Author: Amanda Mullan
In survey after survey, most American respondents report low and declining levels of trust in their government. The American people say they are not getting the government that they pay for and see what they get as ineffective and unresponsive to their needs.
The data we’ve reviewed documents the public’s frustration with things seemingly not getting done across all levels of government. Although these surveys show that people trust their local and state governments more than the federal government, we also found that people do not always know which level of government is responsible for delivering services. Every level of government is facing a trust deficit.
"People around the world are showing a decreased level of trust in their national governments. Governments closer to the people, that provide direct services, fare better but the overall trend is still downward,” said Academy Fellow Ed DeSeve. “The National Academy of Public Administration is committed to working with partners to try to increase trust by helping governments demonstrate greater competence, achieve results people care about and respect public values."
Over the past year, with partners Cherry Bekaert, the Academy:
For the public administration community, this is a significant challenge: civil servants must address enormous, looming generational challenges without the public's trust in broader governmental institutions.
According to a report on the State of Trust in Government in 2024, “when people don’t trust their government, they are more likely to opt out of voting and other types of civic participation. With less engagement, the public feels less empowered to influence government—and, in turn, government hears people’s needs and preferences less.”
Research conducted by the Academy and the Partnership for Public Service finds that the public prefers a professional, non-politicized civil service. Specifically, 87 percent of individuals in a recent survey agree that having a nonpartisan civil service is important to maintaining a strong democracy. Trust in civil servants is higher than in the federal government but still low (46 percent).
Some findings relating to trust and satisfaction for specific federal agencies demonstrate that it is possible to reverse the trend. Specifically, in 2024, citizen satisfaction with federal services (including agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and Treasury) reached a 7-year high (69.7 out of 100).
Our Strategic Initiatives Team—the Academy's thought leadership arm—aims to expand the conversation about how administrative agencies can enhance public trust.
Public servants must understand their roles and responsibilities, ensure high performance and responsiveness, and uphold their public oath to serve the American people effectively. They should aim to increase trust in government through improved agency performance while recognizing that many factors outside of administrators’ control will influence the public’s overall trust level.
"The mindset of public servants has to be positive,” DeSeve said. “They must seek every opportunity to demonstrate results that people care about and serve with the integrity, openness and fairness that are the hallmarks of public service. Trust is earned by positive behavior and identification with the public and their values."
Up next, the Academy will identify some suggested approaches that agencies and interested public servants can use to strengthen their performance while working to build a government all Americans can take pride in.
We want to thank Cherry Bekaert for sponsoring this work, and the Academy’s Standing Panel on Executive Organization and Management, the Agile Government Network for co-hosting sessions on trust in government.