In the wake of partisan gridlock in almost all levels of government, not to mention last October’s government shutdown, it would be logical to assume that Americans would have lost faith in our governmental institutions. Young Americans are particularly of interest in measuring trust in institutions, as they tend to be the least politically engaged group of voters in the electorate, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. However, the results of the Harvard Public Opinion Project’s bi-annual survey of young Americans seem to point us in a slightly unexpected direction. They indicate that the wealthier young people are, the more likely they are to trust government institutions.
Indeed, when asked about their trust in various levels of government, the respondents’ opinions broke down directly according to their level of income. Twenty-nine percent of young Americans making less than $50,000 per year responded that they trust their local government to do the right thing most or all of the time, a statistic significantly lower than that for higher income brackets. The percentage of those who trust in the federal government for the same income bracket (19 percent) also stood conspicuously lower than corresponding numbers for higher income brackets. The wealthiest young Americans polled expressed the opposite sentiment. At both the local and state level, those making above $85,000 conveyed substantially more confidence in the governmental institutions all or most of the time (local: 39 percent, state: 33 percent).
At first glance, it might appear that the root of the greater level of trust displayed by higher income brackets would be the Supreme Court’s allowing them a greater deal of political participation through decisions such as Citizens United and McCutcheon. Yet, political engagement among young Americans has seen a downward trend in recent years. As a matter of fact, the poll results indicated little correlation between income earned and political activism. Donations to Super PACs and campaigns do not appear to be the reason for this phenomenon among young voters. While wealthier Americans potentially have more access to politicians and the political process, they fail to act upon this access, meaning that the higher level of trust in institutions among wealthier young Americans is not a manifestation of a higher level of engagement in politics.
Another potential explanation could reside in the political tendencies within the breakdown of income, but it is important to remember that a plurality of individuals of the lowest income bracket indicate a preference toward the Democratic Party (47 percent). Thus, distrust in the federal government most likely does not stem from ideological differences, as the Democrats currently control both the White House and the Senate. Poorer young Americans’ skepticism is not based in a partisan difference, but rather in a deep dissatisfaction with the way the government handles, or fails to handle, pressing economic and social issues.
Fundamentally, the discrepancy – higher income brackets report at least eight points higher in their trust in all three levels of the government – is between a group of individuals who are more likely to approve of a status quo from which they have been able to reap great benefits, and another that feels as though the system is continuously failing to assist them. For wealthier individuals, the status quo understandably appears perfectly attractive, provided that it continues to allow them pecuniary success. For the less fortunate, the status quo appears as a hindrance to success, or even to comfortable living, as it has done little to alleviate their plight.