Americans' confidence in federal institutions is on the rise, a new poll concludes.
The Harris Poll, which has been tracking the confidence that Americans have in leaders of the nation's institutions since 1966, found that the military topped the confidence list of 14 institutions, ranging from law firms to television news organizations. More than 40 percent of Americans said they had a great deal of confidence in the military, up from 37 percent last year.
Only 17 percent of Americans expressed confidence in executive branch agencies this year, but that was up from 12 percent in 1997.
The Supreme Court ranked third in confidence this year, with 37 percent expressing high esteem for the high court. Only 20 percent of those surveyed said they had a great deal of confidence in the White House, while 12 percent said the same of Congress.
According to the Harris Poll's Humphrey Taylor, the long-term trend for each institution has been a substantial and continuing decline in confidence. The average scores were 57 percent in the 1970s, 51 percent in the 1980s and 46 percent in the 1990s.
That trend may be changing, however. This year's average confidence level, 54 percent, is up from 42 percent last year, and is the highest score in 13 years.
The results of the poll are based on a nationwide survey of 1,000 adults between January 14 and January 18.
"Great Deal of Confidence" Levels
| Institution | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 |
| Military | 44% | 37% | 47% |
| Supreme Court | 37% | 28% | 41% |
| White House | 20% | 15% | 15% |
| Executive Branch | 17% | 12% | 12% |
| Congress | 12% | 11% | 10% |
Source: The Harris Poll
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