78% of Americans Don't Trust Their Government

Americans who trust their government are becoming increasingly few and far between, according to a Pew Research Center poll that found that just 22% of those surveyed said they trust the government "just about always" or "most of the time." This is highest level of distrust in the government the center has found in the 52 years it has been posing the questions to Americans, Reuters notes.

Almost a third of those polled said they considered the federal government a threat to their freedom, with 56% of all respondents saying they were frustrated with the government, and 21% saying they were angry. Pew says a "perfect storm" of a poor economy, a dissatisfied public, and a hyper-partisan atmosphere on Capitol Hill is to blame for the levels of distrust, and predicts the lack of confidence in government will be a major factor in this year's elections.
(More Pew Research Center stories.)