Small business as American institution inspires confidence
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Chan Qyng, the owner of corner store New Matt's Market (1427 S 6th St., in Philadelphia), is always behind the counter. Gallup finds that Americans have a lot of confidence in small business as an American institution. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Gallup has just released its annual update on Americans’ confidence in institutions. The military and small business stand out above the others as having high levels of confidence from the public.
Note the word “small.” When we say “big” business, confidence crashes down. Americans’ confidence in banks is beginning to recover slightly.
One of the societal institutions most in the news over the past year has been the police. Americans’ confidence in the police is down, but no lower than they were back in 1993 in the midst of the Rodney King aftermath.
Confidence in organized religion and the church is down, to all-time lows — but not among Catholics, whose confidence in organized religion has stayed remarkably steady in recent years.
Congress is still near the bottom of the list, within one point of the all-time low we have measured on any institution at any time.
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