People think government is too big, only when they don't need it.

[Dodece]

I would say that the majority of the population is on the whole indifferent to this argument. The reality is that most citizens cannot be bothered to vote, and basically defer to those that do. Out of those that do vote it is basically a even split based upon parties, and those parties are alliances between demographics who can work together, but do not necessarily agree. They will support each other so that their own individual agenda can move forward. It is really a I will scratch your back if you scratch mine arrangement.

Despite what you may hear, read, or see. The truth is it is probably less then ten percent of the population that cares at all about government spending. Most people just care about how hard or easy their lives are. Once you move beyond generalities into specifics all you usually get are blank expressions. After all people elect officials to bother with these things so they don't have to do it themselves.

Speaking to whether protests work. The answer is a definitive yes they do. Though you shouldn't think wholly in a short term mindset. Protests are about changing public perception, and that doesn't necessarily change over the coarse of days, weeks, months, or even years. Will a movement like occupy have an effect. In the short term very little probably, but in the long run it is moving the discussion in a specific direction. The movement scared the shit out of a lot of people on the far right, because they saw it for what it was.