The most respected institution in the United States is the military. Men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Democrats, Republicans and independents all have confidence in the military.
The least respected institution in the United States is Congress, which was supposed to be the institution closest to the people. Men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Democrats, Republicans and independents all lack confidence in Congress.
A majority of Americans lack also lack confidence in the Presidency, and in TV news and newspapers.
What other institution do a majority of us have confidence in? The police.
These are the results of an Economist / YouGov poll. It does not bode well for the future of democracy.
If you don’t have confidence in the results of elections or of the legal system or of freedom of the press, why not a police state or military dictatorship?
Here’s a breakdown of what the poll shows about various U.S. institutions, going from most-trusted to least trusted. I took these charts from a post on the Audacious Epigone web log.
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