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Military Retains Top Position in Americans' Confidence Ratings

Military Retains Top Position in Americans' Confidence Ratings

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Two-thirds of Americans have a high degree of confidence in the military, and about six in 10 have a high degree of confidence in organized religion and the police, according to Gallup's annual confidence in institutions survey, putting these three institutions at the top of the list of 16 institutions tested. At the same time, less than a third of Americans have a high degree of confidence in electric power utilities, big business, Congress, organized labor and HMOs. There have been few significant changes in these levels of confidence over the past year, but Americans generally have less confidence in many institutions now than they did in the 1970s when Gallup first began testing them. The major exception is the military, which has gained in confidence over the past 30 years so that it is now the single institution tested in which the American public has the most confidence.

Gallup began measuring the American public's confidence in institutions using the current scale in the 1970s. Respondents are asked the following question: "Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?" (Respondents are allowed to volunteer "none.")

The institutions tested have varied from year to year, but in most years the poll has included measurement of such basic institutions in American society as organized religion, the military, Congress, the Supreme Court, public schools, organized labor, the police and big business. Two representatives of the Fourth Estate, newspapers and television news, have been included in more recent years, as well as several specific business entities such as banks, the medical system, electric utilities and health maintenance organizations. The presidency was added to the list in the early 1990s.

Here are the basic results from this year's survey, conducted June 8-10, 2001, with comparisons to the 2000 results, and to the average of the results from the 1970s for selected institutions:

Confidence in Institutions

% Great Deal or Quite a Lot

 

June 2001

June 2000

1970s

%

%

%

The military

66

64

56

The church or organized religion

60

56

66

The police

57

54

The U.S. Supreme Court

50

47

46

The presidency

48

42

Banks

44

46

The medical system

40

40

The public schools

38

37

55

Faith-based charitable organizations

37

Newspapers

36

37

Television news

34

36

The electric power utilities

28

Big business

28

29

31

Organized labor

26

25

36

Congress

26

24

39

Health maintenance organizations, HMOs

15

16

Only three of the institutions tested -- the military, organized religion, and the police -- are given high confidence ratings (defined as the percentage saying they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence) by over half of the American public. Two -- the U.S. Supreme Court and the presidency -- generate high confidence ratings from about half of Americans. The rest range below that level, with the bottom position taken by health maintenance organizations, in which only 15% of the American public have confidence.

  • Of the three branches of government, Congress gets significantly lower ratings than either the presidency or the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Two institutions tested for the first time this year do not get exceptional confidence ratings. Electric power utilities, much in the news as a result of the energy problems in California, generate high confidence from just 28% of Americans, while faith-based charitable organizations get high confidence ratings from only 37% of Americans.

There has been very little change in these ratings from last year. The biggest difference is in terms of the American public's rating of the presidency, which is up 6 percentage points (due primarily to a major upward shift from Republicans, as will be discussed below). From a longer-term perspective, the confidence ratings of most of the institutions tested continuously since the 1970s have dropped, particularly the public schools (down 17% from the average rating in the 1970s), Congress (down 13%) and organized labor (down 10%).

The only two institutions that engender more confidence today than they did in the 1970s are the military, up 10 percentage points, and the U.S. Supreme Court, up 4 percentage points.

The most noteworthy shift in the rank order of the institutions over time has been the switch in places between the military and organized religion that took place in the 1980s. Religion, which used to be number one on the list, fell, while the military moved up to number one, where it has been since.

Differences Between Republicans and Democrats

Not all Americans have the same degree of confidence in these institutions, of course. One of the most important dividing points within the American population has to do with political orientation. At this juncture in history, Americans who identify themselves as Democrats generally have lower levels of confidence in most of the institutions tested in the poll than do Republicans.

Confidence in Institutions

It is not surprising to find that Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say they have confidence in the presidency, given that a Republican occupies the White House. Republicans also have more confidence in Congress -- perhaps because until recently the Republicans controlled both houses -- and more confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court. (Gallup analysis indicates that there was a dramatic shift in approval of the Supreme Court after December 2000. Democrats, who had been more positive than Republicans about the Court, suddenly became less positive, and Republicans became more positive.)

The only institutions in which the Republicans have less confidence than the Democrats are the public schools, newspapers and television news.

The two partisan groups are very close in terms of their confidence in organized labor, HMOs, and Congress.

Here is an analysis that compares the confidence ratings given each institution last year and this year by Republicans and Democrats:

Confidence in Institutions

% Great Deal or Quite a Lot

 

 

Repub-
licans 2000

Repub-
licans 2001

Differ-
ence

Demo-
crats 2000

Demo-
crats 2001

Differ-
ence

The military

66

75

9

61

61

0

The church or organized religion

58

68

10

56

53

-3

The police

59

65

6

49

53

4

The U.S. Supreme Court

48

60

12

48

44

-4

The presidency

31

73

42

54

27

-27

Banks

47

47

0

44

42

-2

The medical system

41

43

2

38

38

0

The public schools

33

34

1

41

43

2

Faith-based charitable organizations

 

46

   

33

 

Newspapers

35

31

-4

40

41

1

Television news

30

32

2

37

37

0

The electric power utilities

 

32

   

24

 

Big business

36

38

2

24

20

-4

Organized labor

18

24

6

32

20

-12

Congress

25

30

5

24

26

2

Health maintenance organizations, HMOs

15

17

2

18

14

-4

As can be seen, Republicans have increased in their confidence in several institutions since last year, including, in addition to the presidency, the U.S. Supreme Court, the church, the military, the police and organized labor. At the same time, the confidence levels Democrats express in most institutions have remained roughly constant from last year to this year. The primary exceptions are the presidency (Democrats' high confidence ratings have fallen by 27 percentage points) and organized labor (down 12 percentage points among Democrats).

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,011 adults, 18 years and older, conducted June 8-10, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little? First, ... Next, [RANDOM ORDER].



2001 Jun 8-10
(sorted by "a great deal/quite a lot")



Great
deal



Quite
a lot




Some



Very
little



NONE (vol.)



No
opinion

Great deal/ Quite
a lot

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

The military

32

34

24

6

2

2

66

The church or organized religion

32

28

24

13

2

1

60

The police

26

31

31

11

1

*

57

The U.S. Supreme Court

22

28

31

13

3

3

50

The presidency

23

25

33

15

2

2

48

Banks

17

27

41

13

1

1

44

The medical system

15

25

38

19

2

1

40

The public schools

16

22

37

22

2

1

38

Faith-based charitable organizations

16

21

40

16

3

4

37

Newspapers

13

23

44

16

3

1

36

Television news

14

20

43

19

3

1

34

The electric power utilities

12

16

44

24

3

1

28

Big business

10

18

44

23

3

2

28

Organized labor

12

14

43

23

3

5

26

Congress

10

16

49

20

2

3

26

Health maintenance organizations, HMOs

7

8

34

40

7

4

15

(vol.) Volunteered response
* Less than 0.5%

CONFIDENCE IN INSTITUTIONS -- FULL TREND

(COMBINES "GREAT DEAL" AND "QUITE A LOT")

 

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Q.

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

                                   

2001 Jun

60

66

50

44

38

36

26

34

26

48

57

40

--

28

15

28

37

                                   

2000 Jun

56

64

47

46

37

37

24

36

25

42

54

40

24

29

16

--

--

1999 Jun

58

68

49

43

36

33

26

34

28

49

57

40

23

30

17

--

--

1998 Jun

59

64

50

40

37

33

28

34

26

53

58

40

24

30

--

--

--

1997 Jul

56

60

50

41

40

35

22

34

23

49

59

38

19

28

--

--

--

1996 May

57

66

45

44

38

32

20

36

25

39

60

42

19

24

--

--

--

1995 Apr

57

64

44

43

40

30

21

33

26

45

58

41

20

21

--

--

--

1994 Mar

54

64

42

35

34

29

18

35

26

38

54

36

15

26

--

--

--

1993 Mar

53

68

44

37

39

31

18

46

26

43

52

34

17

22

--

--

--

1991 Oct

56

69

39

30

35

32

18

--

22

50

--

--

--

22

--

--

--

1991 Mar

59

85

48

32

44

32

30

--

25

72

--

--

--

26

--

--

--

1990

56

68

47

36

45

39

24

--

27

--

--

--

--

25

--

--

--

1989

52

63

46

42

43

--

32

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

1988

59

68

56

49

49

36

35

--

26

--

--

--

--

25

--

--

--

1987

61

61

52

51

50

31

--

--

26

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

1986

57

63

54

49

49

37

41

--

29

--

--

--

--

28

--

--

--

1985

66

61

56

51

48

35

39

--

28

--

--

--

--

31

--

--

--

1984

64

58

51

51

47

34

29

--

30

--

--

--

--

29

--

--

--

1983

62

53

42

51

39

38

28

--

26

--

--

--

--

28

--

--

--

1981

64

50

46

46

42

35

29

--

28

--

--

--

--

20

--

--

--

1979

65

54

45

60

53

51

34

--

36

--

--

--

--

32

--

--

--

1977

64

57

46

--

54

--

40

--

39

--

--

--

--

33

--

--

--

1975

68

58

49

--

--

--

40

--

38

--

--

--

--

34

--

--

--

1973

66

--

44

--

58

39

42

--

30

--

--

--

--

26

--

--

--

KEY:

       

A.

The church or organized religion

G.

Congress

M.

The criminal justice system

B.

The military

H.

Television news

N.

Big business

C.

The U.S. Supreme Court

I.

Organized labor

O.

Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)

D.

Banks

J.

The presidency

P.

The electric power utilities

E.

The public schools

K.

The police

Q.

Faith-based charitable organizations

F.

Newspapers

L.

The medical system

   


Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/4540/military-retains-top-position-americans-confidence-ratings.aspx
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