Can Transparency Save Trust? The State of U.S. Public Confidence in 2024

The relationship between governments and their people is and has always been a complex one.  Citizens expect reliable, efficient services but also they seek support, understanding and information that is genuine and helpful from their government.  In the United States, public trust in its government has fluctuated consistently – trust took a downturn after Watergate, but was briefly lifted after 9/11. Now, while not steadily declining, trust in government remains low and has been for the last 20 years. Why? Here, we’ll uncover the top five factors which exercise a steady influence over the public’s trust in their leaders and how new and improved frameworks and increased digitisation aim to lift it back up again.

First let’s set the scene with the current state of trust in the country:

• Only 22% of Americans saying they trust the government in Washington to do what is right "just about always" or "most of the time" as of June 2024 a slight increase from 16% last year – which was a record low
• About 35% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents report trusting the federal government most of the time, compared to only 11% of Republicans and right-leaning supporters.
• Only 15% of Americans ages 18-34 trust the government, the lowest of any age group
• Only 15% of respondents in another survey by The Partnership for Public Service this year believe the government is transparent
• 60% of Americans feel frustrated with the federal government, while smaller shares feel content or angry
• 66% of respondents feel the federal government is incompetent, a 10% increase since 2022
• Among Asian, Hispanic and Black adults, 36%, 30% and 27% respectively say they trust the federal government “most of the time” or “just about always” – higher levels of trust than among White adults (19%)

Top 5 Trust Influencers: 

Political Polarisation - The deepening divide between political parties has fuelled doubt about the government, with fights between these groups often taking priority over working together.

Media Influence – There is an abundance of misinformation and biased reporting out there, presenting news in ways that serve specific political ideologies which has muddled how people see things, leading to confusion and less trust in what the government says. The public also has to contend with sensationalism and negative coverage by the news media, emphasising scandals, failures, and conflicts over positive developments. This also contributes to a narrative of governmental incompetence or corruption and has played its part in diminishing public confidence.

Demographics - Trust tends to be lower among women, due to factors like underrepresentation and gender discrimination, young people, driven by differing perceptions of government effectiveness and prioritiesRace and ethnicity also play a role in how much certain public groups trust their government – as we have noted previously, there are generally higher levels of trust from non-white citizens, although when it comes to factoring in social justice issues and unfavourable government responses, understandably this population’s trust fluctuates.

Economic Disparities - Growing economic inequalities have fostered a belief that the government favours the wealthy, depleting trust among many citizens because they’re feeling marginalised by having a lower income. Those facing economic hardships or who have experience systemic inequities naturally feel that policies disproportionately benefit the wealthy or fail to address economic disparities effectively. On the other hand though, individuals with higher income levels may trust the government more because they feel that policies align with their economic interests. 

Influence of Money in Politics – There are many concerns in the United States public about who really has control of the political process. This uncertainty has diminished trust and created a sense of imbalance, inequality, and lack of accountability. Case in point from a recent survey, 84% of Americans worry that wealthy lobbyists and interest groups have undue influence on elections, and 80% believe campaign donations have corrupting effects on politicians where policies are shaped by the wealthy rather than reflecting the needs of the general population. As well, 80% of U.S. adults say people who donate money to political campaigns have too much influence on congressional decisions, while 70% believe constituents have too little influence.

Implications & Opportunities for Government Operating in a Low-Trust Environment

Implications:

• Resistance to Policies – The government will find it harder to gain public support for new policies, so initiatives it believes to be critical for the successful operation of the country can be severely delayed by intense citizen pushback.
• Low Cooperation & Participation – A public with little trust is less likely to vote, participate in public discussions, or follow certain government programs because people don’t believe the government is doing what’s right. This naturally reduces the success of democratic processes.
• Increased Polarisation – Especially concerning during elections, citizens are fearful of what might happen if their opponents win so they base their decisions on anxiety and anger. In this environment, any bipartisan collaboration or effective governance becomes extremely difficult.

Opportunities:

• Develop Modern, Customer-Friendly Services – If the government develops improved digital services with its citizens in mind that are easy-to-use and access, citizens trust will naturally grow because they’re satisfied with the responsiveness of the services and they can get their jobs done more efficiently.
• Strengthen Community Engagement – The Government can increase its direct engagement with the public and encourage collaboration with local communities which will show a commitment to their concerns. Public sector leaders need not only to listen directly to these concerns, but produce the results from these engagements. 
• Showcase Individual Federal Employees – As the public view civil servants more positively than the government as a whole, hearing positive, inspiring stories about individual employees who have made a difference will resonate with the public.

Closing the Trust Gap

So what exactly is the United States government to do to reverse this uncertainty and rebuild these fragile trust levels? It’s all about a shift in focus to integrity, transparency and accountability – and all are possible through improved frameworks and thoughtful digitisation. Here’s what the US Government has initiated to rebuild this serious lack of public trust:

Developing a Federal Framework for Public Participation: In September 2024, the General Services Administration (GSA) announced a commitment to create guidelines that enable federal agencies to engage more effectively with the public, aiming to increase transparency and trust.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability: Passed bills to make the federal government more efficient, effective, and accountable, The Stop Secret Spending Act aims to create new reporting requirements for agency federal spending information.

Combating Election Disinformation: Federal agencies such as the CISA — the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are actively working to counter misinformation efforts, particularly those from foreign actors, to maintain the integrity of electoral processes and public trust in democratic institutions.

Promoting Open Government: The Treasury Department released its Open Government Plan to increase transparency and maintain accountability of taxpayer dollar. The plan ensures public availability of federal data, research, and information, empowers citizens to actively participate in governmental processes, combats corruption by upholding integrity in federal programs and promising to transform service delivery with enhanced efficiency and responsiveness.

Customer Segmentation: The government has recognised the importance of employing constituent segmentation and agencies are committing to better use insights about the needs of various groups to enhance digital interactions, deliver better services and foster trust by creating more tailored and responsive experiences.

Federal Program Inventory (FPI): Launched by the Biden-Harris Administration, is a comprehensive, searchable tool providing information about federal programs that offer grants, loans, or direct payments.

Will It Work?

Circling back to the most recent report by the Partnership for Public Service, although there is a general low amount of trust in the government right now, 90% of Americans actually value an effectively functioning federal government as an integral part of a well-functioning democracy. The results continue to uncover that Americans, no matter which side they lean on or fully support 95% believe civil servants should serve the people more than any individual president.

What does this tell us? If the above initiatives by the government to uphold integrity, accountability and transparency are successful, the American public is clearly waiting with open arms for a government it can trust and rely on. This rocky relationship really does have a chance to be rebuilt once the public’s ability to trust its government is proven.