Americans' average confidence in major U.S. institutions is unchanged since last year, with a near-record-low 28% of U.S. adults expressing "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in nine institutions tracked consistently since 1979. This is the fourth consecutive year of sub-30% averages, but this overall stability belies significant shifts in partisans’ confidence after Donald Trump replaced Joe Biden as president.
On average across these nine institutions, Democrats’ confidence, at 26%, has decreased by five percentage points and sits at a new low, while Republicans’ 37% reflects an increase of nine points and is the highest reading since 2020. Partisans’ confidence levels diverge the most on the presidency and the police, with Republicans much more confident than Democrats in each.
More generally, of 18 key U.S. institutions included in this year’s survey, just three earn majority-level confidence from Americans — small business, the military and science.
Democrats’ Average Confidence Down, Republicans’ Up Sharply
Gallup first measured confidence in key U.S. institutions on a limited number of institutions in 1973. Since 1979, the nine institutions that have been tracked regularly include the church or organized religion, the military, the U.S. Supreme Court, banks, public schools, newspapers, U.S. Congress, organized labor and big business.
This year marks only the second time that Democrats’ average confidence has fallen below 30% (2023 was the first), while Republicans’ average bottomed out during Biden’s presidency, ranging from 26% to 30%.
The current 11-point party gap (37% vs. 26%) is the largest in 46 years of consistent measurement; however, partisans’ confidence in U.S. institutions was also sharply divergent in 2007, during George W. Bush’s second term (nine points).
For their part, independents’ current 25% average confidence level is statistically similar to the past three years’ figures, suggesting their confidence is much less contingent on which party controls the White House.
Majorities of all U.S. adults express “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in just three institutions — small business (70%), the military (62%) and science (61%). The lowest-rated institutions are Congress and television news, each receiving confidence ratings around 10%. Slim majorities have “very little” confidence or volunteer that they have no confidence in Congress and television news, along with the presidency. However, the presidency’s 30% confidence rating reflects dramatically different views of it by partisans, who tend to have either high confidence or little to no confidence in it.
Small business or the military has held the top position in Gallup’s confidence list since 1989, and Congress has been at the bottom since 2010.