Public Perception' of Government Regulation

Abstract

Conventional wisdom has it that people view current levels of government regulation of business activities as excessive and inefficient. This study was designed to investigate people's perception of government regulation. The study was conducted through personal interviews with 579 males, 1849 years old, in seven major metropolitan areas across the nation. Individuals were asked about their feelings as to 1) the adequacy of regulation in five types of marketing activities ranging from truth in advertising to mail-order buying; and 2) the impact of regulation on the price of five types of products ranging from automobiles to convenience foods.

Among the major findings: respondents did not feel there is "too much" regulation in specific product or service areas, they recognized that regulation may cause prices to go up, and they believed that regulation can benefit both the business and the consumer. The attitudes toward regulation were product or service-specific and there was little or no "halo effect." Moreover, socioeconomic and demographic variables were not at all significant in predicting people's attitudes toward regulation.