Out of all the institutions in America, the people trust our military the most. Or so says a new poll from The Wall Street Journal and NORC at the University of Chicago. A whopping 82% of respondents expressed some level of confidence in the US military, while half had little use for or trust in Congress at all. It was bad news for capitalism, as well.
US Military Comes Out on Top
When it comes to American institutions, the military seems to be our most trusted. That 82% support breaks down to 43% saying they have a “great deal” of confidence in it and 39% expressing at least “some” confidence. Only 17% said they hardly trusted the military at all.
So how did the rest of America’s institutions stack up? The scientific community came in second, with 84% having a “great deal” or “some” confidence in it, while 80% felt the same way about the police.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, only 6% said they had a “great deal” of confidence in Congress, with another 43% expressing “some” and 50% reporting “hardly any confidence at all.” They weren’t alone at the bottom, though. Only 10% had a “great deal” of confidence in the press, with another 43% choosing “some” and a 45% saying “hardly any confidence at all.”
Taking the Pulse of America
Between June 11 and 18, 1,862 people were interviewed for this poll, putting it actually slightly above average by sample size. It also came just in time for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, reading like a report card for American values and the success of democracy and capitalism.
By name, those two aren’t doing so well. Indeed, 56% believed democracy was working “not very well” or “not at all well,” while 51% gave the same answers for capitalism. Is that surprising, though, when socialists seem to be winning more Democratic Party primaries than at any other time in modern history? As well, only 38% of respondents said they were “proud” of America’s special anniversary this year, while 27% were excited, 19% were conflicted, and another 25% just didn’t care.
Just over half believed the statement: “Corporations and their owners have power that comes at the expense of workers and consumers. Government should do more to limit the influence of corporations through laws, regulations, taxes, and even sharing control of some businesses.” And 62% felt that America’s best days were behind us.
But that disdain for American ideals was far from universal. “Respect for private property, free markets and free enterprise” pulled 68%, and that’s a wholly capitalist idea. Respondents largely respected the fundamental rights enshrined in the First Amendment. The freedom of religion being “extremely” or “very important” was selected by 78%. Free speech in general and a free press specifically saw 85% and 72%, respectively, choose those two answers.
So what does it all mean? Americans trust the military, but they’ve lost faith in most of the rest of the government. And while they value America’s foundational ideas, they don’t believe we’re living up to them today – at least according to this one poll, that is.
