When Why and How Did US citizense loose trust in Our Government and Economy from the 1960-2000

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Americans and Their Trust in Government
What number of times do you trust that your government will do the correct thing? Pollsters and research organizations have asked American citizens this question over several decades. The American people don’t trust their government. The trust issues are spread across both genders, political affiliation, age group and even race. Trust in the government has been in on a decline since the 1960s. However, the situation of mistrust was not always this way. In 1958, when Americans were first asked their opinion about trust for government, 73% of Americans said they trusted their government occasionally or usually, and when the same poll was conducted in1964, trust levels reached 77%. The levels of confidence in government during the periods between 1958 and 1964 have not been seen again. In 2014, when the question of faith in the United States government was asked, being one of most the recent researches on the topic, conducted by a reputable firm, the results showed that about 24% of the American adult population had faith that the government would do the correct thing whether some or in most situations.(Fingerhut, www.people-press.org)
The decline in trust of the federal government by Americans has not been wholly steady. The sharpest fall came in the periods after the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, resignation of President Nixon, and the unconditional pardon of Mr. Nixon of all crimes which he may have committed during his presidency.

During the end of the 1970s, when the same poll was conducted, just a quarter of American citizens said they had confidence in their government. The reality about the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal was that public confidence in the government was significantly eroded and these events brought to question the competence of the federal government. Trust levels increased in the 1980s and fell again in at the start of the 1990s. The economic boom of the late 1990s had confidence levels about the government increase slightly. After the terror attacks of September had occurred, public opinions of Americans about the government shifted on various issues and trust levels rebounded to about 60% only a month after the terror attacks. This was a tremendous improvement and the American people according to polls conducted during this period, recorded the highest confidence levels in government in over 40 years. However, the rise in trust in the government did not last long, and by the end of 2002, the percentage of Americans adults who had faith in the government had plunged to 22%. The Iraq War and economic recession dealt a blow to confidence levels, and by the end of 2007, trust levels were at 24%, after this period confidence levels have not changed in a big way and have been fluctuating between 20% and 26%.(Vavreck, www.nytimes.com)
Trust and faith in government usually go hand in hand with government’s fulfillment of its duties as well as the general state of a nation regarding economy, security and general satisfaction of the people. This is an explanation as to why trust levels were so low during the late 1970s and the early 1990s. Trust levels were also at very low levels during the financial crisis as well as during the recession that began in 2007.However, during the economic boom and the periods of rapid economic growth trust in government was seen to improve considerably.
A closer look at trust in government would indicate that trust in government has continually been higher among the Republicans when they are in power and the Democrats while in power as well. However, the attitudes of Democrats have been more so consistent, irrespective of the party that is in power. A good example is George W Bush’s presidency. During his eight-year presidency, about 47% of American citizens of the Republican Party said they had faith in the government whether partially or on most occasions. However when Obama became president, trust among Republicans fell to 13%. In comparison, confidence among Democrats remained relatively stable throughout the tenure of George W. Bush as well as during the Obama presidency averaging 28% in George Bush’s tenure and 29% during Obama’s presidency. ( www.washingtonpost.com)
When confidence in government is considered among the different generations, over the years, since Americans were first asked whether they trusted their government, the attitudes among the various generations have been relatively similar throughout. It has been noted from the polls and research that younger people are to a small degree more trusting of government than their older counterparts. At the moment 25% of adults aged at 18 to 34 years have the opinion that they have some trust in the government always or occasionally. In comparison, adults aged between 35 to 50 years, have their confidence levels at 19%, those aged at 51 to 69 years have trust levels at 14% and 16% for those aged between 70 to 87 years. This data concludes that younger Americans trust the government more and the same applies to the older citizens who have the lowest confidence levels. In the years 2009 and 2010, the differences in faith across the younger and older generations was considerably larger with 36% of adults aged between 18 to 34 years showing trust in government compared to 20% among the older generations. (Fingerhut, www.people-press.org)
An explanation as to why there are low levels of confidence among Americans in recent times can be based on several factors such as lack of honesty among politicians and the influence of media. A closer look at why there has been a decline in public trust of the government is that people always demand the impossible. A good example is to guarantee the country 100% safe from attacks and terrorism. Some things are not achievable. However, politicians also need to take blame and responsibility. But as they seek to be elected, it is hard for most politicians to speak the truth that most of the electorate do not desire to hear. In their bids to get elected, most politicians would promise what is unachievable and in when they eventually fail, this is regarded as a failure on the part of the government rather than the people themselves having unrealistic demands and expectations. The media is also a significant contributor to the trust levels among the electorate. Most times when a politician makes a mistake, or the government fails in its duties, these events are always exposed to the public. Exposing them is appropriate. However, they are also repeated and rebroadcasted continually to affirm the opinion that government is rotten. The idea that government is untrustworthy is therefore very common among Americans. (Will Americans Ever Trust, thefederalist.com)
The people’s trust and confidence in the government is one of the central questions as pertains to accountability and elections. Most people would agree on what they think the government should do in the areas of economy and security. The differences typically arise on the steps and ways to achieve these goals. Trust in government among all generations as well as among Democrats and Republicans has declined, and regime after regime it seems to be continually deteriorating. However, questioning, the efforts, and working of government is the essential foundation of any democracy.

Works Cited
“Will Americans Ever Trust Their Government Again?” The Federalist, Oct. 2016, thefederalist.com/2016/10/10/will-americans-ever-trust-their-government-again/.
Fingerhut, Hannah. “1. Trust in Government: 1958-2015.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 23 Nov. 2015, www.people-press.org/2015/11/23/1-trust-in-government-1958-2015/.
Vavreck, Lynn. “The Long Decline of Trust in Government, and Why That Can Be Patriotic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 July 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/07/04/upshot/the-long-decline-of-trust-in-government-and-why-that-can-be-patriotic.html.
“Americans Don’t Trust Government. But They Still Want Government to Do a Lot.” The Washington Post, WP Company, www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/23/americans-dont-trust-government-but-they-still-want-government-to-do-a-lot/?utm_term=.6af423f60d9b.