Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 18, 1995 TAG: 9505180063
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Satisfaction with the federal government is up, the survey found. Anger is down. Most of those interviewed said they basically trust the federal government. A big majority said Americans are too quick to criticize.
In other ways, the survey suggests that Americans are re-examining just how angry they are with their national government after seeing the tragic consequences of real rage in Oklahoma City.
``The bombing in Oklahoma just opened our eyes to what could happen and did happen,'' said Al Wendland, 53, a part-time pharmacist in Elgin, Texas.
``It's sad, but the nation draws together to a certain degree,'' said Richard Evans, 39, an aviation technician from Huntington Beach, Calif.
Besides, ``what's the alternative?'' asked Connie Ernst, 42, a first grade teacher from Hoffman Estates, Ill. ``These crazy people run the country?''
At the same time, the survey found narrow but deep pockets of rage and suspicion. Six percent of those interviewed said the federal government remains their ``enemy.'' Nine percent said it is sometimes justified for citizens to take violent action against the government. And one out of eight said they support the goals and activities of private armed militias.
Those relatively small percentages translate into millions of profoundly disaffected Americans. The Post-ABC News poll and other recent surveys suggest that roughly 17 million American adults do not rule out violence as a possible response to perceived government excesses. And 11 million consider the government their enemy, numbers that suggest a large and potentially fertile breeding ground for domestic terrorism.
While most Americans express basic trust in the federal government, one-third remain suspicious and nearly four in 10 view Washington as at least a minor threat to their rights and freedoms. A total of 1,011 randomly selected adults were interviewed May 10-14 for this poll. Margin of sampling error for the overall results is 3 percentage points.
The survey and subsequent interviews conducted in Illinois, California and Texas found a nation still deeply shocked and broadly conflicted by last month's tragedy in Oklahoma City.
The poll found that most Americans still love to criticize the federal government, yet seven out of 10 interviewed also expressed broad support for its overall goals and activities. Those questioned saw government grabbing more and more of their individual rights, but a majority was willing to surrender even more personal freedom to the government to stop terrorism.
And while many express deep suspicions of government, they fear the armed and anti-government militias more. Overwhelming majorities of those interviewed, including those critical of government, said that private armed militias represent a bigger threat to their personal rights and freedoms than the federal government.
by CNB