Americans continue to have little faith in some of the country’s biggest institutions and the presidency and Supreme Court have seen the biggest declines. 

A newly released Gallup poll found confidence remains at all-time lows, with just 27 percent saying they have confidence in the high court and 26 percent who have faith in the presidency.

TRENDPOST: The poll results are in line with what we’ve seen in the past year. See:

● “CONFIDENCE IN SUPREME COURT HITS ALL-TIME LOW IN 2022: POLL” (23 May 2023)

● “U.S. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS IRS TO CARRY OUT SECRET, WARRANTLESS SEARCHES OF INNOCENT TAXPAYERS’ BANK ACCOUNTS” (23 May 2023) 

● “YOUNG AMERICANS MAY PLAY BIGGER ROLE IN NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS BECAUSE THEY’RE FED UP” (13 Jun 2023)

● “‘EXTREME PRIDE’ IN BEING AMERICAN CONTINUES TO HOVER AT ALL-TIME LOWS” (5 Jul 2023) 

● “AMERICANS SEE GOVERNMENT AS TOP PROBLEM FOR COUNTRY, NO SHIT!” (7 Feb 2023)

Gallup tracks feelings towards 16 institutions in the U.S. and found significant declines in public confidence in 11 of them. The polling company noted that the survey was conducted 1-22 June, “before the Supreme Court issued decisions affecting affirmative action in education, college loan forgiveness, and LGBTQ+ Americans’ access to creative services.”

“Any or all of these decisions could have altered the court’s image as well as that of President Joe Biden, who spoke out against the rulings,” the report said. 

Small businesses and the military continue to lead the way in the public-confidence sphere at 65 percent and 60 percent, respectively. There is a significant drop off in the third position, the police, which came in at 43 percent. Big businesses are at the bottom of the list at 14 percent. 

The poll found that Republicans have significantly more confidence than Democrats in the Supreme Court (28 points), the church or organized religion (24 points), and the police (20 points).

“Americans’ confidence in institutions in 2023 represents the continuation of the historic confidence deficit recorded a year ago,” Gallup said. “None of the 15 institutions rated annually managed to repair their images, with many remaining at or near their all-time lows. While hardly encouraging, the good news is that none worsened significantly.”

TRENDPOST: Why would Americans have confidence in any of these institutions when they see how the rich get richer while the middle class and the poor get poorer. Gerald Celente often repeats the famous George Carlin line, “It’s one big club and you ain’t in it.”

As we detail in The Trends Journal, COVID-19 lockdowns did more than just crush small businesses, they crushed the human spirit. Look out your window, what is there to be optimistic about? Inflation? Nuclear War with Russia or China? Rampant mass shootings? Choosing from the surplus of open jobs in Slavelandia?

Politics permeates every aspect of American life. The Supreme Court is not supposed to be influenced by public opinion and justices are mandated with upholding the Constitution without fear of bad poll numbers. 

The Trends Journal has reported extensively on the implications of the court’s ruling on the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade, which ended federal protections for abortion. (See “CONFIDENCE IN SUPREME COURT HITS ALL-TIME LOW IN 2022: POLL” 23 May 2023 and “YOUNG AMERICANS MAY PLAY BIGGER ROLE IN NEXT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS BECAUSE THEY’RE FED UP” 13 Jun 2023.)