WSJ.com - Americans Feel More Isolated Less Empowered, Poll Shows

WSJ.com - Americans Feel More Isolated Less Empowered, Poll Shows: "Americans feel significantly more alienated this year, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll, with three-quarters of U.S. adults saying they feel the 'rich get richer and the poor get poorer,' up from 68% in 2004.
The poll, which at this time each year since 1966 has been tracking replies to five questions designed to measure feelings of powerlessness and isolation in the U.S., also shows an increase in other measures of alienation.
RELATED CHART


� Tracking Alienation Since 1972

About 60% of those surveyed in the nationwide telephone poll of 1,011 adults believe that 'most people with power try to take advantage of people like you,' up sharply from 53% in 2004. More than half of those polled say they tend to feel 'people running the country don't really care what happens' to them, up from 44% last year.
Additionally, 74% feel that 'the people in Washington are out of touch with the rest of the country,' up from 67% in 2004 and at its highest level since 1998.
The level of alienation varies greatly in different segments of the population. The highest levels of alienation are found among people with household incomes of $15,000 or less, Democrats and African Americans.
The lowest levels of alienation are found among Republicans, college graduates and people with incomes over $75,000"