A new Gallup poll reflects that while Americans are less trusting of modern institutions than in prior years, Republicans continue to trust churches and the military more than Democrats.
Every year, Gallup organizes their Confidence in Institutions poll, a survey that tracks how Americans view the institutions of the state, from Congress to local police.
The poll found that 33 percent of Americans had moderately high confidence in one of the 14 institutions polled on average. That is three percent lower than 2020. During the period between 2020 and 2021, most institutions saw a significant decrease in their numbers. The public school system and healthcare systems saw the most significant dives in data points, with a nine percent decline in trust.
Trust in religious institutions declined by five points in 2021, as did small businesses and banks. The only institution to see its trust increase was the police, with a three percent increase in trust.
The results also seemed to differ when it came to one’s political affiliation. For example, 51 percent of Republicans claim they have a “great deal” of confidence in the church. In comparison, only 26 percent of Democrats claim to have a similar level of trust.
When it came to questions of the three branches, most responses landed along partisan lines. Sixty-two percent of Democrats expressed a great deal of confidence in the current president. In comparison, only 13 percent said a great deal. Thirty-nine percent of Republicans expressed confidence in the Supreme Court, while 35 percent of Democrats expressed similar views. Only 17 percent of Democrats had a great deal of confidence in Congress, as compared to 7 percent of Republicans.
Neither party expressed high levels of trust in the media, although Republicans were slightly more skeptical. The only group that Republicans and Democrats appeared to agree on was a high distrust of Big Business. Nineteen percent of Republicans expressed trust in Big Business, as compared to 17 percent of Republicans.