As the midterm elections draw near, a new poll indicates a significant decline in public trust regarding information from the federal government, particularly on topics related to elections and politics. The survey, a collaboration between The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts, reveals that majorities of Americans now report having little or no trust in federal government information across several key areas, including foreign affairs and the environment.
The findings suggest this skepticism has grown since 2024 and is notably higher than at the conclusion of Donald Trump's first term. The poll highlights an increasing partisan divide in trust, with Democrats showing a greater decline in confidence during the Trump administration and Republicans' mistrust growing under the Biden administration before shifting after Trump's return to the White House.
Specifically, only 34% of U.S. adults currently trust government certifications of election results “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” a decrease from 40% in 2024. This trend underscores the politicization of election certification processes since the 2020 presidential election. The poll found that approximately 6 in 10 U.S. adults have low trust in federal government information concerning the environment, foreign affairs, elections and politics, abortion, or immigration.
Mistrust in federal government statements has risen across nearly all surveyed topics since 2019. Education, for example, saw trust drop from 37% in 2019 to 53% currently, with a sharp 9-percentage point increase in distrust over the past year alone. This decline in confidence follows a period of executive branch upheaval, including efforts to dismantle federal agencies and reduce their workforces, which experts warn could impact data quality.
Changes in government regulations and recommendations have also contributed to public skepticism. The poll noted that shifting health advice has led to disagreements between medical organizations and the administration, while environmental policies have seen shifts, such as the rescission of a climate change finding that previously guided government action.
The partisan gap in trust has widened considerably. While Democrats generally expressed less trust in government information during Trump's first term, the disparity became more pronounced with changes in White House control. Republicans' mistrust increased during Biden's presidency, whereas Democrats' doubts lessened under Biden and then spiked with Trump's return. Currently, 61% of Democrats report low trust in federal budget information, compared to 42% of Republicans.
Independents have become more mistrustful under Biden and have not shown a significant shift under Trump. The only area where trust levels showed little partisan difference was in vaccination recommendations and safety, with about 6 in 10 Democrats, Republicans, and independents expressing low trust in the federal government's guidance on this matter.
Concerns about election integrity remain high as the midterms approach. Nearly half of U.S. adults expressed extreme or very high concern about the federal government discrediting or questioning election results, tampering with outcomes, or pressuring state officials. These concerns are amplified by recent actions, including Trump's reiteration of unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and efforts to impose new voting restrictions. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has also issued warnings to state officials regarding election security demands.
Furthermore, information from political campaigns themselves garners little public confidence. Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults believe messages from the Democratic or Republican parties are consistently factual. Less than a quarter of Democrats and a similar proportion of Republicans trust their respective party's campaign messages to be factual frequently.
Trust in other sources, such as national and cable news outlets, also remains low. The AP-NORC/USA Facts poll surveyed 1,036 adults between July 29 and August 10. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.