Poll: Faith In Federal Government Hits An All-Time Low, Even Among Democrats

As is usually the case with these sort of polls, I’m a little skeptical, but according to Pew Americans – even, surprisingly, Democrats – have a low opinion of the federal government.

And for Democrats, their faith in the feds has declined even under President Obama’s term in office:

The percentage of Democrats expressing a favorable opinion of the federal government has declined 10 points in the past year, from 51% to 41%. For the first time since Barack Obama became president, more Democrats say they have an unfavorable view of the federal government in Washington than a favorable view (51% unfavorable vs. 41% favorable). Favorable opinions of the federal government among Republicans, already quite low in 2012 (20% favorable), have fallen even further, to 13% currently.

Those are pretty ugly numbers, but I’d be more willing to buy their validity if the knee-jerk reaction from most Americans to any problem real or perceived is to ask the federal government for a solution.

If Americans truly have declining faith in the federal government, then where’s the corresponding uptick in preference for states rights and smaller federal government?