American confidence in the federal government's ability to improve lives has eroded significantly over the past year, according to a new Bentley University-Gallup survey released Wednesday. Only 43% of U.S. adults now say the federal government is effective at making a positive difference in people's lives—a drop of 8 percentage points from 2024.
The survey also reveals that trust in the federal government to act in society's best interest has fallen to 26%, down 5 points. This places Washington dead last among the four institutions measured—business, state and local governments, and charitable and advocacy groups—and marks the steepest decline in perceived effectiveness among them.
By contrast, Americans express considerably more faith in other levels of government and the private sector. State and local governments earn a 41% trust rating, while businesses come in at 47%. Nonprofits and advocacy organizations lead the pack with an 80% trust score.
Partisan views of the federal government have shifted in opposite directions. Among Democrats, trust in Washington plummeted from 33% to 21%, and effectiveness ratings fell from 54% to 41%. Republicans, however, moved in the other direction—trust rose from 36% to 41%, while their effectiveness ratings held steady. This divergence likely reflects the change in presidential administration and the accompanying policy shifts, a dynamic that has been a recurring theme in public opinion ahead of midterm elections.
Despite the gloomy numbers, a striking 92% of respondents believe the federal government has the power to make a meaningful impact on their lives. That gap between perceived power and performance—49 points—is what Gallup researchers describe as both "a warning and an opportunity."
"Americans believe better outcomes are possible," the report states, suggesting that the public's frustration is not with the idea of government action but with its execution.
The findings come at a time when voting rights advocates are pushing for reforms amid federal rollbacks, and as record numbers of Americans say the country is on the wrong track. The survey's results could fuel debates over the scope and effectiveness of federal programs, particularly as lawmakers weigh new initiatives.
Gallup conducted the web survey of 3,270 U.S. adults from May 4–11. The margin of sampling error is ±2.4 percentage points for responses near 50%, and ±1.4 points for those near 10% or 90%.
The erosion of trust in the federal government is not an isolated phenomenon; it mirrors broader skepticism toward institutions. However, the sharp partisan split suggests that perceptions of government effectiveness are increasingly filtered through a political lens, complicating any bipartisan consensus on reform.
