Americans are increasingly losing trust in information from the federal government, and ahead of the midterm elections, only 34% of adults are confident in the official certification of their results. This is according to a new survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts, AP reports, writes UNN.
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The share of Americans who "strongly" or "somewhat" trust the official certification of election results has fallen from 40% in 2024 to 34% now. AP notes that the certification process, which was previously largely routine, became politicized after the 2020 presidential election.
The survey also showed an overall decline in trust in information from the federal government compared with previous years, particularly the period of Donald Trump's first presidential term.
About 60% of Americans distrust government information
Approximately 6 in 10 American adults said they have "little" or "no" trust in federal government information on the environment, foreign policy, elections and politics, abortion, and immigration.
Distrust has increased across all topics tracked in similar surveys since 2019. For example, the share of Americans with low trust in government information about education rose from 37% in 2019 to 53% now, with the figure increasing by 9 percentage points in the past year alone.
The study also found a growing partisan divide in assessments of government information. AP links the current trend, in particular, to changes in the federal bureaucracy following Trump's return to the White House.