KEY POINTS
- 83% of US voters are in favor of government spending cuts over tax hikes
- 70% of respondents believe government expenditures are filled with 'waste, fraud, and inefficiency'
- 60% of voters believe DOGE is helping make aggressive cuts to federal spending
- 58% of American voters believe DOGE staffers should be blocked from accessing sensitive data
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is on a high roll, and a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed that an overwhelming number of American voters are supportive of the Elon Musk-led department's efforts toward cutting down government spending.
On the other hand, the figures are also rising in terms of concerns around data privacy, given the DOGE's work on extracting sensitive information that some believe shouldn't be accessed by DOGE staff.
Poll Unveils Huge Voter Support for Federal Spending Cuts
According to the new poll, Americans are now taking a more "positive wait-and-see attitude" with the Donald Trump government, and in the process, they are becoming more receptive of his policies, including with the DOGE.
The poll, which was conducted among American voters, found that:
- 83% are in favor of reducing government expenditures over hiking taxes
- 77% demand a "full examination of all government expenditures"
- 70% believe government expenditures are packed with "waste, fraud, and inefficiency
- A growing number of Democratic voters (58%) agree that government spending is filled with wasteful expenditures
- 60% of voters believe Musk's DOGE is helping the government make major spending cuts
While the numbers are significantly high in terms of support for the DOGE's core mission, concerns are also increasing over data privacy.
Majority of US Voters Don't Want DOGE Staffers to Have Data Access
A total of 58% of American voters believe "DOGE employees should not have access to sensitive information on Americans who benefit from government expenditure programs," including individual names, social security numbers, addresses, and incomes.
While the figures are small among Republican supporters (39%) and numbers disproportionately high among Democratic voters (75%), 63% of independent voters are against DOGE's sensitive data access, signifying a serious concern around privacy.
The poll's results around data privacy also reflect earlier worries that DOGE personnel's access to sensitive information may be a violation of federal privacy laws.
Meanwhile, Musk has been firm regarding the necessity to access such information to determine the extent of "fraud" within federal agencies, even saying it's scarier that the government has the American public's personal information. "How much do you trust the deep state?" he wrote on X earlier this month.
