Survey: Majority of Americans back bigger government for first time in 8 years

With a federal government shutdown looming this week, a new survey out Monday found more Americans would prefer a bigger government.

According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, 48% of Americans said they'd prefer bigger government that provides more services, up 7 points since last September.

Of those surveyed, 45% said they'd prefer a smaller government that provided fewer services, down 5 points since September.

It's the first time in eight years that Americans have wanted bigger over smaller government, Pew said.

As expected, Americans are divided over party lines on the issue: 65% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents prefer bigger government, while only 21% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents feel that way.

Comparably, 74% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want smaller government, along with 27% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents.

The top programs that the public supported increasing funding for were veterans' benefits (75%), education (67%) and rebuilding highways and bridges (58%). The lowest on the priority list were funding the State Department and embassies (15%), giving assistance to the needy around the world (29%) and helping the unemployed (29%).

The survey was conducted April 5 to 11 among 1,501 adults. Read the full report here.