Americans overwhelmingly support limits on political campaign spending, and most call up new laws could effectively reduce the role of money in politics.

A recent Pew Research Center report finds several indications of public business organization over entrada spending. At that place is widespread – and bipartisan – understanding that people who make large political donations should not take more political influence than others, but Americans largely don't encounter that as a description of the country today.

And there is all-encompassing support for reining in campaign spending: 77% of the public says "there should be limits on the amount of money individuals and organizations" can spend on political campaigns; just xx% say they should be able to spend as much as they want.

A somewhat smaller majority (65%) says that new entrada finance laws could be written that would be constructive in reducing the role of money in politics, while 31% say whatsoever new laws would non exist effective.

Democrats are more than likely to back up limits on entrada spending than are Republicans, and in that location is a similar gap in views on whether effective laws could exist written. Withal, 71% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say there should be limits on campaign spending and 54% say new laws that would be effective in limiting the influence of money in politics could exist written. Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, fifty-fifty larger majorities favor spending limits (85%) and think new laws would be constructive (77%).

Nearly three-quarters of the public (74%) says it is very important that major political donors not have more influence than others, while an additional xvi% view this as somewhat important.

However, only a relatively small share of the public feels this is actually the instance today. About a quarter (26%) feel that the statement "people who give a lot of money to elected officials exercise non have more influence than others" describes the land very or somewhat well; roughly seven-in-ten (72%) say this does not describe the country well, with 43% saying it describes it "not at all well."

Across the political spectrum, few people think that big donors do not control more than influence than others: Just nearly a quarter of those in both parties say this describes the state well. Simply Democrats are more likely than Republicans (50% vs. 35%) to say this statement describes the country non at all well.

Those who accept contributed to candidates or campaigns themselves in recent years – the vast majority of whom brand donations of less than $250 – are especially probable to reject the characterization of the state equally a place where people who give a lot of money to elected officials do not have more than influence than others: 50% say this does non draw the state at all well, compared with 41% of those who have not given a political contribution in the past five years.

Contributors more likely to see elected officials as responsive

Those who accept contributed money to a political candidate or group in the by year are much more than likely than those who have not fabricated a contempo contribution to say that their representative in Congress would aid them if they had a problem. They are also more likely to say ordinary citizens tin do a lot to influence the government in Washington if they are willing to brand the attempt.

Overall, 37% of Americans say that they feel it is at least somewhat likely their representative would help them with a problem if they contacted her or him. Even so, nearly half (53%) of those who have given money to a political candidate or grouping in the last yr believe their representative would assistance. Conventionalities that 1's member of Congress volition help them with a trouble is highest (63%) among the subset of donors who take given more than $250 to a candidate or campaign in the by year.

A like pattern is seen on the question of whether or not people feel ordinary citizens can make a difference. Among those who did non make a political contribution in the by year, almost half say there is a lot ordinary citizens can do to influence the authorities in Washington. By comparison, 66% of donors, including 74% of those who gave more than than $250, say there is a lot ordinary citizens can do to make a departure.

Bradley Jones is a former senior researcher focusing on politics at Pew Research Center.