Gallup Poll: Confidence in Government Nosedives

According to new polling published by Gallup Monday morning, confidence in the federal government has taken a nosedive and is at its lowest point since polling was started in 1991. President Obama has taken the biggest hit with confidence in the presidency eroding the most.

Americans' confidence in all three branches of the U.S. government has fallen, reaching record lows for the Supreme Court (30%) and Congress (7%), and a six-year low for the presidency (29%). The presidency had the largest drop of the three branches this year, down seven percentage points from its previous rating of 36%.

While Gallup recently reported a historically low rating of Congress, Americans have always had less confidence in Congress than in the other two branches of government. The Supreme Court and the presidency have alternated being the most trusted branch of government since 1991, the first year Gallup began asking regularly about all three branches.

But on a relative basis, Americans' confidence in all three is eroding. Since June 2013, confidence has fallen seven points for the presidency, four points for the Supreme Court, and three points for Congress. Confidence in each of the three branches of government had already fallen from 2012 to 2013.

Further, polling shows confidence in the presidency was significantly higher among Americans under President George W. Bush than it has been under President Obama.