The numbers in this bar chart are from a July Gallup survey (h/t Axios).
Perhaps the difference in height for the set of bars farthest to the right, measuring partisan confidence in the presidency, isn't surprising; if Trump was still in office, perhaps the height of those respective bars would be reversed.
But some of these numbers do surprise me: how few liberals trust the police and how many of them trust organized labor; and how few conservatives trust the medical system. Conservatives trust the police and the military considerably more than they trust the medical system; not sure how to understand that.
There are some other wide disparities: cf the bar heights for trust in public schools and television news.
Neither tribe can muster 50% of their respective members when it comes to confidence in the Supreme Court, large technology companies and newspapers.
Take this chart as just one more piece of evidence that we are two countries who happen to share a common geography; and that, on the whole, we are a suspicious and cynical lot.
I am more surprised at some of the agreements.
ReplyDeleteMore than sixty percent of liberals trust the military and small business as well as more than seventy percent of conservatives. The military and small business must be doing something right.
Less than twenty percent of conservatives and liberals trust big business and the criminal justice system. Those people should be worried!
Not much difference between conservatives and liberals when it comes to the Supreme Court and Banks. And only about a third of Americans trust them.
Yes the bottom line to this is the erosion of trust which is essential to social capital, the functioning of social institutions on the part of most people.
On reading the Gallup report it appears that there were decreases in confidence for the medical system and the public school system this year after increases during the early part of the pandemic. I suspect the earlier increases were largely a "front line" effect since medical personal and school teachers did not have much choice about their jobs.
ReplyDelete