Lionel Muench
Lionel Muench is a sophomore at Wesleyan University studying Economics and Data Science.
Abstract: Public trust in American institutions has become increasingly polarized along political lines. Using data from the 2021 General Social Survey, this study examined the relationship between trust and confidence in various institutions and political ideology and party identification. Trust and confidence levels varied substantially across institutions, with particularly low trust in the media and Congress and higher trust in scientific and medical institutions. Bivariate tests and LASSO regressions showed that media trust, press confidence, and confidence in science were among the strongest predictors of political orientation. These findings highlight broad patterns of institutional polarization and suggest the need for continued research on how these divides evolve over time.
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