Federal Trust Gap: 27% Express Confidence, 36% Show Little to None

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  • Less than 1 in 3 voters (27%) trust the federal government to do the right thing a majority of the time.
    • This is down 2 points from March.
    • About one third (36%) Rarely or Never trust the federal government to do the right thing.
    • This is up 5 points from March.
  • It has been over 50 years since a majority of Americans trusted the government to do the right thing a majority of the time.
    • Just 19% of Democrats trust the federal government at least a majority of the time, down 3 points from March.
    • Republicans are a little more optimistic, with 38% holding that level of trust, down 1 point from March.
    • Trust levels usually favor the party in the White House.
  • Forty-four percent (44%) of voters who are politically engaged say they trust the federal government to do the right thing a majority of the time.
    • Even higher, 55% of voters who talk politics every or nearly every day say they trust the government likewise.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, April 20-21, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.