Trust

Starting in the 1980's jobs began leaving the US and this effected middle America more than the coastal areas. There were many people who were not happy with the federal government and Reagan appealed to them when he said the government is not the solution to the problem, the government is the problem. This distrust for government was aggravated by the dot com revolution of the 90's where stock holders made millions but blue collar guys lost jobs. Then the mortgage collapse in 2008 cost many to lose their homes. Since Covid many people have come to realize that the government misled them and the distrust for government grew. They were told that the virus came from an animal market. They were told that the vaccine would keep you safe. They were told if you got the vaccine you couldn't pass on the disease. They were told that natural immunity was not as good as getting vaxed. They learned that masks were not as protective as promised. They learned that staying six feet apart was just a suggestion. They learned that closing schools was a mistake and children are paying the price. All of this has added to the distrust of government that had been building since the 80's. Polls show that only 16% trust the government down from 70% in 1960.