Americans Are Generally Skeptical Of Government, But Want It To Intervene In A Crisis

Americans are generally skeptical of too much government intervention. Over the past three decades, the number of people saying they want the government to do less usually outnumbers those saying they want it to do more, according to Gallup.

The times when that hasn't been true or when that gap has shrunk have roughly coincided with times of national crisis. However, over the past several years, those saying government should do more to solve the country's problems has crept up to almost being on par with those saying government is doing too much.

And that was before the coronavirus pandemic.

This is one of those times when government counts. This is when government is called upon to fill the gaps that individuals and private industry can't. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, economic and health crises — these are the times people especially depend on their government and need it to function properly.

They also need to trust the information they're hearing, so there's no confusion. President Trump has struggled on this front. In an effort, he says, to tamp down potential hysteria and fear, Trump initially downplayed the coronavirus. His messages have been mixed. And he has floated unproven treatments and experimental ideas. Why?

"You have to understand, I'm a cheerleader for this country," Trump said earlier this month. "I don't want to create havoc and shock and everything else."

But the result has been that most Americans don't trust what he says about the coronavirus, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The good news is Americans do trust what their local officials and government health experts are saying about the virus.