WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Most Americans agree that income inequality exists in the United States, but they are sharply divided over how to resolve the problem, a new poll has found.
The survey, conducted by Pew Research Center/USA Today, found that regardless of political affiliation, 65 percent of those asked felt the income gap between the rich and other Americans had grown in the past 10 years.
More Democrats (68 percent) and independents (67 percent) held that opinion than Republicans (61 percent).
However, there was great disparity among those surveyed about how to fix the problem.
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Some 90 percent of Democrats said the government should do "a lot" or "some" more, but only 45 percent of Republicans said the government should take action. Some 33 percent of those Republicans said the government should do "nothing at all." Another 23 percent of Republicans said the government should do a lot.
Overall, most thought the government should do something to reduce poverty. By a more than two-to-one ratio with Republicans, however, Democrats said the government should do a lot.
Some 54 percent of those polled said aid to the poor could be expanded by taxing the wealthy and corporations more. Some 35 percent said taxes on the wealthy should be lowered to encourage investment and economic growth.
Separated by political party, 66 percent of Democrats felt government aid to the poor did more good than harm because it helped people with their basic needs so they could get out of poverty. While 49 percent of independents agreed with that statement, only 28 percent of Republicans did.
The opinions were flipped when asked if government poverty programs made people too dependent on the government. Some 65 percent of Republicans said they believed that, while only 26 percent of Democrats did. Some 46 percent of independents agreed with the statement.
Some 73 percent of those asked said they favored raising the minimum wage, and 63 percent said Congress should extend unemployment benefits for another year. However, some 70 percent of Republicans and others who aligned themselves with the Tea Party opposed raising the minimum wage and extending unemployment benefits
The poll was conducted Jan. 15-19 among a national sample of 1,504 adults. The margin of error ranged between 2.9 percentage points and 6 percentage points, depending on the groups surveyed.
