Trust in U.S. institutions plunges in Trump's first year

Source: Reuters




JANUARY 21, 2018 / 10:06 PM / UPDATED 11 HOURS AGO

Noah Barkin

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Trust in U.S. institutions, particularly the government, has plunged in President Donald Trump’s first year in office, according to a leading survey released on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The annual Edelman Trust Barometer showed overall trust in the four institutions it measures - the government, media, business and non-governmental organizations - falling more steeply in the United States than in any of the 28 countries surveyed. Trump has broken with presidential tradition and repeatedly denounced the media and judiciary - attacks his critics say risk undermining public confidence in those institutions.

By contrast, the country that saw the biggest trust gains among its own citizens was China, after a year in which President Xi Jinping cemented his hold on power at a triumphal party congress. Faith in the Chinese government jumped 8 points to 84 percent. In the United States it fell 14 points to 33 percent.

“The United States is enduring an unprecedented crisis of trust,” said Richard Edelman, head of the communications marketing firm that commissioned the research.



Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-davos-meeting-trust/trust-in-u-s-institutions-plunges-in-trumps-first-year-idUSKBN1FB08T