Survey: Record Low Confidence in Government

"Americans' confidence in all three branches of government is at or near record lows, according to a major survey that has measured attitudes on the subject for 40 years," reports the Associated Press.

The 2014 General Social Survey finds only 23 percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the Supreme Court, 11 percent in the executive branch and 5 percent in Congress. By contrast, half have a great deal of confidence in the military.

The survey is conducted by the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago. Because of its long-running and comprehensive set of questions about the public, it is a highly regarded source of data about social trends. 

The 11% figure for the presidency "approaches a record low measured by the same survey in 1996, when just 10 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in the executive branch," and the 23% figure for the Supreme Court represents a 40-year low.

Media fared almost as badly as Congress, earning a record-low 7% confidence rating. "Only 1 in 10 has a lot of confidence in television, which is also near a record low," reports the AP.