WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans’ confidence in the police increased eight percentage points over the past year to 51%, the largest year-over-year change in public perceptions of 17 major U.S. institutions measured in Â鶹´«Ã½AV’s annual update. The slim majority of U.S. adults who express confidence in the police includes 25% who say they have “a great deal” and 26% “quite a lot.”
Â鶹´«Ã½AV first measured confidence in the police in 1993. Between then and 2019, a majority of Americans expressed high confidence in the institution, including a record high of 64% in 2004. Faith in the police fell in 2020 to 48% after George Floyd was murdered while in police custody. After increasing to 51% in 2021, confidence in the police dropped again in 2022 and dipped further last year, to a record low of 43%.
Over the past year, confidence in the police has risen among most major demographic subgroups of Americans, particularly three that previously expressed lower levels of confidence in the police: those aged 18 to 34, people of color and political independents.
Small Business and the Military Have Highest Confidence Readings
Aside from the police, small business (68%) and the military (61%) are the only other institutions in the June 3-23 poll that garner majority-level confidence from Americans. Small business and the military are commonly seen at the top of the confidence list, with one of the two leading the list each year since 1989 -- the military 30 times and small business six times.
Meanwhile, between 26% and 36% of U.S. adults express at least quite a lot of confidence in nine institutions -- the medical system, higher education, the church or organized religion, the U.S. Supreme Court, public schools, organized labor, banks, large technology companies, and the presidency. Although these levels of high confidence are well below the majority level, all generate at least quite a lot of confidence among Americans.
Five institutions have the confidence of less than one-quarter of U.S. adults -- the criminal justice system, newspapers, big business, television news and Congress. Confidence in the criminal justice system has edged up four points since last year, while confidence in the other institutions is unchanged or statistically similar. Of these, television news and Congress have the unwelcome distinction of earning low or no trust from a majority of Americans.
Average Confidence in 14 Institutions Remains Low
Of the 17 institutions measured this year, Â鶹´«Ã½AV has tracked 14 regularly since 1993, and the public's average confidence in them has fluctuated from 26%, as recorded in 2023, to as high as 43% in the early 2000s. The latest 28% average marks the third consecutive year that confidence has been below 30%. Before 2022, average confidence was between 31% and 43%.
Largest Party Gaps in Presidency, Higher Education, Labor, Supreme Court
Democrats’ confidence outpaces Republicans’ for 10 institutions, including the presidency, higher education, organized labor, newspapers, public schools, the criminal justice system, television news, large technology companies, banks and the medical system. Conversely, Republicans have more confidence in three institutions -- the police, the church or organized religion, and the Supreme Court. Confidence in small business, the military, big business and Congress is essentially the same across party groups. Typically, independents’ confidence falls between that of Republicans and Democrats.
The largest party gaps are seen in confidence in the presidency, higher education, organized labor and the Supreme Court. Historically, partisans’ confidence in the presidency corresponds to the party of the sitting president. When the president’s party matches their own, Americans express more confidence in the presidency, and when the opposing party occupies the White House, confidence is lower.
Bottom Line
Americans’ confidence in major U.S. institutions has generally been stable in the past and remains historically low in general, with only three of 17 earning majority-level confidence. Confidence in only one of the institutions -- the police -- has shown meaningful change in the past year.
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