In The Loop – November 4, 2022

It’s Baaaaack!

For a couple of years, I have mentioned the Public Affairs Council’s (PAC) national “Pulse Survey”. This annual survey of more than 2,000 adults, usually conducted in early fall, looks at the balancing act of three sectors – business, government, and the public. This fall survey takes a peek under the sheets of what Americans think about how Washington politics is working or not working, and also looks at those global and societal concerns they believe American business should confront.

Conducted in September 2022, the survey reached out to 2,210 adults to see who the public thinks is the most trusted source of political information; specifically looking at which industries rate highest on their “trust meter” compared to others, and who the influencers are in the near future.

So a week or so ago, the President of PAC presented the findings at the council’s annual board meeting with this lead in ….” What do American’s loathe most about Washington? The behavior of politicians.”

The survey found 10 reasons for this opinion. Of the 10 factors, the most discomfort was based on elected officials being more focused on getting reelected than serving those who elected them (71% considered this a major problem). Next up was the impression that elected officials routinely use their positions to benefit financially (66%), followed by the lack of civility and increased partisanship (66%), and finally, they lack trust in their elected officials over the amount of time they spend raising money for their next elections (58%). Definitely not a good look for public servants….. KEEP READING.