Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down; Average at New Low •…

Confidence in U.S. Institutions Down; Average at New Low

• Confidence in major U.S. institutions has significantly declined, with 11 out of 16 institutions experiencing drops and no improvements observed.
• The average confidence level across all institutions has reached a new low of 27%, a decrease from previous years.
• Small businesses are the most trusted institution at 68%, while Congress is the least trusted, with only 7% confidence.
• The Supreme Court and the presidency have seen the largest declines in confidence, dropping 11 and 15 percentage points, respectively.
• Confidence in the three branches of federal government—Supreme Court (25%), presidency (23%), and Congress—is at historic lows.
• Other institutions, such as organized religion (31%), newspapers (16%), and the criminal justice system (14%), are also at their lowest points in decades.
• Confidence in large technology companies is at a low of 26%, a figure that has only been tracked for the past three years.
• The average confidence rating of 27% is three points lower than the previous low recorded in 2014 and nine points lower than in 2020.
• All political party groups—Republicans, Democrats, and independents—show declines in confidence, with independents experiencing the largest drop.
• Democrats and independents have significantly lost confidence in the Supreme Court, while Republicans have shown increased distrust in banks and the military.
• Small businesses and the military are the most positively rated institutions across all party groups, while Congress ranks lowest for all.
• The confidence gap between Republicans and Democrats is most pronounced in their views of the presidency, police, and newspapers.
• Overall, Americans' trust in institutions has been declining for over 15 years, with current levels unlikely to improve without economic recovery.
• The crisis of confidence extends beyond political institutions, coinciding with a low satisfaction rate of 13% among Americans regarding the state of the country.