Why Americans Dislike Government, Even When It Works

Americans mistrust services provided by the publi…

An episode of the The Science of Politics podcast, hosted by Niskanen Center, titled "Why Americans Dislike Government, Even When It Works" was published on August 28, 2019 and runs 46 minutes.

August 28, 2019 ·46m · The Science of Politics

Summary

Americans mistrust services provided by the public sector, even though they increasingly rely on government programs. Amy Lerman finds that citizens perceive public services as inefficient and lower quality, causing them to misperceive good services as private and opt out of public services. Suzanne Mettler finds that Americans increasingly rely on government for their income. But because programs are hidden, their views of government don’t become more positive even if they directly benefit. Both agree government is facing a reputation crisis, even where it is succeeding. Studies: Good Enough for Government Work and The Government-Citizen Disconnect Interviews: Amy Lerman, University of California, Berkeley; Suzanne Mettler, Cornell University Photo Credit: Sage Ross under CC by 3.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Libertarian_Party_(United_States)#/media/File:Tea_Party_Protest,_Hartford,_Connecticut,_15_April_2009_-_031.jpg

Episode Description