United States | Busted trust

America’s trust in its institutions has collapsed

What are the consequences?

A Donald Trump supporter, draped in a 'Keep America Great' flag, demonstrating against the presidential election results in 2020.
Photograph: Getty Images
|WASHINGTON, DC

AS FAR AS stereotypes go, brash national self-confidence has long been a defining feature of how Americans are viewed abroad. In 2006, when Gallup first started asking Americans about their trust in key institutions, the country ranked at the top of the G7 league table, tied with Britain. In 2023, for the first time, America came last.

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