A new Gallup survey has revealed that Americans’ trust in critical societal institutions continues to plummet, sinking to near-record lows. And only a fraction—less than a third—of respondents claim to have confidence in the Church or organized religion.
For several years, Gallup has tracked Americans’ trust levels in over a dozen institutions, shedding light on the shifting dynamics of public faith in institutions like the government, media, businesses, the education system and the Church.
Only 32 percent of respondents expressed a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the Church and organized religion. Although this figure represents a slight improvement from the historic low of 31 percent recorded in 2022, it still falls short of the 37 percent recorded in 2021, underscoring a steady decline in faith.
To put things into perspective, the Church is not the only institution struggling to gain public trust. When looking at the bigger picture, it seems Americans’ trust in institutions as a whole has reached an all-time low. The average level of confidence in the nine institutions consistently surveyed by Gallup since 1979 plummeted to 26 percent this year, down from 27 percent in the previous year and a stark contrast to the high of 48 percent recorded in 1979. This downward spiral highlights a crisis of faith that has gradually unfolded over the past few decades.
