Public Trust In Federal Government Remains Minute
Knewz, 6/11/22
New York (Knewz) — Public trust in the American government continues to be minuscule — a drop that happened 50 years ago and remains to this day.
A recent poll from the Pew Research Center found just 20 percent of people say they trust the government. That figure has held fairly steady since the 1990s, though it saw a massive spike in 2001.
In the late 60s, the Public trust in the American government was around 77 percent, according to Pew.
Then came the Watergate scandal and the inflation under Jimmy Carter. With that, the figure took a nosedive and has remained there.
Only 8 percent of people in the survey said they believe that government as being responsive to ordinary Americans’ needs. A similarly small amount, at 6 percent, said the phrase “careful with taxpayer money” describes the federal government extremely or somewhat well.
Many people feel the government doesn’t do enough to help various demographics, including children, lower-income people and retirees.
In fact, the only group that people said the government helps “too much” was higher-income individuals, according to Pew. Middle-income had the most negative responses, with 69 percent saying they are helped “too little”, 24 percent saying the right amount and 6 percent saying it was “too much.”
About 90 percent of people said the federal government should have a major role in keeping the government safe from terrorism and 85 percent said the feds should have a major role in managing the U.S. immigration system.
However, only 60 percent of people say the federal government should play a major role in setting fair and safe standards for workplaces. And only 52 percent said federal leaders should play a major role in helping people get out of poverty.