Confidence in the police has sunk to its lowest number in 20 years, the latest Gallup poll finds.
52 percent of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the police—tying for lowest place with the first year Gallup began asking the question, 1993.
The historical average for trust in the police is 57 percent. According to the Huffington Post, over 60 percent of Americans trusted the police “a lot” or “a great deal” in the 2000s.
Nevertheless, as far as institutions go, the police aren’t doing too shabby. Gallup found overall trust in institutions dwindling below the historical average in every area except the military and small business. And the police are still trusted by a far greater percentage than Congress or the news.
Only 23 percent of Americans are confident in the criminal justice system, for example, while 24 percent have confidence in newspapers—eight points below the historical average of 32.
Congress has experienced the most significant drop from the historical average—24 percent vs. 8—while television news, public schools, the presidency, the Supreme Court, banks, and organized religion all hovered around 10 points lower than the historical average.
