Bloomberg Surveillance · Saturday, September 12, 2026
A new APNORC poll indicates a significant decline in public trust in the U.S. federal government. Trust in government information regarding inflation and cost of living has dropped to 18%, down from 26% in 2024. Similarly, trust in information about the labor market is at 15%, and trust in elections and politics has fallen to 13%. Richard Haass stated that this erosion of trust is fueled by politicians continually undermining government institutions and questioning election legitimacy.
“And it's not just foreign countries' trust in America. It's also our own trust in ourselves. There's a new poll from APNORC that shows more Americans have stopped believing in the government. Public trust in federal government information about inflation and cost of living is now 18 percent from 26 percent in 2024. Trust in information about the labor market down to 15 percent. Trust in elections and politics down to 13 percent.”
“Can government or our institutions rebuild or repair that trust, Richard?”
“First of all, it's really depressing to hear statistics like that. That's kind of what you get when politicians continually tear down the government, raise questions about the legitimacy of our elections.”