Even though most Americans have consistently said government workers have it easier and get paid more than those in the private sector, a plurality wouldn’t want them to lose their jobs.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 32% of American Adults think it would be good for the economy if the federal government lays off 100,000 workers. Forty-seven percent (47%) say a layoff like that would be bad for the economy, while another 10% feel it would have no impact. Ten percent (10%) more are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on June 12-13, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.