If you drink your morning cup of coffee with a side of existential doom about America’s eroding democracy and increasingly distrustful systems of government meant to serve the people, you’re not alone.
In fact, public trust in government is near historic lows, according to a report from the Pew Research Center.
Previously, the lowest trust occurred in 2011 during the former presidency of Barack Obama's administration, and the highest trust occurred in 1964 during former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration.
“Just 17% of Americans now say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right ‘“just about always”’ (2%) or ‘“most of the time”’ (15%),” the report said.
For a study that has been asking the question of trust in government for seven decades, this new data suggests your pre-coffee thoughts are not a one-off, but rather a representation of general public sentiment.
Now more than ever, many Americans, including myself, measure the standard of trust by looking at the representatives elected to put forth ideas, advocate and speak up for them while they go about their lives.
I think in the current time period, we as citizens are tired of politicians who become comfortable in their offices. As working professionals, students and more, citizens rely on their representatives to advocate when they may not be able to.
Watching our government remove long-standing structural and landmark protections for citizens surrounding things like immigration and journalism, it is hard to see fewer and fewer politicians speak out and take action.
All of this together shows the United States as a declining superpower. For making America great again, international opinion is circling the drain.
According to The Politico Poll conducted across five countries, top allies and Americans see the country very differently due to the current presidential administration and diplomatic actions. Leaders across Europe and Canada are increasingly voicing their concern about Trump’s efforts to upend longtime alliances.
“The U.S. has long seen itself as a defender of democracy- both at home and abroad,“ the poll said. "But that reputation may be fraying amid growing unease among longtime allies about whether the U.S. still protects the democratic principles it once championed.”
When asked if the U.S. is mostly a force for stability in the world, many countries rated America quite low. France reviewed and rated the U.S. at 1.5/10, the United Kingdom at 1.8/10, Canada at 1.4/10 and Germany at 1.3/10.
In addition, the Varieties of Democracy Institute also created a democracy report, studying specifically the concept of unravelling in an era of democracy. It statistically shows, through over 32 million data points, trends of democracy from more than 600 attributes.
Unsurprisingly, a topic of focus in the 2026 report was autocracization in America. Similarly, according to the Pew Research Report, under the current administration of President Donald Trump, democracy has starkly fallen back to the levels of 1965.
“President Trump’s second term can be summarized as a rapid and aggressive concentration of powers in the presidency,” the report said. “The speed with which American democracy is currently dismantled is unprecedented in modern history.”
More specifically, this decline is attributed to undermining the rule of law, dismantling checks and balances and concentrating power by the current administration. These mark the most deteriorating factors that are being dominated unjustly.
“The Trump administration has de facto repeatedly taken over the Congressional ‘power of the purse'- enshrined in the Constitution and the 1974 Impoundment Control Act,” the report said.
All of this to say, the concept that our democracy is unravelling thread by thread is not some political notion grounded in anti-Trump sentiment. It’s backed by surveys, polls and international opinion, and it will only get worse.
Therefore, if you are sitting this morning watching your coffee creamer swirl into your freshly brewed morning pick-me-up, counteracted by the doom the world creates, you’re not crazy, and more than that, you’re not alone.
We need to step up, step out and continue to push for more. Not only for ourselves but for our kids, grandkids and future generations to come.
Emily Stokes is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Have something to say? Email Emily at es542222@ohio.edu
