is paradoxical. Polls show that public opinion regarding the government has plummeted to all-time lows, with only one in five saying they trust the government or believe that it operates in their interest. Yet, at the same time, more Americans than ever benefit from some form of government social provision. Political scientist Suzanne Mettler calls this growing gulf between people’s perceptions of government and the actual role it plays in their lives the "government-citizen disconnect." In The Government-Citizen Disconnect , she explores the rise of this phenomenon and its implications for policymaking and politics.
Drawing from original survey data which probed Americans’ experiences of 21 federal social policies -- such as food stamps, Social Security, Medicaid, and the home mortgage interest deduction -- Mettler shows that 96 percent of adults have received benefits from at least one of them, and that the average person has utilized five. Overall usage rates transcend social, economic, and political divisions, and most Americans report positive experiences of their policy experiences. However, the fact that they have benefited from these policies has little positive effect on people’s attitudes toward government. Mettler finds that shared identities and group affiliations, as well as ideological forces, are more powerful and consistent influences. In particular, those who oppose welfare tend to extrapolate their unfavorable views of it to government in general. Deep antipathy toward the government has emerged as the result of a conservative movement that has waged a war on social welfare policies for over forty years, even as economic inequality and benefit use have increased.
Mettler finds that voting patterns exacerbate the government-citizen disconnect, as those holding positive views of federal programs and supporting expanded benefits have lower rates of political participation than those holding more hostile views of the government. As a result, the loudest political voice belongs to those who have benefited from policies but who give government little credit for their economic well-being, seeing their success more as a matter of their own deservingness. This contributes to the election of politicians who advocate cutting federal social programs. According to Mettler, the government-citizen disconnect frays the bonds of representative government and democracy.
The Government-Citizen Disconnect illuminates a paradox that increasingly shapes American politics. Mettler's examination of hostility toward government at a time when most Americans will at some point rely on the social benefits it provides helps us better understand the roots of today's fractious political climate.
Drawing from original survey data which probed Americans’ experiences of 21 federal social policies -- such as food stamps, Social Security, Medicaid, and the home mortgage interest deduction -- Mettler shows that 96 percent of adults have received benefits from at least one of them, and that the average person has utilized five. Overall usage rates transcend social, economic, and political divisions, and most Americans report positive experiences of their policy experiences. However, the fact that they have benefited from these policies has little positive effect on people’s attitudes toward government. Mettler finds that shared identities and group affiliations, as well as ideological forces, are more powerful and consistent influences. In particular, those who oppose welfare tend to extrapolate their unfavorable views of it to government in general. Deep antipathy toward the government has emerged as the result of a conservative movement that has waged a war on social welfare policies for over forty years, even as economic inequality and benefit use have increased.
Mettler finds that voting patterns exacerbate the government-citizen disconnect, as those holding positive views of federal programs and supporting expanded benefits have lower rates of political participation than those holding more hostile views of the government. As a result, the loudest political voice belongs to those who have benefited from policies but who give government little credit for their economic well-being, seeing their success more as a matter of their own deservingness. This contributes to the election of politicians who advocate cutting federal social programs. According to Mettler, the government-citizen disconnect frays the bonds of representative government and democracy.
The Government-Citizen Disconnect illuminates a paradox that increasingly shapes American politics. Mettler's examination of hostility toward government at a time when most Americans will at some point rely on the social benefits it provides helps us better understand the roots of today's fractious political climate.
224 pages, Paperback
Published July 3, 2018
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About the author
Suzanne Mettler
15 books33 followersSuzanne Mettler is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University. She is the author of several books, including The Government-Citizen Disconnect; Degrees of Inequality: How The Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream; and The Submerged State: How Invisible Government Programs Undermine American Democracy. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, and several book awards. In 2017, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 15, 2019
Despite Americans across all socioeconomic strata benefiting, on average, from at least 5 of 21 government social welfare policies, there is a significant disconnect between this positive role played by government and Americans' support for government. Part of the explanation for this paradox is that those who participate more in public affairs are more likely to benefit from what Mettler calls "submerged programs" that are created via the tax system, e.g., mortgage interest deduction, rather than direct aid, and they're more likely to view government less positively. The relative invisibility of these kinds of tax expenditure policies, combined with the fact that social identity is a strong determinant of generalized attitudes about government, results in a continuing "government-citizen disconnect" which insidiously erodes the foundation of our democracy. One suggestion she makes is for government, perhaps via the IRS, to provide a "tax receipt" to all citizens receiving benefits from any of the 21 social welfare programs showing what their taxes have purchased each year. Of course, the only return policy exists via the ballot box. Would having more knowledge of how they've directly benefitted from government policy change Americans' views about the role of government? Good question. This reviewer is not too sanguine about the answer.
September 11, 2020
3.5/5 stars, rounded down
Statistically-minded academic text examining the apparent paradox that Americans benefit from government policy programs and yet do not support these policies when polled or when voting. I hadn't distinguished what Mettler describes as visible programs (Social Security, SNAP) versus non-visible programs (Earned Income Tax Credit, home mortgage interest deduction), which benefit different socioeconomic groups. Mettler's research has found people who benefit from non-visible programs tend to *not* support government programs. There was also some interesting research into how different groups who benefit from different programs tend to show up for voting and that the very people who think the government does not reflect their voice (think the Tea Party) are actually getting candidates elected (woo, 2010 midterm repercussions!).
Anyway, I'm going to start asking people who complain about "government handouts" if they've received various tax credits, because these are also...government handouts. (Capital gains tax rate, anyone?)
Statistically-minded academic text examining the apparent paradox that Americans benefit from government policy programs and yet do not support these policies when polled or when voting. I hadn't distinguished what Mettler describes as visible programs (Social Security, SNAP) versus non-visible programs (Earned Income Tax Credit, home mortgage interest deduction), which benefit different socioeconomic groups. Mettler's research has found people who benefit from non-visible programs tend to *not* support government programs. There was also some interesting research into how different groups who benefit from different programs tend to show up for voting and that the very people who think the government does not reflect their voice (think the Tea Party) are actually getting candidates elected (woo, 2010 midterm repercussions!).
Anyway, I'm going to start asking people who complain about "government handouts" if they've received various tax credits, because these are also...government handouts. (Capital gains tax rate, anyone?)
August 2, 2020
I have a soft spot for studies. Thoughtful and relevant
November 9, 2021
Interesting analysis, but a little repetitive.
November 17, 2024
wasn't really paying attention bc i was bored but it seemed sometimes repetitive and long-winded in explanations. other than that it was good
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews