Americans Trust Local Government More Than Washington
With partisan gridlock and congressional dysfunction, Americans may have lost faith in their federal government, but an overwhelming majority view state and local government favorably. More than 6 in 10 Americans hold favorable views of state and local government, while just 33 percent view the federal government favorably – down from 64 percent a decade ago.
A recent survey from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that these favorable sentiments toward local government have held relatively steady since 2002, dropping from 67 percent to 61 percent in 2012. That's compared with favorable views of the federal government, which have plummeted from 64 percent 10 years ago to just 33 percent today.
A growing number of studies note the increased importance of cities and metro areas to the national and global economies. Alice Rivlin of the Brookings Institution long ago said that productivity and innovation policy is best made at the local level. Perhaps a further shift in political power away from the feds and toward states and cities is in order. This wouldn't only benefit the economy, but help restore Americans' faith in their political institutions.
Richard Florida is Co-Founder and Editor at Large at The Atlantic Cities. He's also a Senior Editor at The Atlantic, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, and Global Research Professor at New York University. He is a frequent speaker to communities, business and professional organizations, and founder of the Creative Class Group, whose current client list can be found here. All posts »
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