NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ A decline in the level of America’s trust in
government began nearly 40 years ago, and a continuation of that trend
in 2004 would benefit President George W. Bush, according to Vanderbilt
political scientist Marc Hetherington. He is the author of Why Trust
Matters: Declining Political Trust and the Demise of American
Liberalism.
Hetherington argues that declining political trust has been a
critical factor in America’s move toward more conservative public
policy the last several decades. “A decline in voters’ faith in
government has its roots around 1966, even before the huge Vietnam
protests and Watergate,” he said. The decline continued through the
1970s, reaching its lowest point in 1980 under the Carter
administration, when there was high inflation, long lines at the gas
pump and a hostage crisis in Iran. However, public trust in government
actually grew during the Reagan presidency because Reagan generally
supported policies with less government intervention.
“Ronald Reagan, like Bill Clinton, embodied a certain sense of
optimism about the American spirit, and people respond to that,”
Hetherington said. “We also see increases in trust in government
between 1994 and 2000 ñ when the president is suggesting a certain
amount of belief in the American political system.”
Hetherington said that there was an incredible surge in trust in
government immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, but the
effect was temporary. “People tend to rally around the president and
the government during times of crisis, even when the president is not
entirely successful. This phenomenon has benefited the incumbent,” he
said. “On the other hand, when trust in government is high, people tend
to support more liberal-leaning policies, the type that Democratic
presidential nominee John Kerry favors.”
“Trust in government really cuts two different ways in this
presidential campaign,” Hetherington said. “Bush benefits to some
extent from a relatively high level of trust consistent with the end of
the Clinton years and also the aftereffects of 9/11. Conversely, Kerry
is helped by high trust in government with regards to public policy in
areas such as health care, education and the environment.”
Hetherington’s book was recently published by Princeton University Press.
Media contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS
Annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu