Nearly two-thirds of Americans do not trust the federal government, a share that has increased over the last two years and marked a period of near record-low confidence in the country’s political institutions.
A Partnership for Public Service poll sampling 800 U.S. adults this spring found just 23% trust the government, compared to 35% in 2022. The results show more Americans consider the federal government to be incompetent, and just 15% believe it to be transparent.
“The decline in the public’s trust of the federal government — our most important democratic institution — is alarming,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a non-partisan, nonprofit good government organization.
The federal government distinguishes itself, by its design and function, as a largely apolitical body of millions of workers who carry out policy set by the president or Congress. Federal workers are hired on the basis of their merits, though the upper echelons of cabinet agencies and departments are led by political appointees.
There are roughly 4,000 appointees serving besides their colleagues in the 2.2 million-large workforce. As early as the 1800s, workers have been legally shielded from cronyism and nepotism, though even the founding fathers recognized a need for government to resemble and serve its people, above all others.
Despite these measures intended to preserve a nonpartisan workforce, trust in government has been in decline since the 1960s. Experts worry deepening mistrust could impact voting and engagement, ultimately disincentivizing citizens to engage with and provide feedback to their government altogether.
This also comes at a time when federal agencies are trying to use modern technology to improve their relationship with constituents through more user-friendly websites, digital filing systems and in-person recruiting. That seems to have made an impact, given about half of respondents said they’re satisfied with their personal interactions with the government.
Still, concerted efforts made by agencies to hire young workers may be stunted by levels of mistrust particularly among those ages 18 to 34. The data shows trust fell from 30% to 15% since 2022.
The survey also supports findings that Republicans are even less likely to have confidence in their government.
