When planning new policies, local governments should take into account how much they are trusted by citizens

While trust in the federal government may be at an all-time low, citizens still trust state and local governments. In new research using Lincoln, Nebraska, as a case study, Mitchel Herian looks at how people’s levels of trust in their local government influences their support for government activities. He finds that citizens with high levels of trust in local governments are more likely to support government involvement in human services such as health, libraries and public transport, and in infrastructure development, including policies aimed at increasing economic growth.