The latest poll from Gallup shows that Americans’ confidence in many major institutions in the United States, including the presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court, has dropped to a new low this year.
Fox News reports that the poll showed just 27 percent of Americans described themselves as having “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in 14 institutions, which is three points lower than the previous record low in 2014.
With 16 different institutions mentioned in the survey, Gallup noted “significant declines” in 11 institutions in particular, including the presidency and the Supreme Court. Compared to the last poll in June of 2021, American confidence in the presidency has gone down by 15 points, while confidence in the high court has dropped by 11 points. Similarly, Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped by about 15 points in the same span of time.
Congress remains the lowest-rated institution in the nation. In last year’s poll, only 12 percent of Americans polled reported “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the federal legislative branch. This year, that number is down to a mere 7 percent.
Five other institutions recorded substantial drops in confidence: The police, the criminal justice system, big business, organized religion, and newspapers. The only major institution to see its approval rating hold steady was organized labor, at 28 percent once again.
Respondents across both political parties, as well as independents, all recorded drops in confidence compared to last year. Republican voters’ confidence in the military fell from 81 percent to 78 percent, while their confidence in the police dropped from 71 percent to 67 percent. Independents’ confidence in the presidency plummeted from 31 percent to just 18 percent. Meanwhile, in the wake of numerous major decisions on abortion, Second Amendment rights, and other issues, Democrats’ confidence in the Supreme Court dropped from 31 percent to 13 percent.
Gallup noted that the only two major institutions to still record positive approval ratings with all three political affiliations were the military and small businesses.