Three-Quarters of Americans Say That Businesses Are Over-Regulated

Many Americans say that regulations are hurting the economy, and the Obama administration seems to be paying attention.

Three-quarters of American voters say that American businesses are over-regulated, and that more regulations cause jobs to move overseas, according to a new national survey by the Tarrance Group. Three-quarters of Americans also say that every time the government mandates a new regulation on large and small businesses, the prices of goods such as food and gasoline go up.

The Obama administration disclosed plans in August to cut or roll back hundreds of federal regulations that are projected to save businesses up to $10 billion over the next five years and boost job growth. Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor called the move "underwhelming." Some progressives have criticized the move as reflecting the wrong priorities from the White House.

"I really worry that [EPA administrator] Lisa Jackson wasn't asked how she could save the most lives with the limited money she has. She was told to placate industry," said Rena Steinzor, the president of the Center for Progressive Reform.

Even as Americans say that regulations take away American jobs, regulations often have positive benefits and can help the economy by improving people's living standards. Raising the minimum wage could boost worker productivity and economic growth without raising unemployment. Greenhouse gas regulations have been linked to job growth. The regulations in the new health care law improve health care coverage by not allowing insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, allowing young people to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until age 27, and preventing insurance companies from dropping coverage for people once they get sick.

Still, in another recent survey, three-quarters of Americans said they associate regulations most with unnecessary red tape, restrictions that lack common sense, or higher costs for American goods. Only two percent of Americans said they associate regulations most with protections for customers from businesses.

Three-quarters of Americans also say that major federal regulations would impact consumers or small businesses the most. Forty-seven percent of Americans said that job losses are most likely to result from major new federal regulations.

However, Americans are more approving of regulations impacting large institutions, such as banks. Half of Americans favor regulating Wall Street banks, Gallup found in two separate polls. After the start of the financial crisis, 60 percent of Americans said it was critical for the Obama administration to pass new regulations on financial institutions, while only one in five Americans favored bailouts for banks and automobile companies.

Nonetheless, Americans have a negative view of regulations when they are asked about them in more general terms. Of those surveyed, 59 percent of Americans say that the federal government is too powerful, and 57 percent of Americans say that there is too much government regulation of business, according to Gallup. More than half of Americans say that environmental regulations put Americans at risk of job loss, since businesses could move their jobs overseas, according to the Tarrance Group.

Comments

[Eric Flanagan]

07:10 AM on 10/25/2011

Realistically, how much time do you think Americans spend researching regulations for any given industry. I am pretty sure the average American has no idea what Glass-Steagall was or even what a CDO is. Nobody wants to admit it, but most people have very little interest in actually understanding policy, but everyone has an opinion on it.

[dbrett480]

05:16 PM on 09/18/2011

How about a compromise. Drop some of the regulations of non-financial sectors while closing the corporate tax loopholes.

[loki]

01:47 PM on 09/14/2011

was this one of those surveys that were worded in a specific way to invoke a specific answer, and taken in a specific location that was known to have people who would favor the desired outcome of the survey? It sure sounds like it, because if our wall street/bank/hedge fund/corporate greed driven economic disaster that we are experiencing right now isnt enough proof that these people need a lot more regulation and much sterner enforcement , then nothing could do it.

[msbeal]

01:33 PM on 09/14/2011

After hearing it over and over again, many Germans, circa 1937, believed their economic woes were due to J.e.w.s.

We need to get rid of the Goebbels News Channel. Since the rich have so much extra dough to spend on propaganda maybe we aren't taxing them enough.

[cassie reinara]

12:54 PM on 09/14/2011

Americans gave GW two terms as a President and followed him with Obama. Enough said.

[itolduso]

11:55 AM on 09/14/2011

A better question would be......'how many regulations are fairly and effectively enforced'?

[mashtoe]

11:18 AM on 09/14/2011

There are too many useless regulations and not enough useful one's. The banking regulation the Democrats just created is a joke. It won't stop "too big to fail" but it's costly for smaller banks which just helps the big guys keep their monopoly. But that is the Democrats little game.

Democrats pass huge regulations that are too complex to understand and which are written by big players in industry. The goal is to act like you're a populist hero while really just helping the big campaign donors.

[loki]

01:48 PM on 09/14/2011

but all the regulations in the world wont matter if they are never enforced. Nowadays all the uber greedy ever get is a slap on the wrist.

[DXM]

11:03 AM on 09/14/2011

"Three-quarters of American voters say that American businesses are over-regulated, and that more regulations cause jobs to move overseas..."

All this proves is that the GOP has done a good job indoctrinating 3/4 of Americans so that they except conservative *BELIEFS* without question. Most adults today do not remember (or choose to forget) the decades of environmental horror stories that led to the creating of the EPA and other regulatory agencies. I wonder what a similar survey would find after clean air and water regulations were eliminated, for example, and these people's water became undrinkable or their children developed lung disease or a decade or so on cancer rates sky rocket. Would they still think that businesses are overregulated?

[blacksmithn]

10:49 AM on 09/14/2011

And most Americans believe the myth about the existence of the "liberal" media establishment, too.

If you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, pretty soon people begin to believe it's the truth.

[mashtoe]

11:21 AM on 09/14/2011

I find it odd you accept that there is even a liberal VS conservative dichotomy. There are liberals or conservatives left in the media. They are corporate.

[blacksmithn]

12:06 PM on 09/14/2011

I find it odd that you believe I accept it-- hence the term "myth".

[drkazmd65]

10:48 AM on 09/14/2011

There are days,... nay weeks,... where I worry about the lack of education and ability to form logical thoughts for many of my fellow Americans,...

*sigh*

[SingingGuy]

11:29 AM on 09/14/2011

Don't worry. After we remove all of the regulations, the anti-freeze in your toothpaste willrender you too brain damaged to care,

[art4greg]

09:16 PM on 09/14/2011

People don't think about things like that when they hear about regulations imposed on businesses. They also don't seem to remember that it was the wholesale deregulation of the banking/mortgage industry, which started with Reagan, that led to the financial meltdown, and the housing bubble. I wonder if people realize that if these regulations from the Glass-Stegall Act of 1933 were kept in place, they probably wouldn't be upside down in their homes, that is, if they still have their home.

[gtposse]

08:08 AM on 09/14/2011

Off course, if ones keeps heariing on a daily basis that business are over regulated then any survey will reflect that. Boy, we are the simpletons of the world.

[grope and change]

07:58 AM on 09/14/2011

This study is skewed. Notice in the headline it says "Three-Quarters of Americans" that means this data does not include Progressives and most Union members. Not a true representation of the country at all.

[freegeg]

10:42 AM on 09/14/2011

Only 20% of Americans are liberal or very liberal.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/141032/2010-conservatives-outnumber-moderates-liberals.aspx

Percentage of workforce that is union:

▪ Total: 12.4%
▪ Public sector: 36.8%
▪ Private sector: 7.6%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_unions_in_the_United_States

20+12.4=32.4% of population at a maximum is liberal or belong to a union.

three quarters equals=3/4
3/4=.75=75% of population thinks businesses are over regulated.
100-75=25% think businesses needs more regulation.

32.4% of population at a maximum is liberal or belong to a union.

IT IS CALLED MATH!!!!

[Media Saint]

01:01 PM on 09/14/2011

I'll let you in on a secret..... facts do not matter to liberals.

[grope and change]

03:07 PM on 09/14/2011

It's called sarcasm, look it up.

[Numberwang]

07:39 AM on 09/14/2011

Id like to know more details about this survey? Did they only ask people in Texas? Fox news viewers? What does "over regulated" mean? technically if there is only one unnecessary regulation, then they are over-regulated. The real question is which regulations are necessary for the current environment.

[Altario]

07:36 AM on 09/14/2011

Case in point: Gibson Guitars. In August 3 raids of Gibson factories by ARMED agents because of the wood that was bought legally. If these Guitars had been manufactured outside of the US they could be imported legally, but cannot be manufactured here because of the type of wood used. So, essentially, the US is forcing Gibson to shut its doors here, and move overseas. Hows that for a good jobs plan? Wonder if Mr Obama will cite them as a success story like he did Solyndra.

[nappyman]

07:49 AM on 09/14/2011

Don't buy wood illegally. Simple as that. You want this to be south America where a guys goes into the rain forest and does whatever the hell he wants? Move to the third world if you want impunity to chop down wood.

[Altario]

07:51 AM on 09/14/2011

It was bought legally. Truth be told, this is probably a case of Political motivation because the CEO of Gibson is a GOP supporter.

[Raccoon1]

09:24 AM on 09/14/2011

Might want to re-think your last sentence after reading about this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/13/solyndra-bankrupt-solar-republican-problem_n_960287.html

[ThinkCreeps]

07:08 AM on 09/14/2011

Yet they change their tune when their childrens' toys have lead paint, or their employer cuts their health plan, or someone they know is injured at work, or....