Trust in Business vs. Government
The public likes the private economy more than the politicians do.
ENLARGE
Photo: Getty Images
Aug. 15, 2016 7:46 p.m. ET
The public mood isn’t especially buoyant, and neither is confidence in U.S. institutions, though there is one notable exception: American business. On Monday Gallup published its annual poll of public views on various industries, and most continue to have positive and durable reputations despite election-years attacks from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Across the 25 areas that Gallup surveyed, the restaurant and computer industries were the most popular by far, and maybe it’s no coincidence that these are among the most competitive U.S. markets. Only 7% viewed the food and beverage business unfavorably, 66% favorably, for a net rating of +59 points, while tech was close behind at +53. Another seven industries, like groceries, retail and farming, had net ratings above +20 or +30.
Another 10 industries have images that are solid or near neutral, including some favorite political targets like banking and finance (+2) and electric and gas utilities (+9). Even airlines, in this summer of security limbo, congestion and delays, shook out at +15. So did telecom.
The exceptions are the five industries that Gallup found are viewed more negatively than positively on net: oil and gas (minus-7), lawyers (minus-8), health care (minus-20) and pharmaceuticals (minus-23). Public opinion for health care has plunged to a five-year low, which also corresponds to its rough annexation by the federal government under ObamaCare.
Speaking of which, the worst performer in the Gallup survey? None other than the federal government, with merely 28% expressing a positive view and 55% a negative one for a net rating of minus-27 points. The pollster reports that “trust in the government’s ability to handle domestic problems has never been lower in Gallup’s trends, which stretch back to the 1970s.”
Trust in government tends to expand and contract in inverse proportion to Washington’s ambition, so one of President Obama’s legacies will be to erode faith in the central planning he so reveres. The Gallup report shows that Americans are more invested in the resilient private economy than in their public leaders.
The public likes the private economy more than the politicians do.
Photo: Getty Images
Aug. 15, 2016 7:46 p.m. ET
The public mood isn’t especially buoyant, and neither is confidence in U.S. institutions, though there is one notable exception: American business. On Monday Gallup published its annual poll of public views on various industries, and most continue to have positive and durable reputations despite election-years attacks from Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Across the 25 areas that Gallup surveyed, the restaurant and computer industries were the most popular by far, and maybe it’s no coincidence that these are among the most competitive U.S. markets. Only 7% viewed the food and beverage business unfavorably, 66% favorably, for a net rating of +59 points, while tech was close behind at +53. Another seven industries, like groceries, retail and farming, had net ratings above +20 or +30.
Another 10 industries have images that are solid or near neutral, including some favorite political targets like banking and finance (+2) and electric and gas utilities (+9). Even airlines, in this summer of security limbo, congestion and delays, shook out at +15. So did telecom.
The exceptions are the five industries that Gallup found are viewed more negatively than positively on net: oil and gas (minus-7), lawyers (minus-8), health care (minus-20) and pharmaceuticals (minus-23). Public opinion for health care has plunged to a five-year low, which also corresponds to its rough annexation by the federal government under ObamaCare.
Speaking of which, the worst performer in the Gallup survey? None other than the federal government, with merely 28% expressing a positive view and 55% a negative one for a net rating of minus-27 points. The pollster reports that “trust in the government’s ability to handle domestic problems has never been lower in Gallup’s trends, which stretch back to the 1970s.”
Trust in government tends to expand and contract in inverse proportion to Washington’s ambition, so one of President Obama’s legacies will be to erode faith in the central planning he so reveres. The Gallup report shows that Americans are more invested in the resilient private economy than in their public leaders.
