Who Do You Trust?
I’ll openly admit I don’t like writing about worries, concerns and consternations about the state of the country. I’d love to write solely about how good things are and how they might be even better – and about useful exchanges of opinion on proposed governmental legislation or action.
That said, this piece highlights the state of our trust and confidence of where our federal government and other institutions is and where it seems to be going. Unfortunately, it’s not positive.
It is often said that a lie can fly halfway around the world while the truth is just getting its boots on. If people don’t believe they can trust their institutions, they obviously believe the people running them are lying.
Gallup conducted its annual survey of public confidence in U.S. institutions from June 1 to July 5, 2021 – before the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle.
Here’s the numbers compared to 1973 (later for some not originally on the list) when the first Gallop poll(s) on this subject was conducted:
Confidence in Institutions – Percent who trusted:
Institution Great Deal/A Lot Some Little or No
Congress
1973 42 35 22
2021 12 40 49
The Presidency
1975 52 29 19
2021 38 28 34
The Supreme Court
1973 45 28 28
2021 36 42 22
The Public Schools
1973 58 27 16
2021 32 39 27
Newspapers
1973 39 39 21
2021 21 35 44
Television News
1993 46 36 18
2021 16 30 50
The Medical System
1975 80 13 6
2021 44 33 22
The Police
1993 52 36 13
2021 51 32 17
The Military
1975 58 25 20
2021 69 22 10
The Criminal Justice System
1993 17 38 45
2021 20 38 42
Big Business
1973 18 41 42
2021 26 36 37
Small Business
1997 63 29 9
2021 70 24 7
Banks
1979 60 29 12
2021 33 42 25
Organized Labor
1973 42 35 22
2021 9 37 51
Church/Organized Religion
1973 5 21 13
2021 37 34 4
You might have guessed, Americans lost more faith in the media over the last year, according to the survey, trusting only Congress less among major American institutions.
Asked if they held a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in television news, 16 percent of Americans responded in the affirmative, down from 18 percent in 2020 and 2019. Another 21 percent said they trusted newspapers, down from 24 percent in 2020 and from 23 percent in 2019 – and 46% in 1993.
Meanwhile Congress was trusted at a whopping 12% of those surveyed.
In July, the President was trusted by 38%.
The public schools were trusted by 32% this year.
Trust in church or organized religion was trusted by 37%.
These are many of our major institutions in which trust by Americans is below dismal.
Of the institutions surveyed, the only ones who gained or have not lost trust are church/religion, big and small business – excepting banks, the military and the police.
The ones we talk about most – Congress and the presidency, public schools, newspapers and tv news, organized labor, and the medical system have all taken big hits in trust.
The biggest thing that strikes me when I look at these numbers is not only the trend, but the low percentage of trust put in basically all of our important institutions.
The question is why has that happened?
Let’s start by assuming the mistrust has been earned – that there are good reasons people feel the way they do about so many important institutions in our lives.
It all comes down to the conduits through which we get our information.
Our country’s founders chose to rely on “the press” to keep those in power in check. It’s why they made it crystal clear the media was to be “free.”
They did not anticipate a time when most of our information outlets would appear to be ‘political’ propaganda machines. When opinion would disguise itself as news. When a press corps would prioritize sensationalism in a race for ratings and retweets and clickbait. When deliberately not reporting something important or reporting it in a biased way. When those controlling widely used social media platforms would become repressors of free speech based on paid ‘fact-checkers.’
When the race card would be used inappropriately but still become some measure of credibility. When ‘anonymous’ sources would be widely used to support a preconceived narrative and isolate and punish those with different views.
The bottom line to the rampant lack of trust these numbers present is not a pretty picture.
When overwhelming majorities of our adult population have little or no trust and/or confidence in our institutions it splits the country into factions – leaving too many with the ‘bully pulpit’ without consideration or respect for anyone outside their thinking, their ideology, and their realm of influence, however small.
We have a ‘thousand’ people who are trying to be our leader(s), and in this atmosphere, no one is emerging to the majority as near worthy to follow.
The majority do not see the America for which they and their family has worked, and many have died for.
They see double standards everywhere where equal treatment is not afforded to all. Where there’s an elite, ruling class and then the rest of us. Where ‘diversity’ is more important than equality. Where principles are replaced with corruption, dishonesty and control. Where group think is condoned – even demanded – leaving individual choice and freedom in the wake.
Have we ever been so dis-unified?
Is there light at the end of this tunnel? Even COVID-!9 only briefly exposed a glimmer before it too was used as a political weapon and continues as such.
Most of us hope that real unity is possible while preserving freedom.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
References:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx
SPIDER Bites
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