Data from the American National Election Studies are used to examine trends in political trust for the period of 1980 to 1988. The data reveal a substantial growth in trust during the first half of the eighties, followed by plummeting confidence in government at the end of the decade. A number of plausible explanations for these shifts in public trust are examined. The analysis reveals that the downturn in trust after 1984 was not a response to the Iran-Contra scandal of 1986. Rather, it reflected the emerging perception that Reagan lacked compassion, as well as growing dissatisfaction with foreign and domestic policies.
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