Federal Trust Gap: 29% Express Confidence, 31% Show Little to None

Publication Date: 03/20/2026 5:00 AM CST

Federal Trust Gap: 29% Express Confidence, 31% Show Little to None

Publication: 03/20/2026 5:00 AM CST

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Less than 1 in 3 voters (29%) trust the federal government to do the right thing a majority of the time.
- This is up 1 point from January.
- Nearly the same number (31%) Rarely or Never trust the federal government to do the right thing.
- This is up 2 points from January.
It has been over 50 years since a majority of Americans trusted the government to do the right thing a majority of the time.
- Just 22% of Democrats trust the federal government at least a majority of the time, up 6 points from January but the same as December.
- Republicans are a little more optimistic, with 39% holding that level of trust, down 5 points from a month ago.
- Trust levels usually favor the party in the White House.
Forty-three percent (43%) of voters who are politically engaged say they trust the federal government to do the right thing a majority of the time.
- The same number of voters said the same in January.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, March 16-17, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.