Politicians in both Sacramento and Washington have had their hands full this year. In California, the legislature approved nearly 1,000 bills before the session ended in August, bills the governor then vetoed or signed into law. In DC, the federal government has faced escalating foreign conflicts, threats of a government shutdown, catastrophic natural disasters in the South, and a polarizing presidential race.  In these challenging times, do Californians trust their governments to do what is right?

Californians’ trust in both the state and federal governments has been relatively low since the PPIC Statewide Survey started tracking this question in 1998. Today, Californians have more trust in their state government than the federal government, according to the latest survey. This has been the case since September 2021.

These levels of trust have stayed about the same for most of the last decade. As of September 2024, 42% of Californians say they trust the state government in Sacramento to do what is right just about always (5%) or most of the time (37%), while 31% say the same of the federal government in Washington (4% just about always; 27% most of the time).

There is a clear political divide around this trust, with two-thirds of Democrats expressing faith in California’s government compared to a third of independents and less than one in ten Republicans. While Democrats are much less likely to have faith in the US government compared to the state, positive sentiment toward Washington is still much higher than among Republicans and independents.  Meanwhile, Republicans are somewhat more likely to express some level of trust toward the federal government (though still very low at 14%) than toward the state government.

Across regions, trust in Sacramento and in Washington is highest among San Francisco residents (50% state, 36% federal) and lowest in the Central Valley (36% state, 25% federal). African American, Asian American, and Latino residents (48% each) are more likely than white residents (34%) to trust California’s government, and when considering the national government, trust is higher among African American residents (47%) than other racial or ethnic groups. Trust in the state government increases among college graduates, while trust in the federal government is higher among residents with a high school diploma or less.  Young adults, 18 to 34, express a higher level of trust toward the state government, while trust in the federal government is similar across age groups.

Similar to early last year, less than a quarter of Californians (23%) have expressed trust in both levels of government to do what is right just about always or most of the time, while half say they trust both only some of the time or never. That distrust toward either level of government is linked.  Among those who trust Sacramento to do what is right only some of the time, nearly all (85%) say the same of Washington. Similarly, about three in four (73%) who largely distrust the federal government feel the same about the state.

After the 2024 elections, the country will gain a new presidential administration and California will gain a new US senator and possible new US representatives and state legislators. The PPIC Statewide Survey will continue to examine Californians’ trust in their government as officials in the state and federal government change.