When it comes to making important decisions about America’s future, 68% of voters nationwide trust the American people more than government officials. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 11% take the opposite view and 20% are not sure.
This view is shared broadly by all segments of society, although there is somewhat less confidence in the American people among younger voters. Just 64% of voters under 35 trust the American people more than government officials. Among senior citizens, that number in 79%.
Those with a college degree are a bit more skeptical of the American people than those without.
However, other survey data shows that in certain circumstances, voters are more willing to defer to government officials. For example, 50% support a national mandate requiring everyone to wear a mask in public.
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Methodology
The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from July 16-18, 2020. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or via text while 176 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Certain quotas were applied to the overall sample and lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.
