A majority of Americans view the federal government as nearly always wasteful and inefficient in its mission, according to a newly released survey from the Pew Research Center. In 1958, the American National Election Study found that 73 percent of Americans said they always or mostly trusted the government to do what is right, Pew reported. They’re almost 3 times as more likely to allege they’re “angry” with it, at 32% of Republicans & GOP leaners in contrast with 12% of Democrats & Democratic leaners.
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The figure, based on more than 6,000 interviews conducted between August 27 and October 4 of this year, has sunk from 57% in 2007 and 64% in 1997. And 75% say there is a major role for government in protecting the environment.
Carson is also popular among GOP voters who said they are not angry with the government, receiving a 63 percent favorability rating among that segment, versus 15 percent who see him unfavorably.
Per usual, though, when it gets down to specific functions of government, Americans (including Republicans) give the feds more leeway. While 72% of Democrats said they only seldom or never trust the government, 89% of the GOP now professes major distrust of the feds.
Confidence in government has clearly suffered over the ensuing decades, with Vietnam, Watergate, energy crises, various economic troubles, partisan gridlock in Washington and the recent frustrations in Iraq and Afghanistan. They survey polled respondents on 13 issues – including disaster response, terrorism, ensuring access to health care, maintaining infrastructure, and advancing the economy – and in 10 of the 13 areas public opinion was more positive than negative. Seventy-one percent of Republicans say the government is doing too much that should be left to the private sector and individuals, whereas only 29% of Democrats say the same.
There are substantial partisan and ideological divides in the views of several of these institutions. The gap is even larger when it comes to ensuring access to health care, with 40 percent of Republicans saying the government is doing well compared to 74 percent of Democrats. In contrast, he nabs only a 48 percent favorability rating from the voters not angry at government, contrasted with a 48 percent unfavorability rating. The public was angrier at the government two years ago during the government shutdown, when 30 percent of the public was angry at the government. Ted Cruz and Carson also do better among Republicans who are angry at government.
Both sides of the political system also view their side as “losing”, the survey found, though Republicans feel more defeated than Democrats.
Despite all the skepticism, most Americans still trust one another more than those in office, highlighting the sharp disconnect between lawmakers and those they serve.
The only candidate in the top of the Republican field who does not do better among angry Republicans is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
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So to conclude, the current state of the American electorate is that most of us, apparently, think we’re a bunch of stupid losers.
