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PACs, Big Companies, Lobbyists, and Banks and Financial Institutions Seen by Strong Majorities as Having Too Much Power and Influence in DC

When one thinks about how Washington, D.C. works, certain groups are always seen as being too powerful and wielding too much influence whether in the halls of Congress or the White House. Almost nine in ten Americans say that political action committees or PACs (88%) and big companies (86%) have too much power and influence in Washington, D.C. More than four in five U.S. adults believe political lobbyists (85%), and banks and financial institutions (81%) carry too much influence inside the Beltway while almost three-quarters believe the news media (73%) has too much power.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 1,016 adults surveyed by telephone between April 10 and 17, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Two-thirds of Americans say entertainment and sports celebrities (67%) have too much power and influence and more than two in five say the same about television and radio talk shows (65%) and trial lawyers (62%). Majorities believe this about trade associations (57%) and labor unions (56%).

At the other end of the spectrum, nine in ten Americans (90%) say that small business has too little power and influence in Washington, D.C., while 78% say the same about public opinion and 64% believe this about non-profit organizations. Just over half of U.S. adults say that racial minorities (56%) have too little power.

Two things fall in the middle. Just under half say churches and religious groups (48%) and opinion polls (47%) have too little power and influence while two in five say churches and religious groups (41%) and opinion polls (40%) have too much.