9/11 briefly restored Americans’ faith in Washington

Share of Americans who say they trust the government to do what is right “just about always” or “most of the time.”

The chart shows Pew Research Center’s smoothed trend: a three-survey moving average from 1976 through February 2025. Figures before 1976 and the September 2025 figure are individual poll results.
Chart: David AverreSource: Pew Research Center, National Election Studies, Gallup, ABC/Washington Post, CBS/New York Times, and CNN surveysGet the data