Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 3, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
May 3, 2018: Twenty-five percent (25%) of American adults have at least a fair amount of confidence that elected officials will act in the public interest. That figure includes only 3% who have a great deal of confidence.[1]
Pew Research data shows that 75% have “not too much” confidence or less. That figure includes 23% with no confidence whatsoever in elected politicians.
Even the news media inspires more confidence than those who win elections and seek to govern. Forty percent (40%) have at least a fair amount of confidence that the news media will act in the public interest.
Moving up the scale, 45% have confidence in business leaders, and 49% say the same about religious leaders.
The only groups measured by Pew that inspire a lot of confidence are the military (80%) and scientists (79%).
There are big partisan differences in the data. Most Democrats have confidence in the news media (58%) along with hardly any Republicans (16%). Most Republicans (62%) have confidence in business leaders compared to just a third of Democrats (32%).
Neither party has much confidence in elected politicians. But Republicans are less skeptical than Democrats. That’s not surprising given that Republicans control the White House and both branches of Congress.
The Number of the Day one year ago today noted that it’s been 45 years since a majority of Americans trusted the federal government. A review of recent data confirms that it’s now been 46 years.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- May 2, 2018 – 32 percent of white Democrats believe in God of the Bible
- May 1, 2018 – 53 percent of college students believe promoting diversity is more important than free speech
- April 30, 2018 – 8,640 retail store closings in U.S. during 2017
- April 27, 2018 – 52 percent of college students oppose speech codes at their school
- April 26, 2018 – 75 billion dollars of legal cannabis sales in U.S. by 2030
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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