Political trust statistics at a glance
Political trust in Washington is stuck at a low level, and the supplied trend makes that plain.
The most recent figure in the dataset shows 17% of Americans said they trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always or most of the time on 9/28/2025 (Pew Research Center public trust trend). That equals the 17% recorded on 2/9/2025 and sits below the 22% reported on 5/19/2024 (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
Table of contents
- Fast facts
- Political trust statistics trends over time
- What the long-run pattern shows
- Why the low-trust numbers matter
- Historical comparison table
- Key takeaways from the trust trend
Fast facts
Big number: 17% is the latest trust reading in the dataset, and it appears more than once in 2025 and 2019 (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
Recent range: 2025 moved between 17% and 17% in the two listed readings, while 2024 sat at 22% and 2023 at 16% (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
Long-run high in this set: The dataset includes 34% on 2/05/2006 and 31% on 10/15/2008 (Pew Research Center public trust trend; National Election Study public trust trend).
Long-run low in this set: The smallest reading listed is 10% on 10/19/2011 (CBS/New York Times public trust trend).
Pattern to watch: Most readings in the dataset cluster in the teens and low 20s, not anywhere near a majority (multiple public trust trends).
Political trust statistics trends over time
The clearest story in these political trust statistics is persistence. Trust rises and falls by a few points, but it never gets close to broad confidence in Washington.
A simple way to read the dataset is to group the readings by period:
- 2025: 17% on 9/28/2025 and 17% on 2/9/2025 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
- 2024 to 2020: 22% on 5/19/2024, 16% on 6/11/2023, 20% on 5/1/2022, 24% on 4/11/2021, 20% on 8/2/2020, and 27% on 4/12/2020 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
- 2019 to 2013: 17% on 3/25/2019, 18% on 12/04/2017, 20% on 4/11/2017, 19% on 10/04/2015, 14% on 7/20/2014, 24% on 2/26/2014, 17% on 11/15/2013, 19% on 10/13/2013, 20% on 5/31/2013, 20% on 2/06/2013, and 26% on 1/13/2013 (Pew Research Center public trust trend; CNN / Pew Research Center public trust trend; CBS/New York Times public trust trend)
- 2012 to 2010: 22% on 10/31/2012, 10% on 10/19/2011, 20% on 10/04/2011, 15% on 9/23/2011, 19% on 8/21/2011, 29% on 2/28/2011, 22% on 10/21/2010, 18% on 10/01/2010, 24% on 9/06/2010, 25% on 9/01/2010, 20% on 4/05/2010, 25% on 4/05/2010, 22% on 3/21/2010, 26% on 2/12/2010, 19% on 2/05/2010, and 19% on 1/10/2010 (National Election Study public trust trend; CBS/New York Times public trust trend; CNN public trust trend; Gallup public trust trend)
- 2009 to 2005: 20% on 12/20/2009, 24% on 8/31/2009, 20% on 6/12/2009, 26% on 12/21/2008, 31% on 10/15/2008, 17% on 10/13/2008, 24% on 7/09/2007, 31% on 1/09/2007, 29% on 10/08/2006, 28% on 9/15/2006, 34% on 2/05/2006, 32% on 1/20/2006, 32% on 1/06/2006, 32% on 12/02/2005, and 31% on 9/11/2005 (CNN public trust trend; CBS/New York Times public trust trend; Pew Research Center public trust trend; Gallup public trust trend)
That grouping shows something important: the series has been low for a long time, but the exact level varies enough that a one-point or two-point change should not be mistaken for a structural reversal.
What the long-run pattern shows
The dataset begins in 2005 with several readings at 31% to 34% and then moves into a broad 2006 to 2008 band that includes 28%, 29%, 31%, and 32% alongside a few lower values such as 17% and 24% (CBS/New York Times public trust trend; Pew Research Center public trust trend; National Election Study public trust trend).
By 2010 and 2011, the pattern shifts more firmly into the low-to-mid 20s, with readings such as 18%, 19%, 20%, 22%, 24%, 25%, 26%, and 29% (CBS/New York Times public trust trend; Pew Research Center public trust trend; CNN public trust trend; Gallup public trust trend).
Then the dataset records a standout low point: 10% on 10/19/2011 (CBS/New York Times public trust trend). That number is the kind of figure that changes the tone of the whole series, because it shows how limited confidence can get when the public mood turns sharply negative.
From 2012 onward, the figures stay mostly in a narrow band between the mid-teens and the low 20s, with occasional readings in the mid-20s and one 27% reading in 2020 (National Election Study public trust trend; Pew Research Center public trust trend; CNN public trust trend; CBS/New York Times public trust trend).
The most recent years keep the same shape. In 2023 and 2024, the dataset shows 16% and 22%; in 2025, it returns to 17% twice (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
Pull-quote: This is not a volatility story. It is a low-confidence story with short-lived movement around a persistent baseline.
Why the low-trust numbers matter
Political trust statistics matter because they describe the relationship between citizens and the institution that is supposed to act on their behalf. When the headline number sits in the teens, that relationship is fragile even if the precise reading moves around from survey to survey.
A few implications stand out from the supplied trend:
- Small changes are not the same as recovery. A move from 17% to 22% or 24% looks better on paper, but the trust level is still low relative to full confidence (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
- The series is consistently weak across survey sources. The dataset includes Pew Research Center, CBS/New York Times, CNN, Gallup, and National Election Study readings, and the values still cluster below 30% in most cases (multiple public trust trends).
- The floor matters. A 10% reading on 10/19/2011 shows how far trust can fall when public sentiment breaks down (CBS/New York Times public trust trend).
- The ceiling is not very high. Even the strongest readings in the dataset only reach 34% on 2/05/2006, which is still far from majority trust (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
Historical comparison table
The table below condenses the most useful comparison points from the dataset. It is not a full chronology, but it captures the spread from the high end to the recent low-teens and mid-teens values.
| Date | Trust in Washington | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| 2/05/2006 | 34% | Pew Research Center public trust trend |
| 1/20/2006 | 32% | CBS/New York Times public trust trend |
| 1/06/2006 | 32% | Gallup public trust trend |
| 10/15/2008 | 31% | National Election Study public trust trend |
| 2/28/2011 | 29% | Pew Research Center public trust trend |
| 10/19/2011 | 10% | CBS/New York Times public trust trend |
| 5/19/2024 | 22% | Pew Research Center public trust trend |
| 2/9/2025 | 17% | Pew Research Center public trust trend |
| 9/28/2025 | 17% | Pew Research Center public trust trend |
That comparison makes the shape of the series easy to see: the early highs are still modest, the deep lows are severe, and the latest readings remain in the same depressed band.
How to read these political trust statistics without overreading them
There are two common mistakes people make with a trust trend like this.
First, they assume a few-point swing means the public has changed its mind in a lasting way. But the dataset includes multiple adjacent readings that move only slightly, such as 17% in February 2025 and 17% again in September 2025, or 20% in multiple earlier years (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
Second, they assume the number is so low that it no longer matters. The opposite is true. A number that stays stuck in the teens tells you the institution is operating under a durable credibility problem, and that matters for how people interpret every new development.
A better reading is to focus on three features:
- Baseline: the series spends most of its time below 25% (multiple public trust trends)
- Extremes: the high end reaches 34%, while the low end falls to 10% (Pew Research Center public trust trend; CBS/New York Times public trust trend)
- Recency: the latest reading is still 17%, which means there is no evidence in this dataset of a meaningful rebound as of 9/28/2025 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
Fast facts for searchers and editors
Latest value in the dataset: 17% on 9/28/2025 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
Earlier 2025 value: 17% on 2/9/2025 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
2024 comparator: 22% on 5/19/2024 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
Lowest value in the series: 10% on 10/19/2011 (CBS/New York Times public trust trend)
Highest value in the series: 34% on 2/05/2006 (Pew Research Center public trust trend)
Main takeaway: the dataset shows long-running low trust rather than a short-term dip (multiple public trust trends)
Key takeaways from the trust trend
- The latest political trust figure is 17%, and it repeats across both 2/9/2025 and 9/28/2025 (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
- Most readings in the dataset stay in the teens or low 20s, which signals persistent skepticism rather than temporary disappointment (multiple public trust trends).
- The strongest point in the dataset is still only 34%, so the upper bound is limited even in better periods (Pew Research Center public trust trend).
- The low point of 10% in 2011 shows how quickly trust can collapse when public confidence erodes (CBS/New York Times public trust trend).
- Because the series comes from several survey sources, the overall pattern looks more important than any single point estimate (Pew Research Center public trust trend; CBS/New York Times public trust trend; CNN public trust trend; Gallup public trust trend; National Election Study public trust trend).