The government-citizen disconnect

Americans' relationship to the federal government is paradoxical. Polls show that public opinion regarding the government has plummeted to all-time lows, with only one in five saying they trust the government or believe that it operates in their interest. Yet, at the same time, more Americans than ever benefit from some form of government social provision - 96 percent of adults have received benefit from at least one of them, and the average person has utilized five. The fact that people have benefited from these policies bears little positive effect on their attitudes toward government. Political scientist Suzanne Mettler calls this growing gulf between people's perceptions of government and the actual role it plays in their lives as the "government-citizen disconnect." Mettler finds that shared identities and views about welfare are more powerful and consistent influences. The government-citizen disconnect's examination of hostility toward government at a time when most Americans will at some point rely on the social benefits it provides helps us better understand the roots of today's fractious political climate.