5) The Public Doesn’t Trust Anyone
The US is in an age of cynicism that is almost unparalleled in modern history. Poll after poll shows that the general public is more than just disillusioned. They actively distrust everyone. In summer 2015, a Gallup poll showed US confidence in institutions was well below historical norms. Where government was concerned, only 8 percent said they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot of” trust in Congress. Only 23 percent trusted the criminal justice system, 24 percent trusted organized labor, and 21 percent trusted big business.
The Supreme Court was one of the highest-scoring institutions and only scored 32 percent on trust, 1 percentage point behind the presidency. Only the police, the military, and small businesses had the trust of over 50 percent of the population. This would make a good news story except that Americans no longer trust the media, either. A Gallup poll from the end of September 2015 put trust in the media at a historic low. Among the young, barely one-third today trust the mass media.These aren’t encouraging signs. When less than 10 percent of the population feels that Congress speaks for them, you have a system that’s facing a crisis of legitimacy. Yet rather than do anything to shore up public support, politicians just stumble on like zombies. That’s why someone like Trump can blow up from nowhere and get so much support. He’s one of the only people running who seems like a genuine (if flawed) human being.
The US is in an age of cynicism that is almost unparalleled in modern history. Poll after poll shows that the general public is more than just disillusioned. They actively distrust everyone. In summer 2015, a Gallup poll showed US confidence in institutions was well below historical norms. Where government was concerned, only 8 percent said they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot of” trust in Congress. Only 23 percent trusted the criminal justice system, 24 percent trusted organized labor, and 21 percent trusted big business.
The Supreme Court was one of the highest-scoring institutions and only scored 32 percent on trust, 1 percentage point behind the presidency. Only the police, the military, and small businesses had the trust of over 50 percent of the population. This would make a good news story except that Americans no longer trust the media, either. A Gallup poll from the end of September 2015 put trust in the media at a historic low. Among the young, barely one-third today trust the mass media.These aren’t encouraging signs. When less than 10 percent of the population feels that Congress speaks for them, you have a system that’s facing a crisis of legitimacy. Yet rather than do anything to shore up public support, politicians just stumble on like zombies. That’s why someone like Trump can blow up from nowhere and get so much support. He’s one of the only people running who seems like a genuine (if flawed) human being.
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