American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION | 141

be shaped by how much a citizen trusts the government; more trust brings higher
evaluations.^54 Finally, trust in government and overall evaluations of it might
infl uence a citizen’s willingness to vote for incumbent congressional representa-
tives or a president seeking reelection.^55
Table 5.3 reveals that the average American is fairly disenchanted with the gov-
ernment. A majority believes that elected offi cials lose touch with the people and
don’t care what average people think, and that corporations have too much power.
A near-majority believes that government is almost always wasteful and ineffi -
cient. Many surveys over the last two generations show similar responses.^56
This impression of a disenchanted and disapproving public is amplifi ed by Fig-
ure 5.3, which shows declining levels of trust in government since the 1960s. Many
scholars have argued that low levels of trust make it harder for elected offi cials to
enact new policies, especially those involving large expenditures.^57 Some scholars
even argue that low levels of trust raise questions about the future of democracy
in America.^58 How can we say that American democracy is a good or popular form
of government when so many people are unhappy with the performance of elected
offi cials and bureaucrats?
One important insight is that although Americans don’t like their government in
general, they tend to be happier with their own representatives in Washington (see
Chapter 9). For example, when a survey question asks about “the government” it may
cause respondents to picture a roomful of bureaucrats pushing paperwork, whereas
asking about “your representative” may lead respondents to think of someone work-
ing on their behalf. Also, as we discuss in Chapter 9 (Congress), members of Con-
gress work hard to convince their constituents that they are doing everything pos-
sible to satisfy constituents’ demands. Sometimes, members blame the institution

MEASURING AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION: BELIEFS ABOUT GOVERNMENT

TABLE »^ 5.1

Surveys show that Americans generally like their elected representatives in Congress. Presidents are
sometimes extremely popular. Do Americans have positive feelings about government itself?

STRONGLY

AGREE AGREE

NEITHER,

DON’T KNOW AGREE

STRONGLY

AGREE

Government is almost
always wasteful and
ineffi cient.

46% 9% 6% 12% 27% Government often does

a better job than people

give it credit for.

Too much power is
concentrated in the hands of
a few large companies.

66 12 6 7 9 The largest companies

do not have too much

power.

Elected offi cials in
Washington lose touch with
the people pretty quickly.

60 12 5 8 14 Elected offi cials in

Washington try hard

to stay in touch with

voters back home.

Most elected offi cials care
about what people like me
think.

15 11 5 60 10 Most elected offi cials

don’t care about what

people like me think.

Source: Pew Research Center, “Beyond Red and Blue: the Political Topology,” May 4, 2010, http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/04/
beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology/ (accessed 9/15/12).

TABLE »^ 5.3