Confidence In Government Plunges To Record Low, Survey Finds

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Associated Press
Published 2:18 pm, Wednesday, March 11, 2015

WASHINGTON — Americans’ confidence in all three branches of government is at or near record lows, according to a major survey that has measured attitudes on the subject for 40 years.

The 2014 General Social Survey finds only 23 percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the Supreme Court, 11 percent in the executive branch and 5 percent in Congress. By contrast, half have a great deal of confidence in the military.

The survey is conducted by the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. Because of its long-running and comprehensive set of questions about the public, it is a highly regarded source of data about social trends. Data from the 2014 survey were released last week, and an analysis of its findings on confidence in institutions was conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the General Social Survey.

Here are some of the results:

•The 11 percent who say they’re confident in the presidency approaches a record low measured by the same survey in 1996, when just 10 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in the executive branch. The 44 percent who now say they have hardly any confidence at all is at a record high.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Confidence-in-government-plunges-to-record-low-6128518.php

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. Mission accomplished. One side causes ALL the problems and both sides get blamed

[Man from Pickens]

3. it's not just government

the only institution that doesn't have catastrophically low confidence is the military

that's a REALLY bad sign for a society, really bad.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

6. ouch...the empire is gonna fail soon

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Actually, that may be the result of a decades long operation

to squelch any criticism against the military. I think we will remember the era as the Patriot Operation. Criticism=anti-patriotism.

We need to make a distinction between our support for our military soldiers vs the toxic leaders who have abused the confidence that we have put in them.

i.e. Petraeus.

[RufusTFirefly]

2. Rest assured, "the private sector" is ready to step in.

Constraining and corrupting government is a win-win for corporations.

[bluedigger]

4. Oh come on! That can't be news to you!

[geretogo]

5. After 35 years Reagen's wish to destroy democratic government has come true . I still remember when

he said , " the problem with government is government " .

[Fred Sanders]

7. Who will save us! Who will save us!.....This organized plan to destroy democracy using fear is familiar....

Add some purposeful division, manufactured political chaos and race baiting......

Maybe I will buy that one way ticket to New Zealand this year.

[BlueJazz]

9. Voters: This is the way you wanted it. Keep doing what you're doing and the good ol' USA...

...can keep falling behind on all the public services, infrastructure, minimum wage, the wealth gap and all those things that you don't seem to care about.

While I'm pissed off at you, here's some feel good words: Freedom, take back our country, lower taxes, stop abortion, no money for no work, by your own bootstraps and all the other bullshit fed to you every 2 years.

You never learn,,,Do Ya ??

[blkmusclmachine]

21. Diebold and SES will "fix" everything ...

[YOHABLO]

10. It's always the people who are asked about confidence in government that never vote. HA !

You get the government that you vote for. If people are so apathetic, then why won't they do something to help change the way our politics are conducted? Could it be they're too "busy'' watching American Idol and Pawn Stars?

[fredamae]

11. Nixon, Murdoch, Ailes & the 1970's

"Republican media strategist Roger Ailes launched Fox News Channel in 1996, ostensibly as a "fair and balanced" counterpoint to what he regarded as the liberal establishment media. But according to a remarkable document buried deep within the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, the intellectual forerunner for Fox News was a nakedly partisan 1970 plot by Ailes and other Nixon aides to circumvent the "prejudices of network news" and deliver "pro-administration" stories to heartland television viewers."
http://gawker.com/5814150/roger-ailes-secret-nixon-era-blueprint-for-fox-news

"It" started before Reagan...Reagan was a tool.
Too bad they didn't include a Major part of Why America has such Low confidence when one considers a Major source of discontent....the evolution of the Fourth Estate into the "not fi for a fish wrapper" tabloid mess that MSM has become.
For those too young to know and remember what once was credible News...the fourth estate is (was) woven into democracy as a mechanism for "the people" to be able to keep a watchful eye on "our" government.
"The fourth estate is a term that positions the press (newspapers) as a fourth branch of government and one that is important to a functioning democracy."

http://uspolitics.about.com/od/politicaljunkies/a/fourth_estate.htm

[Bluenorthwest]

14. The mass news was always selectively credible, you were just less savvy a consumer of media.

In terms of this era you claim existed when you were a youth, what do you say about Hearst in the '30's? About Father Coughlin, about Walter Winchell? All of that was some sacred trusted democratic branch of government?
Nostalgia is a powerful drug.

[fredamae]

15. You may be correct

but only in part. Yes, I was a pretty young kid back when Murrow, Cronkite, Huntley-Brinkley aired....I didn't understand crap.

But, no matter - MSM is essentially a waste of time these days - there is nothing to learn, for the most part...many events are not even mentioned....on what we're sold as "news" (like Net Neutrality) these days...and the ones that are...are not really stories about something being investigated......but rather scripted opinions that are read to us.

News was remarkably more accurate. There used to be Thousands of different owners of All media in the US alone...today only 5 or 6 globally?

Certainly not every single report was fact...certainly there were sources of pure bias, but there were literally thousands of choices...most were good, fair, deeply investigated, reliable and verifiable stories about the important issues of our time. People in general were way more informed about government, current events etc
All imo, of course.

[CanonRay]

12. Exactly what the GOP has been trying to accomplish for over 30 years.

[Jack Rabbit]

13. Why am I not surprised

Are you ready for Hillary vs. Jeb?

Are you ready for the TPP and its corporate kangaroo court?

Are you ready for another election under the Citizens United regime?

Are you ready for the police state needed to defend the oligarchy from the people?

[marions ghost]

19. The people see it

they just can't do anything about it.

[Jack Rabbit]

20. Oh, no?

[center][/center]
[font size="1"]Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People from Wikipedia Commons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eugène_Delacroix_-_La_liberté_guidant_le_peuple.jpg)
(Public Domain)
[/font]

[marions ghost]

22. I don't advocate violence but

I do advocate resistance. Work together people.

[Jack Rabbit]

23. You got it.

!!

[Triana]

16. Republicans: Mission Accomplished

"small government" (ie: Total Corporate Control) propaganda worked!

[Octafish]

17. Cass Sunstein thought letting Bush and Cheney go was a good idea.

Boost confidence in government institutions or some such. Win.

[Alkene]

18. "By contrast, half have a great deal of confidence in the military."

Record low confidence in the presidency, the Supreme Court, Congress, banks and financial institutions, "But we can bomb the shit outta your country, all right."

Some things haven't changed.