⚖️Judicial BranchPublic Confidence
Public Confidence in the Federal Judiciary
How much confidence does the public have in the federal court system?
40%
% confidence (Gallup)
vs. prior year
Updated AnnualMedium data quality
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What share of Americans say they trust the federal government to do what is right?
The percentage of Americans who say they trust the federal government to do what is right "just about always" or "most of the time," based on long-running survey programs including Pew Research Center's trust survey (conducted since 1958) and Gallup's confidence in institutions surveys.
Public trust is a foundational input to democratic governance. Low trust correlates with reduced voluntary tax compliance, difficulty recruiting public servants, reduced uptake of public health guidance, and increased polarization. Trust levels vary by demographic, region, and administration.
Example Visualization
Long-run area chart (1958–present) with key events annotated. Segmented by party affiliation showing partisan trust gap over time. Institutional breakdown (Congress, President, Courts) as grouped bars.
How much confidence does the public have in the federal court system?
What percentage of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing?