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Americans are more likely to say that government regulation of business is “too little” or “about the right amount” rather than “too much,” an annual Gallup poll on deregulation found.
In 2024, 42% of respondents said there is too much government regulation of business, compared with 28% who considered it the right amount and 27% who said it was too little. Similar findings marked the past four years of the poll.
“A substantial minority of Americans clearly agree with critics and administration officials who say there is too much regulation,” Gallup reported. “But they are outnumbered by the combination of those saying the amount of government regulation is about right or too little. There is, in short, no strong majority of Americans in favor of reducing regulation.”
Gallup noted that deregulation has been a theme of presidential administrations for decades. Most recently, President Donald Trump’s executive order that opened the Department of Government Efficiency demanded agencies and departments “commence the deconstruction of the overbearing and burdensome administrative state.”
Despite a federal emphasis on deregulation, Americans’ views on it have generally not changed drastically in the poll’s 24-year history. Even different presidential administrations had only slight effects on the numbers: Slightly more Americans thought there was too much government regulation of business during former President Barack Obama’s terms and former President Joe Biden’s term. The numbers dipped marginally during Trump’s first term.
“We will have a new update on this measure in September,” Gallup reported. “A reasonable prediction: The ‘too much’ number will go down again. Republicans will likely be happier with the status quo under Trump. And Democrats will, if anything, become more likely to say there is too little regulation. But the basic pattern remains the same regardless of minor ups and downs. Never in Gallup’s history of asking the question have more than 50% of Americans responded by saying there is too much regulation of business.”
Gallup also discovered that respondents generally considered government power and overreach to be separate concerns from government regulation of business, while a Pew Research Center survey found that the majority of Americans (roughly six in 10) say that government regulation of business protects the public interest.
“The majority of Americans do express unease with the size and scope of government. But they simultaneously appear to affirm the importance of regulatory safeguards,” Gallup reported. “Americans appear to favor surgical and selective deregulation. They are not calling for radical change. They are calling for governance that balances oversight with efficiency and fairness.”
