How much do you trust the federal government to act in the best interests of people like you?

Background

Trust in the federal government has been declining for decades, and recent polling shows it near historic lows. According to the Pew Research Center, as of September 2025, just 17 percent of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right most of the time or just about always, down from 22 percent the previous year and a dramatic drop from the 73 percent recorded when the question was first asked in 1958. A spring 2025 survey by the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service found that only 33 percent of Americans trust the federal government, while 47 percent do not. The issue has gained renewed urgency in the context of sweeping changes to federal staffing and programs under the current administration, a prolonged government shutdown in late 2025, and deep economic anxieties heading into 2026. Gallup found that Americans ended 2025 deeply dissatisfied with the country's direction and sharply polarized in their views of political leadership.

Those who believe the government can act in people's interests point to the essential services it provides, from national defense to Social Security to disaster relief, and note that a slim majority of Americans, 55 percent according to Pew Research, still express confidence in federal career employees to do their jobs well. Supporters of government also argue that agencies like the Postal Service, Park Service, and NASA continue to earn bipartisan approval. On the other side, critics argue that Washington is out of touch and wasteful; Pew Research reports that 56 percent of Americans consider the government wasteful and inefficient. Trust also varies starkly by party: Pew found that 26 percent of Republicans trust the government under the current administration compared to just 9 percent of Democrats, the lowest figure ever recorded for Democrats. Gallup has documented that trust among those who oppose the sitting president's party has essentially vanished, suggesting the question of whether government acts in people's interests is increasingly filtered through a partisan lens.

The stakes of this trust deficit are significant. When citizens do not believe their government is working for them, it can reduce civic participation, weaken compliance with laws and public health directives, and erode the legitimacy of democratic institutions. The OECD's Government at a Glance 2025 report found that fewer than half of people worldwide believe their governments use the best available evidence or are fully accountable. In the United States, only 39 percent say the federal government has a positive impact on people like them, while nearly half say the impact is negative. Whether trust continues to decline or begins to recover may depend on how effectively government delivers tangible results, communicates transparently, and demonstrates accountability across partisan lines.