Open Thread: Trust in Federal Government At All Time Low

September 28th, 2011 10:58 AM

According to a new national survey released this morning by CNN/ORC International, the public's trust in the federal government is at an all-time low. Only 15% of Americans say they trust the federal government to mostly or always do what is right, down 10% from September 2010. Additionally, 77% of those surveyed say they trust the federal government to act correctly some of the time, while 8% said they never trust the government to do what's right.

What do you think this drastic shift in distrust of the government will mean for 2012 Congressional elections? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

According to CNN's report on the survey:

The survey was conducted Friday through Sunday, during the congressional standoff between Democrats and Republicans over disaster relief funding threatened to possibly force a federal government shutdown. An agreement preventing a government shutdown was reached late Monday night.

The poll indicates a partisan divide when it comes to trust.

"Not surprisingly, Democrats are more likely to trust the federal government than Republicans, but even among Democrats, more than two-thirds say they rarely trust the government," adds Holland.

Do you think the general distrust in the government could mean another sweep of victories for Tea Party candidates in 2012? Do you think Republicans could win control of both the House and Senate?