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Economic Opportunity, Human Rights, and the Role of Government

By: Jill Mizell

July 27, 2011

A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal survey finds that Americans are showing less pessimism about the direction of the country, and that a fundamental element that contributes to confidence in the country is economic opportunity. Additional research finds that economic opportunity and mobility is so important that a large majority believes that ensuring economic opportunity should be considered a human right.  The American public believes firmly that hard work should allow them to move forward, and embraces the concept of human rights for all, including the right to equal opportunities, freedom from discrimination, and freedom from poverty.  Americans increasingly acknowledge that circumstances beyond an individual’s control often hinder their prospects for self-determination, and believe that the government has some work to do to ensure human rights for everyone in the United States. Americans value human rights because of an appreciation for treating individuals with dignity and fairness and a belief that respecting human rights contributes to a better society for all.  

Importance of Mobility to Confidence in the Country

Americans are showing less pessimism about the direction of the country. According to a January NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, there’s been a drop in the percentage of Americans who believe the country is in a state of decline: 54% in January 2011, down from 65% in August 2010 and a peak of 74% in September 2008.  The idea of opportunity and economic mobility underlies confidence in the country – a plurality of 24% assert that the "opportunity to work hard and get ahead" increases their confidence about America’s future, followed by "creativity and innovation" (23%).  Economic opportunity is so important that a 2007 poll by The Opportunity Agenda  found that a large majority of 77% believed (47% strongly) that ensuring economic opportunity should be considered a human right.  At odds are the notions of personal responsibility for your own opportunity and the role of Government in ensuring opportunity for all.

Working Hard to Get Ahead and Personal Responsibility

The idea that hard work allows you to get ahead is embedded in the American concept of mobility, and lends itself to the elevation of personal responsibility, as well as skepticism about structural obstacles such as modern bias and institutional discrimination.  According to Pew Economic Mobility Survey in 2009, a majority thinks that economic mobility is mostly dependent on personal attributes such as hard work (71%) rather than external conditions (20%).  A similar question was asked two years later in the 2011 Pew Economic Mobility Survey, with an expansion on the notions of individual affects and outside circumstances.  There is still majority support, although a smaller number of 55%, who agree that if someone has the drive, works hard and gets the right skills, they can get ahead economically in America; 41% agree that circumstances beyond one’s control such as the state of the economy or competition for jobs can severely limit a person’s ability to get ahead economically. 

Personal responsibility is elevated in the American ethos, although Americans hold themselves to a higher standard than other “people in the country” when it comes to control over their own economic situation (Pew Economic Mobility Survey, 2011).  A majority (68%) believes they are very much or somewhat in control of their financial situation, but only 36% believe this is the case for “people in the country” (down from 43% in 2009).  The percentage reporting that they as individuals are in control has declined from 74% in 2009, and 81% in 2006.  

The increase in Americans who acknowledge that outside circumstances influence mobility, the decline in those who believe they are in control of their financial situation, and the relatively few who believe others have control of their economic situation, may indicate shifting opinion.  It seems that Americans are wired to believe the individual has control over their own destiny, clinging to the things one can control – hard work and playing by the rules.  Yet the country seems to be at a point where it is difficult not to acknowledge that these individual efforts may no longer result in economic security and mobility, especially for those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds or communities, or for those who have fallen on difficult times. 

Challenging the Idea of Personal Responsibility: Poverty and Downward Mobility

Further, when thinking about which is to blame for poverty, half of Americans (49%) believe that circumstances beyond one's control are to blame and just 32% believe the cause is lack of effort (Pew Research Center Trust in Government Survey, March 2010).  

African Americans are the least likely to say that downward mobility is a result of not working hard enough, and differences in opinion on factors influencing downward mobility by race and ethnicity can be seen in the following chart:

Data from Pew Economic Mobility Survey, March 2009

Challenging the Idea of Personal Responsibility: (Un)Equal Opportunity

Discrepancies remain between African Americans and Whites regarding equal opportunity for African Americans. According to a 2009 ABC News Poll taken on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, “Blacks who live in your community…”

  • Have as good a chance as whites to get housing they can afford?” 81 percent of Whites and 47 percent of Blacks said “yes.”
  • Have as good a chance as whites to get a job for which they’re qualified?” 83 percent of Whites and 38 percent of Blacks said “yes.”
  • Receive equal treatment as whites from the police?” 60 percent of Whites and 22 percent of Blacks said “yes.”
  • Receive equal treatment as whites when they visit local businesses, such as stores, restaurants or banks?” 83 percent of Whites and 44 percent of Blacks said “yes.”

“Illegal immigrants” are also a disfavored group when it comes to government services/assistance, according to the 2010 Reproductive Justice report by The Opportunity Agenda. Even though polls show that the American public regards “illegal” immigrants as “hard-working,” they also begrudge them access to public services: 63 percent agree with the statement, “Illegal immigrants cost the taxpayers too much by using government services like public education and medical services” (Gallup Poll). Also, 67 percent believe “illegal immigrants” should not be eligible for “social services provided by state and local governments” (Pew Research Center, “America’s Immigration Quandary”).

Americans believe that disagreements in society are a result of economic differences between the rich and poor.  Using a scale from zero to 10, where 10 means they believe an item contributes a “great deal” to disagreements about important issues, 57% of Americans gave “economic difference between the rich and poor” a high score (7-10), and this item garnered the highest average score (6.8) (Allstate National Journal Heartland Poll IX, June 2011).  African Americans were more likely to attribute disagreements to economic differences (67% rated 7-10, average rating 7.4) than to “ethnic and racial differences between people of different heritage or background” (54% rated 7-10, average rating 6.6).

The Importance of Human Rights, and the Role of Government 

Perhaps it is the link between unequal opportunity and poverty that leads Americans to acknowledge that there are people in the US whose human rights are being denied.  Four in five (80%) agree that “every person has basic rights regardless of whether their government recognizes those rights or not” and 81% agree “we should strive to uphold human rights in the U.S. because there are people being denied their human rights in our country” (The Opportunity Agenda, 2007).  

Americans define a wide array of freedoms and rights as human rights: when asked to evaluate fifteen different items and determine whether they should be considered a human right, large majorities strongly acknowledge human rights that have to do with equality, fairness, and freedom from mistreatment. More than eight in ten Americans “strongly agree” that the following are human rights that should be upheld:

  • Equal opportunities regardless of whether you are male or female (86%, “strongly should be a human right”);
  • Equal opportunities regardless of race (85%); and
  • Freedom from discrimination (83%).

To a slightly lesser degree, Americans strongly believe economic-related rights should be considered human rights. Even though majorities of Americans consider each of these to be human rights, segments of about two in ten to over a third reject these as rights:

  • Freedom from extreme poverty (52%; 20%);
  • Adequate housing (51%; 22%); and
  • Ensuring economic opportunity (47%; 22%). 

Most Americans agree that the role of government in human rights should be as the “protector” (77% "strongly) and “provider” (69% "strongly"), and two-thirds (67%) agree that upholding human rights may mean expanding government assistance programs for things such as housing, food, health care, and jobs, while only a third (32%) rejects this idea (The Opportunity Agenda, 2007).

Americans support government regulation: half of Americans (52%) believe most government regulations are necessary and protect consumers or the environment (NBC News/Wall Street Journal, January 2011).  Half (51%) also believe that government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people, compared to 46% who believe government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals (NBC News/Wall Street Journal, June 2011).  

Regarding the role of government in the economy, a majority (61%) believe the government has an active role to play in the economy to ensure it benefits people like them: 27% agree, and another 34% agree but are not sure that they can trust government to do this effectively (June 2011 Allstate, National Journal Poll IX).  Further, the idea that the government should play an active role in the economy is more popular with African Americans (80%), Latinos (71%) and Asian-Americans (74%) (Allstate, National Journal Poll IX).  There is support for the government’s role in regulating major financial institutions with 62% asserting it is a good idea (Pew Global Attitudes Project, May 2010).  

In addition, the latest Community Voices for the Economy survey conducted by Lake Research Partners for the Ms. Foundation for Women shows that the public continues to support the role of government in expanding opportunity, now more than ever.  A majority (54%) agree that now is the time for government to take on a greater role in ensuring that the economy works for the average American.  Just 36% agree with the opposite – that turning to “big government” will do more harm than good.  The focus is on jobs, with 62% agreeing that the government should work to create jobs, even if the deficit increases in the short term.  Half of Americans (49%) are either very or extremely concerned that the focus on deficit reduction at the expense of program spending will have a negative impact on government funded programs that help children and families.

Government Effectiveness Versus Intentions

Americans question the government’s efficiency or effectiveness rather than its intentions: a large majority (72%) feels the government has the nation’s best interests in mind all or some of the time, according to the 2010 National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll IV. The public may also have less-than-favorable perceptions of the efficacy of the government.  Half (52%) believe the government does more to hurt those trying to move up the economic ladder (Pew Economic Mobility Survey, 2011).  

One issue is who the government is helping: a majority (54%; 40% strongly) believe the government is helping the wrong people (Pew Economic Mobility Survey, 2011).  More people believe the government helps the rich than the poor: a vast majority (76%) believes the government economically assists the rich some or a great deal, and this number drops to just over half (52%) when talking about assistance to the poor.  When discussing “people like you,” the number drops further to 39%.  A vast majority (83%) agrees that government should focus on making sure the poor and middle class have the opportunity to improve their financial situation, should focus on preventing the poor and middle class from falling down the economic ladder, or both, and 58% believe the government should be doing more to help poor and middle class Americans improve their financial situations.  Back to efficacy, a plurality of 43% believe the government is pursuing the right policies to help poor and middle class Americans, but is ineffective at carrying them out.

However, Americans show ambivalence when it comes to helping the poor.  While the public states that government programs should prevent poverty and provide for the poor, they also agree with the statement “Poor people have become too dependent on government assistance programs” by a 72%to 22% margin, according to a 2009 Pew survey.  Although this majority has decreased from its high point of 85 percent in 1994 before "welfare reform" was adopted, it demonstrates the enduring strength of the public’s belief in overdependence by the poor; racial stereotypes play a significant role here and, according to the sociological literature, are especially resistant to change (“Public Opinion Research: Meta-Analysis of Public Opinion on Reproductive Justice” by The Opportunity Agenda ).  As recently as the 1990s, nearly a third of Whites agreed with the statement that most African Americans were “lazy,” and about half traced inequality to the failure of African Americans to work hard.

Government Waste

Two thirds (66%) believe government programs and agencies waste “a lot” of money paid in taxes, but attribute the waste to “government programs continuing for years even though they have not proven effective,” and “government contractors receiving no-bid contracts and overcharging for services” (Center for American Progress, 2010).  

Underlying these issues is strong support for improving the performance and efficiency of federal government (Center for American Progress, 2010):

  • Three quarters (74%) believe it is very important for the president and Congress to take steps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of federal government programs
  • The same percentage (74%) feel that the federal government could be more effective if it were better managed
  • 62% prefer to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal government, as opposed to reducing the size of government (36%)