Trust in government is critical for political legitimacy, social cohesion, effective governance, economic stability, and effective international relations. Trust is considered to be a cornerstone of a well-functioning democratic society. The Pew Research Center has been surveying the public for decades regarding trust in government and the recent poll results are discussed here.
The public opinion poll shows that public confidence in the federal government, which has remained at historically low levels for decades, has once again approached near-record lows. In the previous year, 20% of respondents indicated they trusted the government just about always or most of the time. Presently, less than two out of ten Americans express trust in the government in Washington, believing it consistently does what is right either “just about always” (1%) or “most of the time” (15%). These levels of trust represent one of the lowest measures in nearly seven decades of polling.
Breakdown by Race
Regarding expressing confidence, Asian respondents were at 23%, Hispanic at 23%, and Black at 21%, indicating confidence “most of the time” or “just about always.” This level of trust surpasses that of White adults, among whom only 13% have similar confidence. In the last Democratic administration, Black and Hispanic adults consistently demonstrated higher trust in government than White adults. Conversely, in most recent Republican administrations, White Americans were notably more likely than Black Americans to express trust in the federal government’s capacity to make the right decisions.
Historic Observations
When the National Election Study (NES) commenced surveys about trust in government in 1958, approximately three-quarters of Americans had confidence in the federal government to “consistently do what is right or most of the time.” However, this trust started to erode in the 1960s, marked by the Vietnam War, and this decline persisted throughout the 1970s, fueled mainly by the Watergate scandal and economic challenges. In the mid-1980s, trust in government experienced a resurgence but declined once more in the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, as the economy thrived in the late 1990s, so did faith in the government. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, public trust reached a three-decade peak but diminished rapidly after that. Since 2007, the percentage of individuals who believe they can trust the government “always” or “most of the time” has not exceeded 30%.
Since the 1970s, confidence in government has invariably been more robust within the political party currently controlling the White House than the opposition party. According to recent data, 25% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning individuals express trust in the federal government either “almost always” or “most of the time,” in contrast to 8% of Republicans and Republican-leaning individuals. Interestingly, Democrats currently report slightly lower confidence in the federal government compared to a year ago, while Republicans’ views have remained relatively stable during this period.
Republicans have frequently demonstrated more pronounced fluctuations in trust levels than Democrats in reaction to shifts in political leadership, often expressing lower trust during Democratic presidencies. In contrast, Democratic sentiments have tended to exhibit relative stability, regardless of which party occupies the White House. For example, Republicans and leaners indicated 11% trust in government during the Clinton years and an all-time low of 7% trust in government during the Obama presidency compared to the 8% trust during the current Biden presidency. Notably, the shifts in attitudes among both Republicans and Democrats from the conclusion of Donald Trump’s presidency to the commencement of Joe Biden’s term were of a similar magnitude.
Compared to the 1960s and 70s, the overall trust in government, irrespective of party and ideology and racial considerations, shows a steady low rate. This pattern could be due to factors such as the economic collapse of 2008, further exacerbated by the economic hardships due to the pandemic.
Source & Image Chart:
Pew Research Center. (2023). “Public Trust in Government: 1958-2023”, retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/public-trust-in-government-1958-2023/