For decades, Americans have doubted their government in Washington – the combination of unpopular wars from Vietnam to Iraq, corruption scandals like Watergate, and just general dissatisfaction have hurt perceptions. And while there have been occasional gains (following some elections and after the attacks of September 11, 2001), most of those gains have been short-lived, as Americans settle back into their negative assessments of what’s happening in the nation’s capital.
The Economist/YouGov Poll has tracked trust in government from the start of Barack Obama’s Administration. There was little gain in the weeks following his Inauguration, and trust has continued to decline. The Economist/YouGov Poll asks the following version of trust in government: “How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right? Just about always, Most of the time, Some of the time, Almost never?”
In the latest poll, the results are anemic. Only 7% of adults say they trust the government to do what’s right most of the time or more often. 41% say they trust it “almost never.” But that’s not much different from the results from March of 2009, weeks after Barack Obama was sworn in as President.
Americans usually think more highly of the government when their party controls the Presidency. But in the last two years, both Democrats and Republicans have become more negative about Washington. In March 2009, one in five Democrats admitted they trusted the government at least most of the time, about the same percentage as said “almost never.” Now, just 14% trust the government that much. But it’s Republicans who changed the most -- 50% of them trusted it “almost never” in March 2009. That number is now 62%.
Democratic trust rose to 28% in the summer of 2009, while Republican trust remained stable. But by early 2010, more than six in ten Republicans decided they almost never trusted what happened in D.C.
How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right?
| 2/21/2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
Just about always | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Most of the time | 12 | 3 | 4 |
Some of the time | 59 | 34 | 42 |
Almost never | 19 | 61 | 61 |
Not sure | 7 | 2 | 5 |
2/7/2010 | |||
| |||
Just about always | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Most of the time | 18 | 5 | 6 |
Some of the time | 54 | 31 | 31 |
Almost never | 20 | 61 | 61 |
Not sure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
7/19/2009 | |||
| |||
Just about always | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Most of the time | 14 | 5 | 10 |
Some of the time | 46 | 42 | 40 |
Almost never | 33 | 50 | 44 |
Not sure | 5 | 4 | 6 |
3/22/2009 | |||
| |||
Just about always | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Most of the time | 20 | 6 | 3 |
Some of the time | 59 | 41 | 47 |
Almost never | 18 | 50 | 49 |
Not sure | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Independent voters are closer to Republicans than Democrats in their opinion about D.C. – and in this week’s poll, Tea Party identifiers are especially negative: two out of three say they trust the government in Washington “almost never.” Just 2% admit they trust it “most of the time.”
DO STATES (NOW WITH MORE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS) DO BETTER?
If, in fact, party matters, state government should fare somewhat better than the national government. Republicans now control a majority of state houses. And perceptions about states should also benefit from their being physically closer to the people. The latest Economist/YouGov Poll suggests both of these claims may be true. Overall, Americans do feel better about their state government than they do about the government in Washington.
And Republicans and Democrats look pretty similar in their state assessments: Republicans think somewhat better of state government than they do of government in D.C., while Democrats move in the other direction.
Still, states may not have a lot to be proud of. Not when only 12% of Americans trust them to do the right thing “most of the time.”
