Californians’ Changing Levels of Trust in the Federal Government

The federal government continues to issue policies, rulings, and executive orders that affect the lives of Californians in a range of ways-including increased immigration enforcement, a bill challenging state climate change policies, and controversial Supreme Court decisions. Approval is low for all three branches (31% Supreme Court, 29% President Trump, 20% Congress), according to the latest PPIC Statewide Survey, and most Californians express distrust of the federal government-hitting record-highs in some areas. How have Californians' views of the federal government changed since shortly before the November presidential election?

While majorities have expressed distrust since PPIC first asked how much Californians trust the federal government to do what is right, the overall share with limited trust has increased 12 percentage points since September 2024. Today, eight in ten adults in the state say they do not fully trust the federal government to do what is right: 79% said they trust the government to do what is right only some of the time, while 1% volunteered that they trust the government none of the time.

Most partisans continue to say they trust the federal government only some or none of the time, but views are becoming more politically polarized. The share of Democrats who say they trust the federal government some or none of the time has increased by 30 points since last September; meanwhile, the share of Republicans who say this has declined by 21 points. There were similar shifts after Trump won the 2016 presidential election. It is worth noting, however, that both Democrats and Republicans have more trust in the government when the president's political party aligns with theirs.

The share of Californians who think the federal government is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves, and not for all the people has reached a record high in PPIC survey history. Over eight in ten adults and likely voters hold this view today. While overwhelming majorities across political parties say the government is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves, the partisan divide has widened since last September. The share who say the federal government is run by a few big interests has risen by 15 points among Democrats and declined by 22 points among Republicans.

Nine in ten Californians also say the federal government wastes at least some of the money people pay in taxes, including about six in ten adults who say it wastes a lot (58%; 32% say some).

Given low levels of trust and skepticism about the way tax dollars are spent, it is perhaps unsurprising that most Californians support downsizing the federal government, including roughly three in ten who are strongly supportive (27% strongly, 30% somewhat). Here, too, there is a partisan divide: Republicans (67%) are far more likely than independents (30%) and Democrats (7%) to express strong support for government downsizing.

As California continues to absorb and respond to the impact of federal policy changes and lawmaking, the PPIC Statewide Survey will continue to track Californians' trust in the federal government.