Americans’ fear of big government - partly fueled by a sharp spike among Democrats since Barack Obama took office - almost reached a record high in 2011 and is far greater than people’s concerns about big business and big labor, a new Gallup poll shows

An overwhelming 64% of people surveyed said that big government was the biggest threat to the country, compared to just 26% who said that big business is their gravest concern and 8% who picked big labor. Republicans are most wary of the threat of big government than are Democrats or independents – 82% of GOPers said that big government was the biggest threat to the nation, compared to 64% of independents and 48% of Democrats who said the same. The percentage of Democrats who said that big government was the most significant threat to the United States, 48%, has seen a notable climb since 2009, when 32% of the political party said that big government was the most dangerous to the country’s well-being.