ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the decline in public confidence and respect for the Congress with an emphasis on its external causes and the outside factors that reinforce that decline. It also argues that the decline in the public's view of the Congress is part of a decline in the standing of all institutions, and especially all government institutions. The chapter argues that a number of problems related to the Congress, but still outside of the actual work of Capitol Hill, have undermined the position of the institution in the public eye. The American National Election Studies trust-in-government index shows a remarkable decline in the public's overall trust in government. The public views the government as governing elite that is out of touch with the rest of the nation. The public verdict on the work of government is no more encouraging, though like other aspects of Americans' views on government, the disapproval has deep historical roots.
