Declining Government Performance? Why Citizens Don't Trust Government

In 1964, 75% of the American public believed they could trust their government to do the right thing most of the time – by 1995 only 15% did so. New Zealand studies reflect a similar trend. In 1985, 8.5% of New Zealanders had a great deal of confidence in their government. By 1998, this had fallen to 2.5%. It seems reasonable to assume that this decline in public trust mirrors a decline in government performance. However, a 1997 study by Derek Bok found quite the opposite: government performance and quality of life generally have improved dramatically over the past 30 years. This study replicates Bok’s US research in the New Zealand environment. It concludes that overall trends are similar - as in the US, trust in the New Zealand government is not related to government performance. Given this conclusion, the paper ends by speculating on the possible causes of declining trust.