The Local vs. National Divide

There’s a curious thing happening in the U.S.—on a whole host of issues, Americans are more or less happy with the way things work locally, but not nationally. (Pew Research Center)

Politics: Most Americans (61%) see their local government in a positive light, but confidence in the federal government is dismal, with roughly 20% holding a favorable view, per Pew Research Center.

• A similar phenomenon occurs when it comes to voting, where nearly 7 in 10 Americans say elections in their community were administered “very well.”

• But less than half said the same about elections at the national level.

Education: In 2022, 52% of Americans gave their local public schools an “A” or “B” grade, compared to only 22% who rated the nation’s schools the same way.

Media: 74% of Americans trust local news organizations at least somewhat, but only 59% trust national news.

• Among Republicans, 66% trust local news, but only 40% trust national news.

Crime: Since 2000, Americans have consistently rated local crime as less serious than national crime.

• They are much less likely to say crime is rising in their area compared to nationally.

• Other polls have echoed these findings.

• For instance, a 2020 Gallup poll—conducted amidst widespread anti-police sentiment following the death of George Floyd—found a majority of black Americans (61%) preferred that police presence in their local area remain the same, with 20% desiring more police presence.

Big picture: In 2023, 63% of Americans said their community was moving in the right direction.

• In contrast, only 18% believed the country was heading in the right direction.

Bubba’s Two Cents

There’s an idea that emerges from this data - the larger an institution gets, the less human it feels, and the more disconnected it becomes from the people it’s supposed to serve.

At the local level, decisions come from faces we recognize—neighbors, community leaders, people we can hold accountable. At the national level, decisions seem to come from nameless bureaucrats and faceless institutions. I constantly see videos from city council hearings going viral or hear stories about people calling an official or running into them in public. Can you imagine trying to call the IRS?

I think, to some extent, this explains why you're seeing Trump, Elon, and DOGE take a chainsaw to the bureaucracy. They're bypassing the faceless machine, and right or wrong, they're tapping into a frustration that's been building for years, and it's not going away anytime soon.