Essay 12: Confidence in Government

     Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades. Divided government is defined as a situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of the United States Congress, thus leading to Congressional gridlock. Congressional gridlock leads to decline in trust and confidence in the overall government because when nothing gets done, it tends to cause worry.

     People who are opposed of the party in power will not participate as much in government, which leads to less trust and confidence in government. The increased cost of election campaigns also contribute to the decline of trust because instead of an election based on merit values and other characteristics, it has become a money-ridden popularity contest. This does not give an actual representation of government as it has in the past when money wasn't as key a factor as it is now.

     Two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior are lower voter turnout and petitioning and protesting the government. Lower voter turnout doesn't allow the government to get an actual representation of government through elections because less people vote. Petitioning and protesting lead to higher tensions that can grow throughout the mass of voters, which can lead to less trust and confidence in our overall government.



http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/ap04_sg_gopo_us_37090.pdf

3) Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
(a) Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response
(b) Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
(c) Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.