PEW: Trust in federal government

## What this measures

The share of Americans who say they trust the federal government to do what is right just about always or most of the time. The series began in 1958 and is maintained jointly by the American National Election Studies and Pew Research.

## Why it matters

Public trust in government shapes the feasibility of policy changes, the cost of securing permits and compliance, and the intensity of regulatory and reputational scrutiny that organizations face. Leaders use this measure to assess the backdrop for advocacy, forecast the tone of legislative sessions, and judge when public sentiment will amplify or dampen operational and political risk.

## How to read it

A rise means a larger share of the public expresses trust; a fall means trust is narrowing. Compare levels across years to track long swings in confidence, and compare the current reading to the 1958 peak and subsequent decades to gauge the depth of erosion.

## What it does not say

The figure does not reveal which institutions within the federal government command trust, why trust has shifted, or how sentiment differs across demographic groups or regions.

## Source

Pew Research Center and the American National Election Studies publish this series. Palanor receives it as pew_research.