The growing national debt and increased power of the federal government are two top concerns for self-identified Tea Party supporters, a Gallup poll indicated.
Sixty-one percent of Tea Party supporters said their top concern was the federal debt, results of the Gallup survey released Monday indicated. The
size and power of the federal government were only of average concern among the general public, but another top concern for backers of the Tea Party
movement, a loose nationwide confederation of grassroots organizations that support a leaner federal government, among other things.
Thirty percent of Americans identify themselves as Tea Party supporters, while 28 percent said they oppose the movement and 36 percent indicated they
are neutral, combined data from three Gallup-USA Today polls in March, May, and June said. However, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said, people
describing themselves as Tea Party supporters largely are indistinguishable from a subset of the Republican Party and generally espouse positions
supported by the GOP.
Eight in 10 Tea Party supporters said the federal government is doing too much in areas that should be left to individuals and businesses, Gallup
said.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted with of 2,063 adults May 24-25 and June 11-13. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.