Just 12% Trust Government Statistics Over Private Sector

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• A mere 12% of voters would trust Government Statistics on the economy over Private Sector Statistics. Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) would trust the Private Sector Statistics more.
  • Another 29% are not sure.
  • Solid majorities of Republicans (58%) and Democrats (63%) say they would side with the Private Sector Statistics.
  • Even a plurality (47%) of government employees would choose the private sector data.
  • Other groups that are more likely to trust government statistics in this area over private sector statistics include voters under 35 (25%) and postgraduates (21%).
• In a similar vein, a minority (41%) of voters say government statistics in this area are at least Somewhat Reliable, while 46% disagree.
  • These numbers include just 9% who call the statistics Very Reliable and 16% who say they are Not At All Reliable.
  • Half (50%) of Republicans consider the data at least Somewhat Reliable, compared to just 36% of Democrats.
  • Generally speaking, the more voters talk about politics, the more they find the data reliable.
• Overall, a majority (56%) of voters consider it at least Somewhat Good for America to have more private sector jobs and fewer government jobs.
  • About a quarter (23%) consider it bad.
  • These numbers include 21% who consider it Very Good and just 5% who say it is Very Bad.
  • An overwhelming number of Republicans (78%) say it is a good thing, along with a plurality (39%) of Democrats.
• In considering the work of both Government Employees and Private Sector Workers, a solid plurality (49%) say that Private Sector Workers work harder.
  • Thirty-six percent (36%) say Both Work Equally Hard, and 5% say Government Employees work harder.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, February 17-18, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.