Parliamentary attendance

Arrived in my e-mail inbox with the by-line, Need one say any more about our illustrious legislators? 

 

56% of Americans think govt is "almost always wasteful and inefficient"

The Brookings Institute reports on new research into who does and doesn't vote, and why. Highly relevant to NZ I expect.

People who feel financially secure vote, people who aren’t secure don’t, according to a Pew Research Center report released this morning. And because financially insecure Americans disproportionately identify with the Democratic Party, Democrats face a structural disadvantage, especially in mid-term elections. In 2014, fully 94% of the most financially secure Americans were registered to vote, compared to only 54% of the least secure; 63% of the most secure were likely voters, versus only 20% of the least secure.

Though I doubt we'd get the following result if surveyed:

 40% of all Americans think that government does a better job than people give it credit for compared to 56% who believe that it is almost always wasteful and inefficient.

New Zealanders aren't as cynical about government as Americans - yet.

I might be wrong.