Frank Church conference looks at eroding trust in institutions and effect on democracy

Given the eroding trust in democratic institutions, the Frank Church Institute posed the question “How Do Democracies Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century?”

To help answer this question, the Institute undertook a series of sessions online termed “Fridays with Frank.” The sessions ranged from former members of Congress to former high-ranking executive branch officials to authors and academics.

One of the conclusions reaffirmed from the sessions is that trust in institutions whether government, politics, the media or other established entities has declined dramatically, especially in recent years. The question arises, then, of how to address some of these issues, in the Intermountain West and beyond.

As a next step, the Frank Church Institute, working with the Idaho Policy Institute in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, undertook a representative sample poll of citizens throughout Idaho and four contiguous Intermountain States (Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Montana). The poll of some 1,900 residents was conducted in October 2021 by Morning Consult.

This project focuses primarily on rural areas and the impact of attitudes and experiences in an area that has often been overlooked. Among the findings, 85% of respondents are concerned about the health of democracy in the U.S.; and two-thirds of them believe politicians should find common ground.

Other themes that emerged from the polling data include:

• A serious lack of trust in the federal government, much less so for local and state governments.
• An overwhelming concern about misinformation and its spread on social media, a subject of increased scrutiny in Congress.
• A strong sense that Americans in rural communities feel left out of policy that affects them in their everyday life.
• Though a majority back the ballot rather than violence, a concerning one in five believe that violence can be justified.

The Frank Church Institute seeks to better understand the current crisis in American democracy, to pursue common ground, and to improve civic education for both students and the larger community.

Those are some of the issues that will be discussed at the 38th annual Frank Church Conference, “Democracy on the Brink: The View from the Intermountain West,” starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Join this virtual presentation at https://www.boisestate.edu/sps-frankchurchinstitute/conferences/