Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor

Pew Research Center survey


By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days. A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government – a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials.

Rather than an activist government to deal with the nation’s top problems, the public now wants government reformed and growing numbers want its power curtailed. With the exception of greater regulation of major financial institutions, there is less of an appetite for government solutions to the nation’s problems – including more government control over the economy – than there was when Barack Obama first took office.

The public’s hostility toward government seems likely to be an important election issue favoring the Republicans this fall. However, the Democrats can take some solace in the fact that neither party can be confident that they have the advantage among such a disillusioned electorate. Favorable ratings for both major parties, as well as for Congress, have reached record lows while o pposition to congressional incumbents, already approaching an all-time high, continues to climb.

The Tea Party movement, which has a small but fervent anti-government constituency, could be a wild card in this election. On one hand, its sympathizers are highly energized and inclined to vote Republican this fall. On the other, many Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the Tea Party represents their point of view better than does the GOP.

These are the principal findings from a series of surveys that provide a detailed picture of the public’s opinions about government. The main survey, conducted March 11-21 among 2,505 adults, was informed by surveys in 1997 and 1998 that explored many of the same questions and issues. While a majority also distrusted the federal government in those surveys, criticism of government had declined from earlier in the decade. And the public’s desire for government services and activism was holding steady.

This is not the case today. Just 22% say they can trust the government in Washington almost always or most of the time, among the lowest measures in half a century. About the same percentage (19%) says they are “basically content” with the federal government, which is largely unchanged from 2006 and 2007, but lower than a decade ago.

Opinions about elected officials are particularly poor. In a follow-up survey in early April, just 25% expressed a favorable opinion of Congress, which was virtually unchanged from March (26%), prior to passage of the health care reform bill. This is the lowest favorable rating for Congress in a quarter century of Pew Research Center surveys. Over the last year, favorable opinions of Congress have declined by half – from 50% to 25%.

While job ratings for the Obama administration are mostly negative, they are much more positive than the ratings for Congress; 40% say the administration does an excellent or good job while just 17% say the same about Congress.

Federal agencies and institutions also are viewed much more positively than is Congress. Nonetheless, favorable ratings have fallen significantly since 1997-1998 for seven of 13 federal agencies included in the survey. The declines have been particularly large for the Department of Education, the FDA, the Social Security Administration, as well as the EPA, NASA and the CDC. In terms of job performance, majorities give positive ratings to just six of 15 agencies or institutions tested, including the military (80% good/excellent) and the Postal Service (70%).

As was the case in the 1997 study of attitudes about government, more people say the bigger problem with government is that it runs its programs inefficiently (50%) than that it has the wrong priorities (38%). But the percentage saying government has the wrong priorities has increased sharply since 1997 – from 29% to 38%.

Perhaps related to this trend, the survey also finds a rise in the percentage saying the federal government has a negative effect on their day-to-day lives. In October 1997, 50% said the federal government had a positive effect on their daily lives, compared with 31% who said its impact was negative. Currently, 38% see the federal government’s personal impact as positive while slightly more (43%) see it as negative.

Rising criticism about government’s personal impact is not limited to the federal government. Just 42% say their state government has a positive effect on their daily lives, down from 62% in October 1997. There is a similar pattern in opinions about the impact of local government – 51% now see the impact of their local government as positive, down from 64% in 1997.

Despite the attention captured by demonstrations and other expressions of anti-government sentiment, Americans’ feelings about the federal government run more toward frustration rather than anger. In the current survey, 56% say they are frustrated with the federal government, 21% say they are angry and 19% say they are basically content. Since October 1997, majorities have expressed frustration with the federal government, with a single notable exception; in November 2001, two months after the 9/11 attacks, just 34% said they were frustrated with the federal government.

And despite the frustration most Americans feel with government, a majority of the public (56%) says that if they had a child just getting out of school they would like to see him or her pursue a career in government; and 70% say the government is a good place to work, unchanged from October 1997.

However, along with the frustrated majority, which has remained fairly steady over the years, the survey also identifies a small but growing segment of the public that holds intense anti-government views. The proportion saying that they are angry with the federal government has doubled since 2000 and matches the high reached in October 2006 (20%).

Over this period, a larger minority of the public also has come to view the federal government as a major threat to their personal freedom – 30% feel this way, up from 18% in a 2003 ABC News/Washington Post survey. Intense anti-government sentiment is highly concentrated among certain groups – Republicans, independents and others who lean Republican, and those who agree with the Tea Party movement.

For example, 43% of Republicans say the federal government presents a major threat to their personal freedom, as do 50% of independents who lean Republican and fully 57% of those who agree with the Tea Party movement. That compares with just 18% of Democrats, 21% of independents who lean Democratic and just 9% of those who disagree with the Tea Party movement.

http://people-press.org/report/606/trust-in-government

money and greed run this, and all gov'ts, but this is still a place where you can have some freedoms vs other countries...........for now.


but it certainly is a grand country at that! it would be great if our military was just fighting for the country, but alas, it's just fighting for big business....what a shame. if big business and religion were at peace, and not so damn greedy and forceful..... there would be no more wars......pity.

Yes, it is still a VERY privileged country,, with great potential. I hope to see its potential fulfilled in a country with equality and justice for all. Id love to see less of a gap between the extremely wealthy and the extremely poor and more measures in place to assure that the wealth of this country really does go to provide basic necessities for all citizens.

Yes i agree word for words especialy "I hope to see its potential fulfilled in a country with equality and justice for all." Equality is far from it sadly.

Come on usa, your one of the best now clean it up! ^^

Tax and spend is not a strategy that will improve our situation.

different opinions, both professional and amatuer , about what will improve our situation could probably fill a library of books. But guaranteed is the fact that doing nothing or doing nothing differently is definitely NOT going to improve the situation.

'Insanity is doing the same action over and over and expecting a different result'

I have been taught and taught my children that attitude counts for SO much and I think several core attitudes in our country needs to change before real policies can be put in place and enforced and SUPPORTED which will help improve America for ALL americans.

First is the idea that money equals worth...the idea that those who are rich are more deserving or harder working or smarter, and those who are not just arent smart enough or working hard enough. There is no reason (in my opinion anyhow) that ANY american putting in an honest days work should have to worry about food, shelter, or healthcare..

Second is the idea that any person is totally self accomplished. People need to learn to REACH out to others the way others have reached out to them,,,its the I got mine , you get yours attitude that has caused our steady decline....IMHO

As Dr Shaffer demonstrates in his book "Boundaries Of Order" (pay special attention to Chapter 3, "Foundations Of Order"), property rights are far superior in maintaining peaceful and stable society than any other system (especially top-down models like the prevailing "American System").

Protest or debate government policies, not the government itself. To do the latter might label you an extremist.

Oooo! I'm so scared! /sarcasm It's not always popular, but always morally and philosophically correct to oppose the government-for the government is merely an organization dedicated to violence, theft, and coercion.

Not that I care about labels.. but I agree. When you have large numbers of people trying to live together,, some type of organization and 'governing' is necessary. To disregard the necessity of government structure is similar to disregarding the necessity of a parental structure in the home or a managing structure at a place of employment. But . like a home or a business,,, poor policies or practices, can certainly lead to a downfall.

New story on this from Reuters today.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100419/pl_nm/us_americans_government_poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly 80 percent of Americans say they do not trust the government to do what is right, expressing the highest level of distrust in Washington in half a century, according to a public opinion survey.



This is indeed great news!

I would rather be labeled an extremist than a fool , someone who sits by while his life is crumbleing around them .

If you oppose Hussein, your labeled a racist, extremist or terrorist.

People tend to be more agreeable when they are more prosperous and
I am sure you can respect the fact that its hard to SUPPORT or OPPOSE that which one doesnt learn about first,,,

most americans are TERRIBLY uninformed and uneducated about what government even is


http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=39715

I would agree with that. That's why I like to educate y'all.

Wow...I don't find that to be true at all....it's more like some not most.

its scary to me too,,, Im no government officianado, but as a voter, I try to know the basics,,,,


Less than half of Americans can name all three branches of government


how can people oppose or support without knowing what it is they support or oppose..... I fear, that much like mainstream entertainment,, people rely on COMMENTARY and critics rather than truly learning what government is and what it can do and should do.

democracy is stupid
giving equal weight to the ignorant and the educated
it is a good thing that the ignorant don't vote proportionally
on the other hand
it is not clear that the educated vote well
pander to my interests
readers
and leaders alike

i think i will have to post this to the poetry forum!

The Goldman Sachs scandal that is emerging isn't going to help the situation.

How much faith can someone have that the government is going to do anything about Goldman's fraudulent actions after you look at this chart?

Obama got almost $1 million in campaign contributions during the 2008 presidential election cycle...

Cycle Total Democrats Republicans
2008 $5,934,089 $4,463,788 $1,459,961 75% 25%
2006 $3,495,866 $2,185,461 $1,276,455 63%
2004 $6,411,038 $3,956,253 $2,436,285 62%
2002 $3,487,835 $2,292,040 $1,194,795 66%
2000 $4,431,977 $2,763,185 $1,662,292 62%
1998 $1,938,166 $1,225,252 $683,914 63%
1996 $1,816,563 $997,747 $816,316 55%
1994 $1,026,235 $562,760 $462,675 55%
1992 $1,659,310 $908,295 $750,515 55%
1990 $717,621 $473,716 $243,905 66%
TOTAL $31,612,375 $20,304,872 $11,204,413 64%

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000085

http://images.opensecrets.org/obama_top_contribs.htm?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638

i'm a gonna teach BOTH the democrats and republicans a lesson.

i'm a gonna vote independent!

and i mean it to STING!