Suzanne Mettler and John Sides have a good blog post up at the New York Times. Using 2008 survey data, they found that 96% of Americans have received a government benefit at one time or another. 

Benefits differed slightly based on party affiliation. "Republicans were more likely to have used the G.I. Bill and Social Security retirement and survivors’ benefits, while more Democrats had taken advantage of Medicaid and unemployment insurance." 

The problem is that people don't recognize that they are receiving a benefit. The authors distinguish between direct or obvious government benefits, such as unemployment and social security versus "submerged benefits" that are channeled through the tax code or private organizations. Examples of "submerged benefits," include home mortgage-interest deduction and the tax-free status of the employer contribution to employees’ health insurance.

While the authors don't say that "submerged benefits" need to be more clearly marked as a government hand out, that's the underlying conclusion.