Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Abstract: Lack of trust in the federal government is a substantial issue for the United States. From a trust level of 73% in 1958 to 22% in 2024, it is clear that much trust has been lost (Bell, 2024). While it is clear that income inequality generally harms levels of trust in the federal government, it remains unclear whether a respondent’s feelings of economic insecurity impact trust. The present study examines American National Election Studies Pre-2020 Election Data results. This study will investigate whether individuals’ level of trust in the government is associated with their feelings of economic insecurity and whether these associations are consistent across political party identification. No significant relationship was found between self-reported economic security and levels of trust in government. However, political party affiliation is significantly and positively associated with trust in government after controlling for income, race, and gender. Those who identify as Republicans have an expected odds of trust in government that is 1.58 times higher than those who identify as Democrats, holding all other variables fixed.
QAC-201-1