Study: Americans' trust in government at historic lows

Trust in the government has dipped to a historic low, according to a recent Pew study.

Only 19 percent say they trust the government most of the time. Only 20 percent describe government programs as well-run, and 55 percent of those surveyed believe that average Americans would do a better job solving national problems than the president or members of Congress.

To discuss the public's eroding trust in the government, Michael Fauntroy, associate professor of political science at Howard University, and Larry Jacobs, Walter F. Mondale Chair for Political Studies at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, joined MPR News' Kerri Miller.

Jacobs pointed out that the low 19 percent trust level is part a historical trend. Trust in the government has dropped steadily since Watergate and Vietnam. There was a small uplift during the Reagan years and again following 9/11, Jacobs said, but "we've been in this band between 20 and 40 percent for decades."

Factors like the 2008 financial crisis, the mismanaged response to Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq War could play into this low-point. Fauntroy also said that recent revelations over how much money corporations, lobbyists and others are pouring into elections has made voters question the process.

When a voter sees millions of dollars being spent on candidates, "it helps to breed this skepticism, and this cynicism, and this real deep sense that the only way you can get anything done in this system is if you have a lot of money which buys you access to get the things you way, to the detriment of larger society."

Fauntroy also identified another issue that the study exposes: The public's lack of understanding about the government's role.

"When 55 percent of people say regular folks could run the government, it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what government is and how it operates," Fauntroy said.

To hear the full discussion on the public's trust in government — or the lack of it — use the audio above.