What theory, in your opinion, best explains these different outcomes?

[Mairead]

When people are asked if they are willing to have their taxes raised, they say No. But if they are asked whether they want (e.g.) universal single-pay healthcare EVEN IF their taxes go up because of it, they say Yes.

What theory, in your view, best accounts for that, and why?

[leftofthedial]

1. People are ignorant

and should not be allowed to make important decisions for themselves.

Especially in Murka, they usually make choices that contradict their own best interests.

[cjbuchanan]

2. You have to give people a good reason

If you just ask someone if they want their taxes to go up, most will say no. It is like aasking people if they want to pay $1 or $2 for the same hamburger.

However, when you tell them what the money is going for, they can see an option. In this case, do I want a few extra dollars a month or do I want healthcare no matter what happens.

Just my thoughts.

[im4edwards]

3. they doze off before the taxes part comes around

or they figure, probably correctly, that they can get it and the cost get shifted off to "business" or something.

Or they're just nuts !

[BattyDem]

4. People are willing to pay taxes

if they know they're going to get something for their money. If you ask anyone if they are willing to have their taxes raised, of course they'll say no because their experience has always been that paying higher taxes doesn't make their life easier, doesn't improve conditions in their city or state, doesn't make their school system any better, etc. In other words, they feel like they're not getting anything for their money because they don't see any changes for the better.

BUT if you ask if they'll pay higher taxes in exchange for Universal Health Care, you're giving them something tangible for their money. They know they'd be better off paying a little more in taxes than paying ridiculously high insurance premiums - or having no insurance at all.

We all want something for our money and when we give our money to the government, we have no idea where it goes or what it's used for. Sure, we're told it's for education, roads, etc. but does it ever seem like those things get any better? By telling us exactly what the money is used for, we know we're getting the better end of the deal.

[ComerPerro]

7. Thats usually not how I have seen things happen

But I lived in a very conservative area.
Ask people to raise taxes, they will say no.
Ask people to raise their taxes by ten dollars, or raise the sales tax .5% to fund schools or fire departments, and the cheap assholes still say no.

People are greedy.

[clar]

5. Please post

links to polls demonstrating this. I haven't seen any that specifically address the single payer health plan vs. tax increases.

[Mairead]

6. Clar, pick a different example if you like. That's what the 'e.g.' was.

[jobycom]

8. People don't like absolutes

If you ask someone to give you ten bucks, they'll ask what for. If you won't tell them, they won't generally give it to you (Except maybe Hummer2 owners, who seem pretty gullible about money). If you say it's for something they want or approve, they'll support it.

People want to see results for their money. A lot of times the biggest problems with tax increases is that the side asking for the increase doesn't explain well what the benefits are. Ask someone to give a large chunk of their income to support the homeless, and they will respond only to the degree their charitable proclivities are motivated. Convince people that paying for clothing and food for the homeless will help create more jobs and stimulate the economy, then their self-interest gets involved, and you have more of a chance.

Here in Austin we just had an election to raise property taxes to support our community college system. When the campaign started, polls showed that there was no chance of passing such a tax increase in this political climate. But the CC board ran a campaign showing what all the tax dollars went to buy, and not just how they helped students, but how much the college helped the community, including the economy. The CC trained the majority of new nurses, of emergency service personnel, and even a large number of high-tech workers who stayed in the local economy. The tax increase passed by an easy margin. At the same time our city council was getting blasted for not spending their money more wisely.

You have to involve people's self interest, and their altruism, and you have to get them involved. If they feel good about something, and feel it will benefit them, they will be more likely to spend on it. It's when they feel their money is being taken without their consent and with no gain that they get upset.