(News Nation) — Americans’ trust in police is on the rise, but trust in key U.S. institutions remains historically low. According to an annual Gallup poll,.
The poll results showed that overall trust in the police rose from 43% in 2023 to 51% in 2024.
The 8 percentage point increase is the largest annual increase among the 17 agencies included in Gallup’s annual survey. Among those who expressed confidence in the police, about 25 percent said they had a “great deal” of confidence, and 26 percent said they had a “fair amount” of confidence.
Trust rose most among 18-34 year-olds, who rose to 43% from 27% last year. Gallup also noted that confidence in the police has increased among people of color and independents.
Over the past few years, Americans’ trust in the police has waxed and waned.
Trust in the police fell to 48 percent in 2020. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, killed George Floyd.The 46-year-old black Minnesota resident’s killing, which was recorded on video, sparked outrage and protests across the country from activists calling for reforms to end police violence.
Trust in the police rose again to 51% in 2021 but fell to 45% in 2022, hitting an all-time low last year.
The Gallup poll was conducted June 3-23 among 1,005 adults ages 18 and older. The margin of error for the full sample was plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
