Nov. 5, 2002

Suspicious Minds

GW Survey Reveals Decline in Trust in Government and Change in Sources of Trust

A new survey reveals that a return to partisan politics may explain the decline in trust in government between September 2001 and August 2002. Professors Kimberly Gross and Sean Aday from the School of Media and Public Affairs, along with Professor Paul Brewer of the political science department, conducted the study.

“After Sept. 11 patriotic themes in news coverage contributed to the surge in public trust in government,” says Gross. “A year later, patriotism no longer serves as a unifying force across party lines. It is a return to ‘politics as usual.’ ”

Immediately following the terrorist attacks, respondents with strong patriotic sentiments and those who followed the news closely exhibited greater trust in government. One year later, patriotism matters less, and partisanship matters more, in explaining who trusts the government. Republicans are more trusting than Democrats.

The data is from a three-part panel survey — in which the same people are interviewed over the course of a year — analyzing Americans’ confidence in US government institutions after Sept. 11. The survey discovered a surge and subsequent decline in trust and confidence across governmental institutions. Confidence in the military decreased only slightly, whereas the decline was more dramatic toward the Office of the President. Confidence in the media remained fairly consistent. The survey also found that Americans are less worried, afraid, angry, and disgusted than they were last fall.

 

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