A new PewResearch study finds that most Americans believe obesity is a serious problem, but that the government should not play a role in reducing it.
Sixty-nine percent of Americans polled said that obesity is a "very serious public health problem." Sixty-three percent said "obesity has consequences for society beyond the personal impact on individuals."
However, the majority of those surveyed did not think that the government should be involved in fighting obesity.
According to PewResearch:
Yet, the public has mixed opinions about what, if anything, the government should do about the issue. A 54 percent majority does not want the government to play a significant role in reducing obesity, while 42 percent say the government should play a significant role. And while some proposals for reducing obesity draw broad support, others are decidedly unpopular.
While most agree that obesity is a very serious public health problem, the public is divided as to whether the country is making progress or losing ground in dealing with obesity. Slightly more people say the U.S. is losing ground (34 percent) than making progress (28 percent), with 36 percent saying things are about the same as they have been.
How much can the government do to reduce obesity? Roughly six-in-ten believe government policies and programs can do "a lot" (26 percent) or "some" (35 percent); about one-in-five (22 percent) say that government policies can do "not much" and 14 percent say they can do "nothing at all" to reduce obesity.
The study follows the Food and Drug Administration move last week to ban trans fats from the U.S. food supply.