Trust In The US Government Has Plunged From 77% To 17%

American trust in the federal government has significantly declined over the past seven decades. In 1964, 77% of Americans trusted the government, a figure that has dramatically decreased. By September 2025, that trust level had plummeted to a mere 17%. This information is based on data from Pew Research Center, tracked in a Visual Capitalist chart. While trust briefly increased during crises like 9/11 and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, these were short-lived spikes. The Vietnam War, political scandals, and economic difficulties contributed to the erosion of public confidence. Since the mid-2000s, government trust has seldom exceeded 30%. In the 2010s and early 2020s, it frequently fell below 20%. This data illustrates a consistent and concerning downward trend in American trust of the federal government. Current figures indicate this trust level remains near historic lows.