Americans have little appetite for austerity in government programs. Most either want to increase spending or maintain it at current levels. At the same time, their trust in the federal government remains near a historic low.
Americans' confidence in the scientific community as a whole has remained stable for decades, with 44% saying they have a great deal of confidence.
Partisans agree political leaders should be honest and ethical, disagree whether Trump fits the bill
While partisans agree that political leaders should be honest and ethical, they differ over whether particular leaders display these traits.
Only a third of Venezuelans trust their national government. Venezuelans’ evaluations of their national economy have worsened since 2013.
A majority of Americans believe the news media do not understand people like them, and this feeling is especially common among Republicans.
Large majorities in eight Western European countries trust the military, ranging from 84% in France to 66% in Spain. Similarly, eight-in-ten Americans have confidence in the military.
People with populist views in Western Europe are more likely than those with mainstream views to distrust traditional institutions. While populist attitudes span the ideological spectrum in Western Europe, populist political parties are relatively unpopular in the region.
Just 41% of Americans say they are very or somewhat confident that Trump will handle matters related to the special counsel investigation appropriately. Republicans and Democrats offer starkly different assessments.
While Americans say their nation’s colleges compare relatively well with those in other countries, they offer more negative assessments of U.S. public schools.
Most Americans say ‘design and structure’ of government need big changes.
