New survey found that Americans’ trust in the ability of institutions to handle COVID-19 is decreasing

Professor James Druckman conducted a survey through Northwestern in conjunction with Harvard, Northeastern, and Rutgers in determining the Americans’ trust in governmental institutions such as the police. This survey was administered before and after the emergence of protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.

“The survey fielding period started before mass protests began, but ended once the protests had spread though the nation and world. We, thus, are able to pinpoint the effects of the protests. The results make clear that the protests lead individuals to become more suspect of police, even with regards to the ability of the police to handle COVID related issues. We also find differences, predictably, across different groups,” said Professor James Druckman.

In late May, African Americans statistically had the lowest trust in the police, with 54% claiming to have “a lot” or “some” trust in the police compared to the 75% of white respondents, 73% of Asian respondents, and 65% of Hispanic respondents. There was also a discrepancy across age groups, with the younger generation being the least trusting in the police compared to their elders.

Learn more about the survey results in the IPR article, “Americans’ Trust in Institutions’ Ability to Handle COVID-19 is Fading.”