Americans Trust in Federal Government Sinks to New Depths

# Summary Public trust in U.S. federal government institutions has hit historic lows across multiple measures, with only 33% of Americans trusting the executive and legislative branches, according to Gallup's 2025 annual Governance poll. Trust in the government's ability to handle international problems dropped 12 percentage points from the previous year, reaching its lowest point since records began in 1972. The decline is driven primarily by "out-party" supporters—Democrats during Republican administrations and Republicans during Democratic ones—while trust among independents has also reached record lows across all five measured government entities.