SHARE:
The Trust Bust
Are Floridians unusual in their increasing contempt of state government? In this regard, Florida is once again a bellwether-state. An ABC News/Washington Post poll in 1995 reported that 39% of a national sample said they could trust their state government "just about always" or "most of the time." But only 33% of Floridians said they trust their state government this much. The difference is narrow but significant: Floridians are more distrustful of state government than most Americans.
Distrust in all levels of government is particularly pronounced among African-Americans living in Florida. In contrast, Florida's Hispanic population tends to be more trusting than either whites or blacks. Older Floridians are somewhat more trusting of Florida government than younger generations. There appear to be little differences between the degrees of trust expressed by liberals and conservatives, or by Republicans and Democrats. But people who label themselves as political "Independents" are markedly less trustful of government than Democrats or Republicans.
Legislative Follies
Why has trust in government among Floridians declined so much in recent years? Political scientists have suggested various explanations. These range from the slow-growth of the economy and the corrosive legacy of Vietnam and Watergate to the influence of the media in eroding traditional values. No doubt, all of these factors have also been at work in Florida, as well as an additional one: Florida's lack of an income tax may disproportionately attract residents who particularly dislike paying taxes. A self-selected population of tax evaders is not likely to have much regard for government at any level.
Floridians particularly dislike the antics of the state Legislature. With the exception of Governor Bob Martinez, governors have generally scored ten or more points higher - percentages of respondents giving "excellent" and "good" ratings - than Legislatures. Governor Bob Graham maintained an exceptionally high rating among Floridians during his two terms in office. Governor Lawton Chiles has never matched Graham's popularity but Chiles regularly scores higher than the state Legislature. Indeed, the Legislature has become increasingly unpopular over the last decade. It now suffers a 40-point spread between fair/poor and excellent/good ratings.
Who Pays?
Some popular suspicion of government is not only justified, but healthy for a democratic society. "Blind trust" is hardly a prescription for good government.
But popular disaffection from government has its costs.
When trust in leadership is high, leaders have greater flexibility in dealing with painful issues. They enjoy some reserve of support, enabling them to call upon citizens to make short-term sacrifices in pursuit of long-term goals. But when trust is low, people demand immediate and specific benefits for themselves. So currently both state and national leaders find themselves in a Catch-22 dilemma: The public distrusts them because of their failure to deal effectively with social and economic issues, but public distrust itself is an obstacle to dealing effectively with these issues.
Restoring Trust
What, if anything, can be done to restore trust in government in Florida and the nation? Probably not very much. The typical reform agenda - regulating lobbying, strengthening ethics laws, restricting campaign contributions - would have at best a very marginal impact. Political money has a way of flowing through and around all legal barriers, and the ink is seldom dry on campaign reform laws before new expos?s of chicanery further disillusion voters.
But viewing trends in trust over time suggests that the election of credible leaders can have a positive effect on people's attitudes toward government. Indeed, a brief glance at trends in trust for both Florida and the nation reveals that the only increases in trust occurred under popular chief executives. Trust in the government in Washington was partially restored during Ronald Reagan's presidency, and trust in the government in Tallahassee was significantly higher during Bob Graham's governorship.
Of course, it is also true that Graham presided over a booming state economy and that Reagan's popularity was at least in part related to the nation's economic performance after the recession of 1982. Strong leaders, governing in prosperous times, seem to be the only sure prescription for ameliorating distrust in government.
Thomas R. Dye is McKenzie Professor of Government at Florida State University and a Research Associate at the Lincoln Center for Public Service, a nonpartisan public policy education and research organization in Tallahassee.
