US (Washington Insider Magazine) – Americans’ trust in major societal institutions has not seen improvement over the past year, continuing a downward trend that began in 2022. A Gallup survey highlighted that confidence levels dropped significantly in 11 out of the 16 institutions tracked annually, with the presidency and Supreme Court experiencing the most pronounced declines—15 and 11 percentage points, respectively.
In the latest poll, conducted between June 1-22, 2023, confidence in the Supreme Court stands at 27%, while the presidency has fallen to 26%. This survey was conducted before the Supreme Court made pivotal decisions on issues like affirmative action in education, college loan forgiveness, and LGBTQ+ rights, which could have further impacted public perception of these institutions.
The survey indicates that public confidence in the other 14 institutions remains stagnant compared to last year, with no significant changes in scores. Among these, small businesses rank highest, with 65% of Americans expressing a great deal or fair amount of confidence. The military follows closely, with 60% confidence, while the police receive a score of 43%.
The top five institutions also include the medical system and organized religion, garnering 34% and 32% confidence ratings, respectively. Other institutions like the U.S. Supreme Court, banks, public schools, the presidency, large tech companies, and organized labor all fall between 25% and 27% in confidence levels.
Conversely, the five institutions rated the lowest include newspapers, the criminal justice system, television news, big business, and Congress, with Congress attracting the least confidence at just 8%.
Gallup’s survey also included higher education, and a deeper analysis of its results will be reported separately. Many institutions are hovering close to record low confidence levels, with four—police, public schools, large tech companies, and big business—tying for their all-time lows.
Despite some institutions showing higher confidence than their historical lows, such as the military and small businesses, the overall trend remains concerning. The average confidence score for nine long-tracked institutions fell to a new low of 26% this year, down ten points from 2020.
The survey reveals that seven of the institutions measured this year have significant partisan confidence divides. The largest differences appear in perceptions of the presidency and public schools, with Democrats expressing much higher confidence than Republicans. Conversely, Republicans show greater confidence in the Supreme Court, organized religion, and the police.
Overall, the results reflect a continuation of the trend of diminishing trust in societal institutions, with the average confidence ratings for 14 institutions remaining at 26%, matching last year’s record low.
