The Politics of Mistrust

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

   The Washington Post initiates today a 6-part series on the
   loss of trust in all American institutions, "The Politics
   of Mistrust," based on a recent poll sponsored by the 
   Post, Harvard and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

   While not directly related to technical crypto, a number 
   of findings parallel discussions here about the diminution
   of personal and economic security. Samples:

      America is becoming a nation of suspicious strangers,
      and this mistrust of each other is a major reason
      Americans have lost confidence in the federal government
      and virtually every other major national institution.
      Every generation that has come of age since the 1950s
      has been more mistrusting of human nature, a
      transformation in the national outlook that has deeply
      corroded the nation's social and political life.

      Mistrustful Americans repeatedly expressed far less
      confidence in the federal government, the military, the
      Supreme Court, Congress and the Clinton administration
      than the dwindling numbers of Americans who were more
      upbeat about human nature.

      Fear of crime, economic insecurity and pessimism about
      the lives of future generations all have separately
      added to the belief that government is either making
      things worse or is incapable of making them better.

      Today, a clear majority of respondents in their early
      20s said they do not trust their fellow Americans, a view
      they share with one in four Americans over the age of
      60. "It's like living in the cave man age," said a 29-
      year-old. "Nobody cares anymore. Nobody cares. They will
      no sooner run you down and run away than to spit in your
      face."

      An environment in which a majority of Americans believe
      that most people can't be trusted breeds attitudes that
      hold all politicians as corrupt, venal and self-serving,
      and government action is doomed to failure.

      Wages have stagnated, workers change jobs frequently and
      downsizing corporations offer little protection even to
      the most loyal of employees.

      Americans who feel most pessimistic about the economy
      also are more likely to see the government as a threat.

   Harvard and Kaiser are to separately publish their own
   analysis of the poll.

   The first article offers much more detail and is quite
   long, about a page and a half. Perhaps someone might offer
   a site where this and others in the series could be made
   available as they appear. If so, send me a note.