Americans across the board have little trust in government, according to a new poll, but Republicans are nearly three times as likely as Democrats to say they are “angry” at the government as the 2016 election approaches.
And voters’ level of anger has a significant impact on their preferences for the next president, the Pew Research Center poll out Monday showed.
Only 19% of Americans say they can trust government always or most of the time, close to the lowest level in the past 60 years, according Pew.
Republicans on average, though, are much more likely to express dissatisfaction with government than Democrats. They are nearly three times as likely to say they are “angry” with it, at 32% of Republicans and GOP leaners compared with 12% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.
The GOP is also substantially more distrustful of government, with 89% of Republicans saying they sometimes or never trust government compared with 72% of Democrats.
Three-quarters of Republicans say government is in need of major reform, compared with 44% of Democrats.
The biggest divide is on the size and scope of government. Seventy-one percent of Republicans say the government is doing too much that should be left to the private sector and individuals, whereas only 29% of Democrats say the same.
The latent frustration is having an effect on the Republican primary, the poll also shows.
GOP front-runner Donald Trump fares far better among Republicans who identify as angry than among those who do not.
The only candidate in the top of the Republican field who does not do better among angry Republicans is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Among Republicans who are mad at government, only 36% view Bush favorably compared with 57% who see him unfavorably.
Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have been leading surging campaigns and dominating the Republican field largely on an outsider message — saying Washington needs fixing and fewer politicians.
Pew surveyed 6,004 Americans by phone from Aug. 27 to Oct. 4 for the poll, which carries a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points. Pew surveyed roughly 2,600 each Republican and Republican leaners and Democrats and Democratic leaners, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.