Do Americans want less government?

Mitt Romney and President Obama will be crisscrossing the state of Florida today. In recent weeks, one issue is becoming central to the campaign: Whether the government is over-regulating business.

How do Americans on either side of the aisle really feel?

According to Frank Newport, editor-in-chief at Gallup, Americans generally feel there is too much: 47 percent say there is too much, and 26 percent say there is too little.

This feeling has generally stood the test of time. “There’s kind of a philosophic concern out there on the part of the average Jane and John Doe that the government’s trying to do too much, and should leave more up to business and industry,” says Newport.